The Best Creamy Potato and Wild Mushroom Soup Recipe
This is, hands down, The Best Creamy Potato and Wild Mushroom Soup Recipe. The combination of mushrooms, full of earthy flavors, caramelized and simmered with creamy potatoes, broth, and an interesting mix of seasonings create a depth of flavor that will have you coming back for more!
Soup season might just be my favorite season. As the weather turns cooler, there is nothing quite like a bowl of comforting soup at the end of a long day.
And what’s more, is that it’s so simple to combine some humble ingredients in the back of your refrigerator and pantry into this wonder. Once you know the basic technique of making soup on the stovetop, you are free to be creative with flavors and textures.
Be sure to check out this post for my Formula for Basic Stovetop Soup Making.
Looking for other awesome fall recipes? You’ve got to check out this Mushroom Pappardelle Pasta, Creamy Red Lentil Soup, and this Skillet Chicken with Mushrooms and Caramelized Onions.
Why I love this recipe:
Recipe Ingredients
You’ll need the following ingredients to make this potato mushroom soup recipe:
Ingredient Notes & Substitutions
The basic ingredients to make this mushroom potato soup are easy to find and readily available at almost any grocery store.
Here are a few ingredient notes:
Potatoes: I used russet potatoes in this recipe, but you can easily substitute Yukon gold potatoes, which are exceptionally creamy in texture. Find both types of potatoes in any grocery store.
Mushrooms: Use a mix of wild mushrooms in this recipe. I used a mix of shiitake, oyster, maitake, and beech, but you can substitute almost any mushrooms you like. Some other delicious options would be cremini or baby bella mushrooms, chanterelles, king oyster, and porcini. You can use white button mushrooms, but I would be sure to mix them with other varieties, as they don’t have much flavor. Note: The beech mushrooms in this recipe were used for garnish because of their small size. You can easily substitute thinly sliced mushrooms of any type for the garnish, which are cooked separately. Look for wild mushrooms at your grocery store, local
Parsnip: A root vegetable with a sweeter flavor that is closely related to the carrot and parsley family, it provides an added richness and counterpoint to the earthy mushrooms and miso. You can substitute a carrot, if you like, or omit it altogether. Find parsnips in any grocery store.
Onion: A classic yellow onion is fine for this recipe, but you can substitute a white onion, a vidalia onion, or even shallots.
Stock: This recipe calls for chicken stock, but you can easily substitute vegetable stock or mushroom stock for an equally delicious soup.
Miso paste: The secret ingredient in this recipe that adds a great deal of salty savory umami is red miso paste. Miso, a paste of fermented soy beans with salt, grains and koji, a type of fungus, is a great condiment to have on hand, as it adds a little something extra to so many dishes. You can easily substitute white miso (the color indicates the length of fermentation – white having the shortest fermentation time). Look for miso paste at almost any grocery store, specialty retailer, Asian market, or online. If you’re interesting in learning more about miso, this article has more information.
Dry sherry: A natural pairing with mushrooms, dry sherry, which is a fortified wine, is what I used in this recipe for its tangy and nutty flavor, but you can easily substitute a dry white wine, such as a sauvignon blanc or chardonnay.
Fresh herbs: Fresh sprigs of thyme and sage leaves are used to flavor the base of the soup. If you don’t have both, you can substitute just one. Additionally, fresh chives are used for garnish. You can substitute parsley or fresh thyme leaves.
Let’s Make The Best Creamy Potato and Wild Mushroom Soup Recipe Together: STEP BY STEP
Be sure to check out the full recipe details and ingredient list in the recipe card below.
Steps 1, 2 & 3:
Begin by prepping the vegetables – chop the onion, celery, garlic, and chives. Next, peel and chop the parsnip and potatoes. And lastly, remove the stems from the mushrooms and slice them accordingly (full details in recipe below).
Steps 4, 5 & 6:
Place a stock pot or large saucepan over medium-high heat and saute the mushrooms for garnish in butter. When they are golden brown, remove them and add the onion, parsnips, celery and garlic and cook until they start to soften, and then add the mushrooms.
Steps 7, 8 & 9:
As the mushrooms cook down, give everything a good stir, and add the sherry to deglaze the pan. Using a spatula or wooden spoon, scrape up any browned bits on the bottom of the pan.
Steps 10, 11 & 12:
Add the stock and herbs and simmer until the vegetables are tender when pierced with a knife. Then, blend the soup in batches and check for seasoning, making any adjustments as necessary.
Natalie’s Expert Tips
- When you blend the finished soup, a high-speed blender is best, but you can also use an immersion blender or a food processor. If you use a high-speed blender, do not fill the blender more than 2/3 full AND remove the cap from the lid before blending and cover it with a kitchen towel or paper towels so that the steam can escape (and the blender doesn’t explode!).
