Vegan Mushroom Soup - Zuppa di Funghi

Creamy vegan mushroom soup made with a medley of meaty wild mushrooms, leeks and homemade cashew cream. Easy to make from scratch and great with wild rice, barley, farro or dumplings.

Course Soup

Cuisine Italian

Keyword Italian soup, mushroom soup, vegan mushroom soup

Prep Time 10

Cook Time 45

Servings people

Calories 235kcal

Ingredients

1.5 lb wild mushrooms
1 leek sliced and rinsed well
4 cloves garlic minced
2 carrots sliced
2 celery ribs diced
1 pinch red pepper flakes (to taste)
8.5 cups veggie stock low sodium
1 tbsp onion powder
2 bay leaves
8-10 sprigs fresh thyme
1/3 cup dry white wine
1/4 cup whole wheat pastry flour (optional)

Add ins

1 cup wild rice farro or barley
2 1/4 cups water or veggie stock
1 Tbsp white miso paste optional
sea salt + black pepper to taste

Cashew Cream

1 cup raw cashews
1/2 lemon - juiced
1 cup Water

US Customary - Metric

Instructions

Make the Cashew Cream

Rinse the cashews well and steep them in hot water for 25 minutes. Drain and rinse again then add them to a powerful blender with one cup of water and the juice from half a lemon. Puree until smooth and creamy. Refrigerate until needed. (If using a powerful blender like a Vitamix you can skip the soaking step).
1 cup raw cashews, 1 cup Water, 1/2 lemon - juiced

Make the Soup

Preheat a heavy bottom soup pot over medium heat. Add a light drizzle of olive oil (or a splash of veggie stock) and saute the leeks with a pinch of salt until wilted and the leeks start to get a little color.
1 leek
Stir in the red pepper flakes, carrots and celery together with the bay leaves and thyme and continue cooking until the veggies start to soften. Sir in the garlic and cook just until fragrant taking care not to burn it.
2 carrots, 2 celery ribs, 1 pinch red pepper flakes, 2 bay leaves, 8-10 sprigs fresh thyme, 4 cloves garlic
Depending on their size make sure to tear the mushrooms into smaller pieces if needed and separated the hen of the woods and enoki varieties from the cluster. (If using shiitakes make sure to discard the stem as it is tough and woodsy then tear the caps into smaller pieces).
Add the mushrooms to the pot and give everything a good stir. Allow to sweat until they release their moisture and it evaporates almost completely. Stir the onion powder and the white wine. Bring to a simmer and bubble away until all the liquid has been absorbed.
1.5 lb wild mushrooms, 1 tbsp onion powder, 1/3 cup dry white wine
Meanwhile warm up the veggie stock and whisk in the chickpea miso if using.
8.5 cups veggie stock, 1 Tbsp white miso paste
Sprinkle the flour over the mushrooms then pour in the veggie stock. Bring to a gentle boil and cook for a good 10 minutes until the soup has thickened.
1/4 cup whole wheat pastry flour
Add the cashew cream, taste and adjust seasonings with the sea salt and black pepper. Remove from heat. Sprinkle with fresh herbs and serve with wild rice mixed in. Alternatively you can ladle the mushroom soup into oven proof bowls and top with a sheet of puff pastry (vegan) to make pot pies. Bake @375" for 15 minutes or so until golden.
sea salt + black pepper to taste

Prep the Wild Rice

While the soup is cooking work on the grains. Rinse and drain the wild rice in a couple of changes of water. Bring 2 1/4 cups of water to a boil, add a pinch of sea salt and the rinsed rice. Bring back to a boil, turn the flame down to low and cover with a lid. Simmer for 45 minutes until all the water is absorbed. Remove from heat and allow to sit covered for 10 more minutes before fluffing with a fork. Set aside until needed.
1 cup wild rice, 2 1/4 cups water or veggie stock

Notes

The Mushrooms - I love using a medley of wild mushrooms here with all their earthy aromas. Think hen of the woods, chanterelles, oysters, enoki, shiitakes, porcini etc.. Of course you can also make this soup with a bunch cremini (baby bella) button mushrooms all year long.
Swaps - The wild rice can be swapped for barley, farro, quinoa, even lentils or omitted altogether.
Storage - since this mushroom soup is made without dairy cream or milk you can make ahead and freeze it in air-tight containers for later use. Remember to allow it to thaw out overnight in the refrigerator before reheating. It keeps well in the fridge up to 5 days and reheats well on the stovetop or microwave oven.

Nutrition