This is a recipe for easy healthy mushroom soup without cream. Just a simple, brothy luxurious bowl of soup. The secret weapon that elevates this earthy soup from normal to stardom is a splash of sherry. Sherry is a great partner for fresh thyme to season this soup.
This recipe was first published November of 2017 and republished November 2021 with step by step instructions and photos.
How did it happen? It’s six degrees out right now, but I’m not blaming the deep freeze weather for our sudden glut of soup.
We’ve eaten soup every day this week, for lunch, for dinner. And this Country Mushroom Soup actually ended up being our favorite for the week.
This isn’t just your average homemade mushroom soup. With no condensed canned soup, this is a healthy mushroom soup without cream that simply doesn’t skimp on flavor.
Big chunks of mushrooms, simply seasoned with fresh thyme and healthy with brown rice. It’s one of those brothy soups that makes you feel good about eating it.
The secret ingredient is a splash of sherry, and if you like mushrooms, a pure delight.
Sherry is a fortified wine and produced in Jarez, Spain. Sherry elevates a recipe with it’s nutty flavor and smoky back notes. Don’t hesitate to experiment. It works beautifully with mushrooms, shrimp, crab, or poultry.
A relatively easy soup that wows the palate. Let’s take a look.
Ingredients You’ll Need
- Chicken Broth: Canned chicken broth makes this an easy fix. Homemade chicken stock will make this even tastier.
- Button Mushrooms: Purchase whole mushrooms, or pre-sliced to save you time.
- Onion: Use a sweet or yellow onion.
- Brown Rice
- Dry Sherry: Dry Sherry is a white wine from Spain. It has a crisp and nutty flavor and adds a wonderful layer of flavor to this soup.
- Butter and Oil: Use a neutral oil. Canola or vegetable oil works well here.
- Fresh Thyme
Ingredient Substitutions
- Broth: Use vegetable broth to make this a vegetarian mushroom soup.
- Mushrooms: The best mushrooms for soup: I’ve always used white button mushrooms (Crimini) for this soup, however, mushrooms labeled Baby Bella would work beautifully here.
- Rice: You most certainly can substitute white rice for brown rice for this soup. Adjust cooking time for white rice according to package directions. However, still toast the rice with the onions before adding broth.
- Sherry: If you simply don’t have sherry, you can substitute white wine, brandy or dry vermouth. Please don’t use cooking sherry. Buy the real stuff.
- Fat: This recipe calls for both butter and oil. You can either use all butter or all oil if you wish.
- Thyme: Fresh is always best, but if you don’t have fresh thyme, you can easily substitute dried thyme. Dried herbs are often more concentrated and potent than fresh, so substitute one teaspoon dried thyme for the 1 tablespoon of fresh.
Step By Step Instructions
- Step 1: Toast The Brown Rice: Heat a large sauce pan, I use my 6 qt. Le Creuset Dutch Oven, over medium high heat. Once the pan is hot, add the butter and the oil. Once the butter is melted and bubbly, add the chopped onions and brown rice. Toast the onions and brown rice for about six minutes, stirring consistently.
- Step 2: Cook The Mushrooms: Add the sliced mushrooms and cook until just starting to brown. Stir consistently. This should take about 5 – 7 minutes.
- Step 3: Add the broth and thyme. Cover the pan and let is simmer on low for 25 minutes or until rice is tender. Add sherry and thyme and simmer uncovered for 10 minutes.
Voila! Done! Easy healthy mushroom soup for a weeknight dinner that feels like a fancy restaurant meal.
Tips and FAQ’s
Please make sure to sautee the mushrooms until they’re starting to brown around the edges. This means that most of the moisture has been cooked from the mushrooms and the texture has changed from spongy to somewhat crisp. This is important because mushrooms are a sponge, and once you add the broth, if the mushrooms are not browned properly, the texture will be a bit rubbery, spongy.
Mushrooms are low in sodium, naturally fat free, naturally low calorie and loaded with vitamins, minerals and antioxidants. Crimini mushrooms are a source of zinc, which is vital nutrient for our immune system. Source: WebMD And making a mushroom soup without cream, makes this a super nutritious option.
Even though there’s no meat in this soup, you’ll need to switch out Vegetable broth for Chicken Broth to make this a vegetarian mushroom soup.
Tips For Success:
- If you’re purchasing whole mushrooms, don’t rinse them with water to clean them. Mushrooms are like a sponge and will soak up the water which will compromise the texture. Use a dry paper towel to wipe the mushrooms clean. To make this soup easier than easy, I usually purchase pre-sliced mushrooms.