- Blend the soup longer than you think you need to, for an ultra-creamy texture.
- Always season in layers – that is to say, add salt and pepper as you’re cooking so that you end up with a well-seasoned dish. In this recipe, though, remember that miso paste is salty, so taste it during the cooking process, so that you can control the level of seasoning.
Serving Suggestions
- A gooey grilled cheese sandwich, made with gruyere cheese.
- Simple green salads are always good choices. Consider this delicious Orange Mustard Vinaigrette.
- The best crusty bread you can find, is always a crowd-pleaser!
- How about a side dish of Pan-roasted Brussels Sprouts?
Storage & Reheating
STORAGE: Let the hot soup cool, and store it in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3-4 days.
REHEATING: On the stovetop, place the soup into a saucepan and heat over medium-low heat until warmed through. Alternatively, reheat the soup in the microwave oven in 30-second intervals until it is warmed through.
FREEZING: This soup freezes well in a freezer-safe container for up to 6 months. Thaw in the refrigerator overnight before reheating.
Frequently Asked Questions for this Creamy Potato and Mushroom Soup
I hope you love this Potato and Wild Mushroom Soup Recipe! If you make it, be sure to leave a rating so I know how you liked it!
Recipe Card
The Best Creamy Potato and Wild Mushroom Soup Recipe
Equipment
- soup pot or large saucepan
- wooden spoon or high-heat spatula
- knife and cutting board
- vegetable peeler
- blender, immersion blender, or food processor
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 lbs mushrooms (mix of shiitake, oyster, maitake, chanterelle, cremini, beech, etc. )
- 1/4 cup sliced mushrooms (or small mushrooms like beech mushrooms, left whole for garnish)
- 1 1/2 lbs potatoes (peeled and diced)
- 4 tbsp unsalted butter (divided)
- 1 onion (diced)
- 1 celery stalk (diced)
- 1 parsnip (diced)
- 4 garlic cloves (roughly chopped)
- pinch red pepper flakes
- 1/3 cup dry sherry (or dry white wine)
- 7 cups chicken stock (plus more, if desired for a thinner consistency)
- 4 sages leaves
- 4 thyme sprigs
- 1 tbsp miso paste
- 1 bay leaf
- 2 tbsp chives (finely chopped – optional garnish)
Instructions
- In a large pot, melt two tablespoons of butter over medium-high heat and add the 1/4 cup of small (or thinly sliced) mushrooms for garnish. Cook them until they are browned, and then remove them to a plate and set aside.
- Next, add the remaining butter, onion, celery, parsnip, and garlic and cook for a few minutes until they start to soften. Add the pinch of red pepper flakes and season with salt and pepper. *Note: the butter will likely be browned at this point – this is good as it adds a great layer of flavor!
- Add the mushrooms and cook until they are starting to brown. Season with salt and pepper.
- Add the dry sherry or white wine and allow it to reduce until the pan is dry, scraping up any browned bits on the bottom of the pan.
- Next, add the potatoes, chicken stock, miso, bay leaf, sage, and thyme (if you can, tie the sage and thyme together with string, so it's easy to remove from the pot later) – season with salt and pepper.
- Bring to a boil, then reduce to a simmer and cook until the potatoes and mushrooms are tender when pierced with the tip of a knife.
- Puree the soup using a high-speed blender, immersion blender, or food processor by only filling the blender 2/3 full and working in batches. *If using a blender, be sure to remove the cap from the lid so that the steam can escape and it doesn't explode. Cover the lid with a kitchen towel or paper towels, so that the soup doesn't escape through the top and make a huge mess. The same goes for a food processor – remove the top so that steam can escape.
- Return the soup to the stovetop. Taste it and add additional salt and pepper, if necessary.
- To serve, ladle the soup into bowls and top with sautéed garnish mushrooms and fresh chives. You can also drizzle with olive oil if you like.
Notes
- When you blend the finished soup, a high-speed blender is best, but you can also use an immersion blender or a food processor.
- If you use a high-speed blender, do not fill the blender more than 2/3 full AND remove the cap from the lid before blending and cover it with a kitchen towel or paper towels so that the steam can escape (and the blender doesn’t explode!).
- Blend the soup longer than you think you need to, for an ultra-creamy texture.
- Remember that miso paste is salty, so taste it during the cooking process, so that you can control the level of seasoning.
Nutrition
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I’m Natalie and I love to create seasonal and interesting elevated food for busy everyday real life! Dinner doesn’t have to be boring and I’m here to help. This is where busy meets delicious!
