Creamy Mushroom and Herb Soup
There are dishes that don’t need fancy ingredients to work. Creamy mushroom soup is one of them. With basic products and simple preparation, you get a balanced, comforting result full of nuances.
Mushrooms provide fiber, minerals, and natural antioxidants, plus a very interesting umami flavor that intensifies when cooked properly, allowing their water to evaporate and their juices to concentrate before adding the stock. It’s a light soup if you don’t overdo the cream, but filling enough to make a complete dinner with a good accompaniment.
Preparing it in a vitrified steel pot allows you to maintain a stable temperature from the initial sauté to the final cooking, without needing to work with high heat. Let’s get started!
Serves: 4
Preparation time: 30–35 minutes
Difficulty: Easy
Cookware used: Vitrified forged steel pot from the Vitrinor Alborán range
You will need:
- 500 g fresh mushrooms
- 1 medium onion
- 1 clove of garlic
- 750 ml vegetable stock
- 100 ml cooking cream (optional)
- 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
- A few fresh herb leaves (parsley, thyme, or mild rosemary)
- Salt to taste
- Freshly ground black pepper
How is it done?
The flavor base.
Peel and finely chop the onion and garlic. Heat the oil in the pot over medium heat and add the onion with a pinch of salt. Cook it slowly until it’s translucent and tender. This step is important: a well-sweated onion provides natural sweetness and balances the final flavor without needing to add anything else. Add the garlic in the last minute so it doesn’t burn.
Well-worked mushrooms.
Clean the mushrooms with a damp cloth (avoid submerging them in water so they don’t absorb it) and cut them into slices or pieces. Add them to the pot and turn up the heat slightly at first. You’ll see they release quite a bit of liquid—that’s normal. Let them cook until the water reduces and they start to concentrate their aroma. Here’s one of the recipe’s secrets: if you add the stock too soon, the flavor will be flatter.
Gentle cooking.
When the mushrooms are well integrated with the onion, add the hot stock. Cook over medium heat for about 15 minutes. It doesn’t need to boil vigorously; gentle cooking allows everything to settle without losing nuances.
Texture to your liking.
Remove from heat and blend until you get a smooth cream. If you want it lighter, add a bit more hot stock. If you prefer a creamier texture, add the cream and mix well. You can also reserve some sautéed mushroom pieces to add at the end for contrast.
Final adjustment.
Adjust the salt, add freshly ground pepper, and the chopped herbs just before serving. Adding them at the end keeps their aroma fresh and prevents them from fading during cooking.
Tips and variations
- Lighter: omit the cream and add a small cooked potato along with the mushrooms to add body.
- More intense: reduce the mixture a bit more before blending to concentrate the flavor.
- With more depth: replace part of the vegetable stock with chicken stock.
- Special touch: a pinch of nutmeg or a few drops of truffle oil can change the profile without overloading it.
Presentation tip
Serve piping hot, accompanied by toasted bread or homemade croutons. It also works very well with a drizzle of raw extra virgin olive oil or with a few thin slices of sautéed mushroom on top.
You now have a simple, well-executed recipe that always finds its place at the table.
