healthy cream of mushroom soup

Fish & Seafood

Healthy Cream of Mushroom Soup

This healthy version of the traditional cream of mushroom soup calls for you to puree half of the soup for that rich, creamy mouthfeel and leave the other half as is for hits of meaty texture. Don't skip the parsley and tarragon as both add a nice pop of color, and their flavors play so well with the mushrooms. Be sure to brown the mushrooms well as that'll add even more depth to the soup.

Ingredients

2 ½ pounds cleaned and sliced fresh mixed mushrooms
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
1 ¼ teaspoons kosher salt
½ teaspoon black pepper
½ cup chopped shallots (from 2 medium shallots)
½ cup chopped scallions (from 2 medium scallions)
3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
2 ½ cups unsalted vegetable stock
2 ½ cups whole milk
2 tablespoons chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
1 tablespoon chopped fresh tarragon

Directions

Roughly chop mushrooms. Add oil and butter to a large, heavy pot and cook over medium-high until butter melts. Add mushrooms, salt, and pepper; cook, stirring often, until mushrooms are deeply browned and most of the moisture has evaporated, 8 to 10 minutes.
Add shallots and scallions; cook, stirring often, until softened, about 4 minutes. Add flour and stir to combine. Add stock and milk, stirring and scraping to loosen any browned bits from bottom of pot. Let mixture come to a low boil and cook, stirring occasionally, until broth thickens, about 5 minutes. Remove from heat. Transfer half of mixture to a countertop blender. Secure lid on blender and remove center piece to allow steam to escape. Place a clean towel over opening and process until almost smooth; return to pot. Or use an immersion blender to pulse the soup until somewhat blended but some whole pieces of mushroom are still visible. Stir in parsley and tarragon; serve hot.