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This Slow Cooker Creamy Wild Rice Soup with Butter Roasted Mushrooms is just what everyone’s Thursday needs. A hearty warming meal with herbed chicken, cozy wild rice, and served with a side of crusty bread.
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Ingredients
- Dry wild rice
- Sweet onion
- Carrots
- Low-sodium veggie or chicken broth
- Dry white wine
- Fresh thyme
- Bay leaves
- Paprika
- Crushed red pepper flakes
- Parmesan
- Whole milk or heavy cream
- Kosher salt and pepper
- Mixed mushrooms
- Garlic cloves
- Butter
- Lemon
Kitchen Supplies
- slow cooker
- 9×13 baking dish
- soup bowls
You know that feeling when the weather turns bitter cold and snow is in the forecast? All you want to do is curl up with the biggest blanket you own, eat a bowl of soup, and watch a movie (preferably a Christmas movie because it’s about that time of year…)?
Yeah, this feeling is my current state of mind, and as soon as I get a day with slightly less on my to-do list, I will remake this soup and enjoy it while curled up in my blankets. I will, I will!
As I write this, I just returned home from a book signing I had here in Colorado. It’s always so much fun meeting you guys in real life, hearing your stories about how you discovered the blog, and what your favorite recipes are. It’s truly the best part about creating the cookbook so far.
All of the travel and book events have left me a little behind on other work, so I’ll be playing catch up for the next few days before heading to Cleveland for a quick Thanksgiving trip.
PS. If any of you guys have left a comment and have yet to receive a response, I promise I’ll be responding to them all by the end of tonight. And if you don’t get a response, keep bugging me!
Step One
In the bowl of your slow cooker, combine the rice, onion, carrots, broth, wine, thyme, bay leaves, paprika, crushed red pepper, parmesan rind, and a pinch of salt and pepper. Cover and cook on low for 6-8 hours. Enjoy the fragrant scent throughout the day if you’re working at home.
Step Two
During the last 30 minutes of cooking, stir in the 1/2 cup grated parmesan and the milk. Cook until warmed through. Remove the bay leaves and discard.
Step Three
About an hour before serving, preheat the oven to 425 degrees. In a 9×13 inch baking dish, combine the mushrooms, garlic, butter, thyme sprigs, lemon zest, and a pinch each of salt and pepper. Transfer the oven and roast for 40-45 minutes, stirring halfway through cooking, until the mushrooms are golden and caramelized.
Step Four
Mash the garlic with a fork, and then stir the mushrooms, mashed garlic, and any butter left into the soup.
Divide the soup among bowls and top with fresh thyme and parmesan.
Back to my story about this recipe….
Speaking of Thanksgiving, it’s a week from today, and I get the feeling that I’m not the only one frantically trying to get things done before cooking up the big Thanksgiving Day feast, or preparing to head out of town to celebrate with family. Things are just a little bit hectic and the last thing anyone is thinking about is dinner…that is until you realize you’re starving and have nothing to eat.
The worst realization, right?
Well, this recipe is here to make everything better.
Things have been so crazy this last month with work and cookbook events that I have been heavily relying on my slow cooker and or instant pot. I’ve made this ramen, this penne alla vodka, and these short ribs multiple times. While I obviously love these recipes, I recently had a craving for just a simple, creamy, wild rice soup.
Wild rice soup is something I grew up eating. My mom has always loved rice in her soup. She used to top her bowls of chicken noodle soup with a pile of rice and then a handful of air-popped popcorn. I’d love devouring bowls of this soup with her, especially after school on chilly days.
This soup isn’t quite like the bowls mom would make, but it’s just as comforting and delicious as the bowls we use to share…with just a little more flavor than that boxed stuff.
You might not be happy about an extra step here, but hear me out, because it’s 120% worth it.
If there’s one thing I think slow cooker recipes lack, it’s texture. Veggies can become mushy, grains can be a little soggy, and meats don’t have a caramelization to them. With this soup, I really wanted to add an extra layer of both flavor and texture.