- Working With Fresh Thyme: To make quick work of adding fresh thyme to this recipe. Hold a stalk of thyme at the top, with the leaves pointing up. Simply run your fingers down the stalk pulling the leaves down with your fingers. The leaves will easily come off the stalk
Storage and Reheating
- Store any leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 5 days.
- Reheat stovetop, or in a microwave.
- Since this is a mushroom soup without cream, this recipe will freeze very easily. Store in a freezer safe container for up to 3 months. Let soup thaw overnight before reheating.
What To Serve With Country Mushroom Soup
Soup can be served with bread and a simple tossed salad. Take a look at this beautiful Hearts of Palm Salad, and this Cornbread Recipe with Creamed Corn.
Recipe, Mushroom Soup Without Cream
I hope you give this healthy mushroom soup recipe a try. It’s one of the first soup recipes we make as soon as the temperature changes in November. And making this mushroom soup with cream will make you feel all healthy inside.
This soup is dairy free, gluten free, and Whole 30 friendly.
More Delicious Healthy Soup Recipes
- Roast Turkey Lentil Barley Soup
- Ginger Lemon Chicken Soup
- Vegetarian Tortilla Soup
- A Superior 15-Bean Soup
- Chicken Soup with Sweet Potatoes
I consider soups to be my specialty, so if you’re looking for even more recipes, don’t miss my category for soup recipes. You’ll find lots of mouthwatering recipes, including the most popular on my site for Hatch Green Chili with Pork.
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Brown Rice Mushroom Soup Without Cream
Ingredients
- 3 tablespoons butter
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 medium onion rough chopped
- 1 pound button mushrooms wiped clean and sliced
- 1 Tablespoon fresh thyme leaves of 1 teaspoon dried thyme
- ½ cup brown rice
- 6 cups chicken broth
- ¼ cup dry Sherry
- Salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
- Over medium high heat, heat a dutch oven until just getting hot. Add butter and olive oil. When oil mixture is hot, add onion and brown rice. Toast the onion and rice stirring consistently, about 5 – 6 minutes.
- Turn the heat down to medium and add the mushrooms. Cook until just browned. About 5 minutes more. Stirring frequently.
- Add chicken broth and thyme and simmer covered about 25 minutes or until rice is tender.
- Stir in Sherry and season with salt and pepper. Simmer on low uncovered for 10 minutes.
Notes
Nutrition
Country Mushroom Soup Without Cream …It’s what’s for Dinner.
Why Trust These Recipes? Lea Ann Brown has lived, worked and played in Colorado for 45 years. She has immersed herself in the Colorado Culinary space, is a Culinary School Graduate and publishes her Colorado food Blog, Cooking On The Ranch.
This looks excellent — really a flavorful soup. We love mushrooms, and this is such a terrific way to use them in soup. Thanks!
We love mushrooms and any soup with mushrooms! Thank you for making one without cream. Most rice mushroom soups are too rich but yours looks extremely flavorful (especially with the sherry) and still quite filling. I’m like you…once the weather starts to cool off, I can’t get enough soup.
Was really delicious! I used beef bone broth instead of the chicken broth, for added protein and flavor. I skipped the butter entirely to lower the fat, and the soup was still truly excellent. A keeper!
Hi Rosalyn. Thanks so much for taking the time to write a review. Love your idea of bone broth. I’ll add that to the notes in the recipe.
I love mushroom soup!! I haven’t tried it with rice though, looks good!
I love using rice in soups as a thickener, it’s such a good trick. I haven’t used sherry in my mushroom soup before though and now I feel I must give this a try!
Mmm soup!! 🙂 It’s so cold out right now, this is exactly what I need!!
I love mushrooms, they are very underrated. This soup looks perfect for the cold weather.
I love mushrooms! Yum!
I really love mushroom soup, but I’ve never tried adding rice to the soup before! What a great way to bump it up to a meal all on its own.
I find myself making a lot of soups this time of year. This looks very tasty.
OK. Beautifully done and photographed. I’m trying this recipe out this weekend!!!
I LOVE eating soup in the winter, but can you believe I’ve never one tried mushroom soup? I think I’ve got a bottle of sherry in the back of the cupboard, so I can’t wait to give this a try!
Mushrooms are one of my favorite foods! Love this soup, thank you for sharing it with us!
I love all things with mushrooms! Cooking the rice in the broth is a great idea! I don’t think that we need soup today! Gosh it’s warm out already!
Could I be that lucky to have stumbled upon such a wonderful looking soup that’s easy to prepare? Oh, Lea Ann, please tell me I’m not dreaming. 😉
Pinching you! 🙂 Happy New Year Adam.
Hi Lea Ann
Happy New Year!
Your Country Mushroom Soup looks perfect for these frigid winter days and very delicious!
Yay for our warm up today. Happy New year to you Pat.