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This Slow Cooker Creamy Wild Rice Soup with Butter Roasted Mushrooms is just what everyone’s Thursday needs.
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!
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
Servings: 6 servings
Calories Per Serving: 1215 kcal
Nutritional information is only an estimate. The accuracy of the nutritional information for any recipe on this site is not guaranteed.
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 9x13 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
*If eating this leftover, the rice does soak up a good amount of liquid. It's taste great, but you might need to add broth to make soup again or just eat good flavored rice!
Basically a giant bowl of comfort…LOVE.
We have family in town for Thanksgiving and I made this for dinner today. It was a big hit. We all enjoyed it. I’ll be making it again. Thanks for the recipe!
That is so great to hear! Thank you! I hope your Thanksgiving was amazing!
This is a delicious, hearty, deeply flavored, nourishing soup. We loved it. I was remembering a Minnesota Wild Rice Soup I had years ago, so I added 1/3 cup sherry with the milk and then topped it off at the table with some toasted almonds. I omitted the lemon zest and red pepper flakes for a milder version. I will definitely make this again. A great winter soup!
I am so happy you enjoyed this soup Christine! Thank you!
Hi there!
Just wanted to tell you that I made this for my family tonight and it was a huge hit! Everyone loved it and the house smelled amazing from those mushrooms in the oven. Thank you for an amazing recipe, it’ll definitely be a family favorite during the holidays from here on out
I am so glad you and your family enjoyed this Madison! Thank you!!
Did you use salted or un-salted butter? Looks amazing. Thanks!
I use salted butter. Please let me know if you have any other questions. Happy Thanksgiving! ?
Great recipe, but I’d recommend checking the rice after 3-4 hours, mine was way overcooked and soaked up all the broth so it ended up being more of a porridge, albeit delicious:)
Hi Emily! Sorry about that! I am really glad you still enjoyed this dish though! ?
This was delicious! Easy to make, comforting, and flavourful. I am trying to cut down on salt and I was able to eat this without adding salt at the table. Thanks for a great recipe!
That is so great! Thank you Vivian!
I made this last night and it was wonderful! The smell of the roasting mushrooms was outrageous. One question: Your slow cooker picture shows chopped garlic in with the rice and veggies, but the recipe only calls for the garlic to roast with the mushrooms. Garlic in both sounds like a good idea. 🙂 What do you recommend?
Made this today and it was awesome!! Smelled sooo good cooking all day in the slow cooker it was practically torture for my husband. Added some shredded chicken, used 2% milk, the roasted butter mushrooms took it over the top! Not the usual bland Midwestern fare I remember growing up, thank you!!
I am so glad you liked this Jill! Thank you!
I made this for dinner last night and at the end of our meal there was nothing left of the soup. I omitted the mushrooms, which I LOVE, however, one of my daughters does not like them.. I added two cooked two boneless chicken breasts, shredded instead. This is definitely a keeper.
I am so happy to hear that! Thank you Anna!
I’m currently making this, and the house smells fantastic!
Just wondering what kind of mushrooms you used? I picked up some cremini, white and oyster mushrooms because that’s all they had at the grocery store today!
HI! I use cremini and the wild mushrooms my grocery sells! Please let me know if you have other questions. Hope you love this recipe! Thanks! 🙂
It was indeed so yummy. The perfect warming soup on a cold day!
I am so happy to hear that! Thank you Natasha!
I made this soup yesterday in my InstaPot (45 mins., high pressure). It was wonderful. The roasting mushrooms made my house smell divine. I picked up the wild rice blend and parmesean rind at Whole Foods. And I substituted the cream with Pacific plain coconut milk to cut down on the dairy. Probably not as creamy, but absolutely delicious.
I am so glad you liked this soup Mary! Thank you!
Did you put the milk in for the whole cooking time in the instant pot? Or add it at the end?
Thank you!
I put the milk in for the whole cooking time. Please let me know if you have other questions. Hope you love this recipe! Thanks! 🙂
I am making this on the stovetop right now (no slow cooker), and it smells absolutely amazing. Would this soup keep well in the fridge for a couple of days, in case I have any leftover? And if so, should I keep the mushrooms separately instead of stirring them into the soup upon initial serving?
My leftover soaked up al the liquid and the veggies and rice became mushy
HI! The rice ends up soaking up most the liquid. if eating leftover you might want to add broth to make it soup again or just serve as rice! You can stir the mushrooms in, no need to keep separate. Please let me know if you have other questions. Hope you love this recipe! Thanks! ?
Hi,
Love this recipe. Can you please tell me how to do it on the stove.
Thank you and have a nice day !
Regards
Nadia
Use a large soup pot! 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! ?
Hi! This looks fabulously hygge!! Could I make and freeze for Black Friday? If so, what’s best way to defrost and reheat?? NOMaste!
Sure! Freezing will be great! Just thaw overnight and warm in the crockpot or on the stove. You may need to add liquid to make is soup again. Please let me know if you have other questions. Hope you love this recipe! Thanks! 🙂
This was delicious! I halved the recipe since my husband is out of town. I had to add some broth halfway through cooking so I probably used 3.5-4 cups. But I live at 7200’ so that happens here sometimes.
I served it with a nice focaccia.
Love seeing a slow cooker recipe not focused on meat!
I am so happy you loved this! Thank you Christie!