Enter the butter roasted mushrooms. YES. Butter roasted mushrooms.
AKA how all slow cooker recipes need to be finished.
It’s really not a hard “extra” step. it’s just a matter of adding mushrooms to a pan and putting them in the oven. There’s no real work involved. And again, it is so worth the extra efforts. The crisp, roasted mushrooms are what complete the soup and give it that extra layer of flavor and texture.
Trust me, you need this soup in your life sometime soon. Preferably during your Thanksgiving break, when being lazy and eating soup on the couch while watching Christmas movies (I am obsessed) is totally acceptable.
Ohhhhhh. And if you wanted to make this on Black Friday, stirring in some leftover shredded turkey would be a pretty great idea.
Slow Cooker Creamy Wild Rice Soup with Butter Roasted Mushrooms
Ingredients
- 1 cup dry wild rice or wild rice blend , (wild rice and brown rice)
- 1/2 sweet onion, diced
- 6 carrots, chopped
- 5 cups low-sodium veggie or chicken broth
- 1 cup dry white wine
- 1 tablespoon chopped fresh thyme + 3 thyme sprigs
- 2 bay leaves
- 1 teaspoon paprika
- 1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
- 1 parmesan rind + 1/2 cup grated parmesan, plus more for serving
- 1 cup whole milk or heavy cream
- kosher salt and pepper
- 2 pounds mixed mushrooms, roughly torn
- 4 cloves garlic, smashed
- 1 stick (8 tablespoons) butter
- zest from 1 lemon
Instructions
- 1. In the bowl of your slow cooker, combine the rice, onion, carrots, broth, wine, thyme, bay leaves, paprika, crushed red pepper, parmesan rind, and a pinch each of salt and pepper. Cover and cook on low for 6-8 hours. 2. During the last 30 minutes of cooking, stir in the 1/2 cup grated parmesan and the milk. Cook until warmed through. Remove the bay leaves and discard.3. About an hour before serving, preheat the oven to 425 degrees F. In a 9×13 inch baking dish, combine the mushrooms, garlic, butter, thyme sprigs, lemon zest, and a pinch each of salt and pepper. Transfer to the oven and roast for 40-45 minutes, stirring halfway through cooking, until the mushrooms are golden and caramelized. 4. Mash the garlic with a fork, and then stir the mushrooms, mashed garlic, and any butter left into the soup. 5. Divide the soup among bowls and top with fresh thyme and parmesan. Eat!
Notes
Nutrition
Nutritional information is only an estimate. The accuracy of the nutritional information for any recipe on this site is not guaranteed.
Did you make this recipe? Please rate & comment below.
Basically a giant bowl of comfort…LOVE.
Do you melt the butter before mixing with the mushrooms? Or just put it whole or cubes and then it gets mixed once it’s melted and you stir halfway through?
I just put in cubes of butter and stir halfway threw cooking. Please let me know if you have other questions. Hope you love this recipe! Thanks! 🙂
I love that you added 6 carrots to it! That’s my kind of soup – full of beta-carotene goodness!
YES! I am so glad you like this Olya!
This looks fantastic. Is there a way to make it without the slow cooker? I don’t have room in my small NYC kitchen for another appliance but I do have a lovely dutch over.
Use your dutch oven! That works great! Just simmer over low heat, covered for an hour or until the rice is soft. Please let me know if you have other questions. Hope you love this recipe! Thanks! 🙂
It’s been raining all day and a cozy bowl of soup is just what I’m craving – this is comfort in a bowl!
Yes sounds like the perfect day for this soup! I hope you love it Laura!
Hey Tieghan,
This soup looks lovely and I can’t wait to make it over winter break when I can also cozy up under a blanket while watching Christmas movies. Maybe this would be good followed with some pre-Christmas cookies? Haha I’m looking forward to all of the holiday baking and soups. This would be great with some crunchy bread and I like the idea of the roasted mushrooms! Also, a nice idea for leftover turkey. I’m glad the book signing went well and you’re able to have a cozy day today. Hopefully you’re able to catch up on everything before leaving for cleaveland and I believe in you! 🙂
Sleep well and stay warm!
