I recently learned that one of the best mushroom soups I have ever tasted was actually made with butter despite being told by countless people it was vegan. I should have realized it the first time I tried it based only the way it coated my spoon but I wanted to believe someone actually took the time to make a vegan soup. After learning this news I set out to create a vegan mushroom soup recipe that could compete with a traditional butter and cream based version. I think I succeeded but you will have to be the judge and try making it yourself! Note: If you skip the nutritional yeast the soup will still be delicious but lack a layer of flavor and richness without the fat and calories of butter.
Ingredients:
- .75 oz dried Porcini Mushrooms
- .75 oz dried Oyster Mushrooms
- .75 oz dried Maitake Mushrooms
- .75 oz dried Chanterelle Mushrooms
- 6 cups water
- 2 pounds White Button Mushrooms, sliced
- 2 pounds Crimini Mushrooms, sliced
- 1 pound Shitake Mushrooms, sliced
- 2 cups diced Yellow Onioin
- 1 cup diced Shallot
- 2 tbsp Olive Oil
- 1 tsp White Truffle Oil
- 2 dried Bay Leaves
- 1 tbsp dried Rosemary
- 1 tbsp dried Oregano
- 2 tsp dried Ground Sage
- ½ tsp White Pepper
- ½ tsp Celtic Sea Salt
- ½ tsp White Truffle Salt
- 1 cup Nutritional Yeast Flakes
- 3 tbsp Annie’s Homegrown Organic Worcestershire Sauce
Method:
Preheat the oven to 375 degrees on the convection roast setting, if available.
Place the dried mushrooms in a colander and quickly rinse them before placing them in a medium saucepan with 4 cups of water. Bring to a boil and let simmer for 15 minutes. Place a strainer in a large bowl and strain the mushrooms, reserving the broth (DO NOT DISCARD THE LIQUID). Rinse the mushrooms and save. Strain the liquid through two layers of cheese cloth.
Clean the fresh mushrooms either by brushing them or if necessary rinsing them in water and then slice. Tip: remove the tips of stems of the shitake mushrooms and discard.
Lightly oil three large cookie sheets and place the sliced mushrooms on the pans. It is okay if the mushrooms are overlapping as they will shrink in the oven. Place the pans in the pre-heated oven and roast for 25 minutes
While the mushrooms are roasting, peel and finely dice the onion and shallots.
Heat 2 tbsp of olive oil and 1 tsp of white truffle oil in a large saucepan over a medium heat then add the onion and shallots, cook until lightly brown. Add the dried herbs and continue cooking for 1 minute.
Carefully remove the trays from the oven and add the mushrooms to the pot with the cooked onions, stirring to combine. Add the reserved dried mushrooms that you rehydrated. Stir in 32 ounces low sodium vegetable stock and 5 cups of the reserved mushroom broth.
Bring to a slow boil and reduce heat to a simmer. Cover and let simmer for 20 minutes.
Remove the Bay Leaves and discard them.
Season to taste with more sea salt and black pepper to your liking. Stir in Nutritional Yeast and Worcestershire Sauce (Annie’s brand is vegan).
Whiz with a stick blender until smooth.
If you prefer a silky smooth soup use a high-powered blender and blend the soup in batches until it is smooth and creamy.
If you wish to freeze the soup, use glass pint canning jars with plastic lids that can be purchased at Target. This gives you a perfect serving size.