Cream of Mushroom Soup

A delicious homemade version of Cream of Mushroom Soup that will make you forget those red and white cans!

Course Appetizer, Soup

Cuisine American

Keyword caramelized onions, mushroom soup, mushrooms

Prep Time 15

Cook Time 1 30

Servings Servings

Calories 248kcal

Author Barb

Melt the butter in a large pot over low heat, add the onions and cook until caramelized and nicely browned, about 30 minutes. Stir frequently.
Next, stir in the garlic and cook for 1 to 2 minutes...be careful not to leave it and have it burn.
Add the olive oil to the pot and then the mushrooms, stirring to coat them. Turn the heat to medium high and sauté for about 10 minutes or until the mushrooms are cooked down. Stir often.
Add the Sherry to the pot and de-glaze the bottom; cooking until the Sherry has been absorbed by mushroom/onion mixture, about 5 minutes; stirring often.
Set aside about 1/3 of the mushroom mixture; keeping as many onions in the pot as possible; rough chop the mushrooms when cool.
Add the flour to the mushrooms in the pot and stir to combine, cook on medium heat for 1 to 2 minutes. Add the chicken stock and stir until it starts to boil and thicken a bit; turn off the heat.
Puree the soup using a stick blender or regular blender until smooth. If using a regular blender, do half container portions at a time. Return soup to pot.
Add the saved mushrooms (keeping out 1/4 cup for garnish, if desired), heavy cream, parsley, thyme, salt, and pepper. Continue to simmer for a few minutes to release the herb flavors.
You can eat this soup right away, garnishing the top with some mushrooms and fresh herbs but I like to let it sit in the fridge overnight and have all those flavors meld before reheating and serving.

Caramelizing the onions low and slow is one of the most important steps to ensuring a delicious soup.
Sautéing the mushrooms is also crucial to bringing out more mushroom flavor, so take the time to do this before de-glazing with wine. Sauté them longer than 10 minutes if you likes your mushrooms softer.
You can substitute chardonnay, sauvignon blanc, or pinot grigio for the Sherry.
If the soup is not thick enough after it's been puréed, then stir in a slurry consisting of 1/3 cup of cornstarch whisked with ¼ cup of cold water. Gently bring the soup to a boil, stirring until it thickens.
How to store...The soup will keep in the fridge for a couple of days and you can freeze it for up to 3 months. To serve, allow to thaw in the fridge and then rewarm on the stovetop or in the microwave.