YES! This soup sounds so amazing to have while cozying up watching Christmas movies! (Cookies are a must haha) I hope you love this Krsitin, thank you!
So much to love about this soup, Tieghan! Thanks for sharing!
Thank you Tori!!
Would love to have this soup include mushrooms but be something that could entirely be done through just the slow cooker process. Any suggestions?
HI! Just add all the ingredients used to make the mushrooms to the slow cooker when you add the rice and other ingredients. That will be just fine. Please let me know if you have other questions. Hope you love this recipe! Thanks! 🙂
Wild rice is black and is generally mixed with white or brown rice into a combination. Can you clarify what kinds and amounts of rice you’re using, and whether they need to be cooked for different times?
HI! I use a wild rice blend, black and brown rice. No need to change the cooking times. Please let me know if you have other questions. Hope you love this recipe! Thanks! 🙂
This looks delicious, cannot wait to make it! I need to use my slow cooker more so I’ve been enjoying your recent posts with this cooking method.
Aren’t they just the best?! I love using mine! I hope you love this recipe Amber!
It looks like you used a combo of wild and brown rice from the photos.It looks delicious and I can’t wait to make it!
I hope you love this! Let me know ? Thank you!
Can’t wait to try this recipe. I thought wild rice was black. Your picture shows white and black rice. Did you use a combination of rices? What brand of rice did you use? Thanks
HI! I use a wild rice blend, which is black and brown rice. It’s Whole Foods 365 brand. Please let me know if you have other questions. Hope you love this recipe! Thanks! 🙂
What is a parmesan rind? The parmesan I bought recently was in the shape of a triangle and didn’t have a waxy rind on it like some cheeses do. Thanks!
I had the same question. Would love to know the answer so I can make this next week!
HI! A parmesan rind is the end of a Parmesan cheese wedge. It ‘s usually on most parmesan rinds, but if not, don’t worry. Just omit it from the recipe. Please let me know if you have other questions. Hope you love this recipe! Thanks! 🙂
This sounds and looks delicious! I just made tuna-lasagna but this will be my next recipe, thanks Tieghan! I usually cook mushrooms and garlic in a frying pan but they don’t turn out crispy. I’ll try it your way, in the oven.
Great! I hope you love this recipe Anaïs!
Great recipe. What brand of wild rice do you use? I made another of your recipes with wild rice and the rice took forever to cook (much longer than the recipe called for). Can you suggest another kind of rice. It was the only recipe of yours that I made that didn’t turn out. Each day I look forward to your email with a new recipe and most times it’s what is for dinner here. Love the cookbook too.
Look for light colored wild rice. It cooks a lot faster and tastes a lot better. The black wild rice takes forever. There’s an saying about it that goes, ‘put a rock in with the rice and when the rock is soft the rice is done.’ Not sure where you’re located, but northern MN has the best wild rice. Here’s a link! https://www.llwildrice.com/#llwildrice This is actually harvested by the Ojibwe tribe from the lake. It is not cultivated. Hope this helps!
HI! I use a wild rice blend, which is wild and brown rice. It’s Whole Foods Brand. Please let me know if you have other questions. Hope you love this recipe! Also, THANK YOU! Your comment just made my day! 🙂
Wild rice is not the same as regular rice – it is actually a grass. It requires twice as long to cook as white rice, and when you are preparing wild rice on its own (as opposed to a slow cooker), use 4 cups of water to every cup of wild rice. It is not supposed to be crunchy, but rather cooked long enough to split open. It has a wonderful nutty flavour – very different from white (or even brown) rice. Here is a good basic wild rice recipe from Northern Lights Foods in La Ronge, Saskatchewan, Canada: https://www.northernlightsfoods.com/recipes. Wild rice is grown organically in cold northern lakes, and harvested with airboats.
I could do with this for lunch and be a happy happy woman indeed!!!
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Awh so glad you like this one Ruth! Thank you!