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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.
This is one of my favourite soups I’ve ever made! A total knock out every time! The only thing that could make this better would be to add an adjustment to the recipe so I can make it in my instant pot! Please let me know if you get around to this change 🙂
I totally will let you know! Thank you so much Amanda, I am so glad you loved this! xTieghan
Anyone make this using an instant pot?
HI! i Have not made this in the instant pot, so I am unsure of the cooking times. I would recommend 12 minutes on high pressure, but again I have not tested this. Please let me know if you have any other questions. I hope you love this recipe! Thank you! xTieghan
Would one be able to make this diary free? It looks so delicious.
Hey Morgan! I recommend using canned coconut milk and omitting the cheese to make this dairy free. Please let me know if you have any other questions. I hope you love this recipe! Thank you! xTieghan
This was (and still is!) fantastic. I made it as written except for two changes: my grocery store was out of everything but cremini mushrooms, so I used those and then added rehydrated porcini and their soaking liquid to the slow cooker in the morning as well. I had to top up with a bit more broth, but it’s all good!
For supper, I stirred the mushrooms into the soup and then served it in big bowls topped with homemade garlic croutons (had some leftover sourdough), smoked tofu “bacon bits”, and extra roasted garlic cloves. The soup + mushrooms on their own are making an amazing office lunch the next day. I can’t get over the balance of spicy, salty, savoury, and acid in this creamy, comforting, amazing winter soup – and I’m not just saying that because the snow is falling sideways across my office window!
Hi Molly! I am so glad this turned out so amazing for you! Thank you so much!
This may be one of the best dinners to ever grace my dining room table. After reading some of the other comments, I added an extra four cups of chicken broth, and it was perfection. Thank you so much for the recipe! Half Baked Harvest for the win!!
Thank you so much! I am so glad you loved this recipe, Genevieve!!
Wow! This is so good :). I made it with vegetarian broth. Was happy to find 100% wild rice, so no gluten. And, didn’t want a milky soup, so I left that out and just added a tad more cheese. Very, very good. Hearty, and the flavors are so deep and complex. I’m so glad there are leftovers! Thank you.
I am so glad this turned out so well for you, Christine! Thank you!!
I made the soup but not in the slowcooker
I cooked it on the stove instead of wild rice I used mountain rice a mix of black rice and red rice. Also finished the mushrooms with truffle oil for a more earthy flavor
Yum! I am so glad you loved this soup, Beatrice! Thank you!
Put this on midday on Christmas Eve and came him from mass to a house that smelled like the holidays. This was a big hit with my family.
I am so glad you liked this! Thank you Alison!
This was a wonderful recipe and a nice change from normal vegetable rice soup. The roasted mushrooms made this! I purées some for my 8 month old before I added the cream and cheese. He loved it!
Thank you so much Kayleen! I am so glad you loved this recipe!
So delicious, especially with bread bowls. Another winner!
Thank you Claire!
I made this for dinner tonight and it was AMAZING!! Thank you for such an outstanding recipe!
Thank you Emily!
Had a little bit of a problem with the rice getting too soft as mentioned by a few people but it was a good heads up to have. I used fresh shredded Parmesan and it seemed to work fine. I also couldn’t find mushrooms mentioned in recipe but used a mixture of white and baby bellas. Added chopped kale just before serving. Yum!
I am so glad you enjoyed this Adaire! Thank you so much!
What other veggies besides mushrooms can you recommend? And or can I do shredded chicken?
hi! You can omit the mushrooms and use a mix of your favorite veggies and shredded chicken. That will be great! I think broccoli would be delicious! Please let me know if you have any other questions. I hope you love this recipe. Thanks so much!! xTieghan
What size slow cooker did you use?? Asking in case I try to double the recipe!
Mine is 7 quarts. Please let me know if you have any other questions. I hope you love this recipe. Thanks so much! xTieghan
This looks delicious!! Is the calorie count based on milk or cream?
It’s cream. Please let me know if you have any other questions. I hope you love this recipe. Thanks so much! xTieghan