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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.
DO NOT USE NORMAL RICE – I didn’t realise how different this substitution was, as it didn’t mention that in the ingredients and it turns to complete mush.
I will change rating if I have another go of the recipe.
Hi Eleanor,
Sorry to hear you had some troubles here, but the recipe does not call for regular rice, only wild rice:) Let me know if you try it again! xTieghan
I’ve made this recipe several times, and share it with my vegetarian and meat eating friends. So good! Thanks.
Hey there! Thanks so much for trying out this recipe, I’m so glad you enjoyed it! 🙂 xTieghan
I’ve been waiting all summer to make this soup again. It’s such a warm and comforting fall flavor. My whole family loves it. We cook it on the stove for about an hour. The leftovers are incredible too and none of it goes to waste in our house.
Hey Rebecca,
Happy Friday!! I am thrilled that this recipe was a winner, thanks so much for giving it a try! xTieghan
Is there a way to make this in a pressure cooker?
Hey there,
I would just cook on manual for 12-15 minutes. Cook the mushrooms as directed! Please let me know if you have any other questions. I hope you love this recipe. Thanks so much! xTieghan
The instant pot recommendation for 12-15 minutes did not cook the rice as a heads up.
Hi Lauren,
Sorry to hear this, what kind of rice did you use? It should have cooked just fine! xTieghan
We made this in the instant pot and it was delicious! We cooked it on high pressure for 15 minutes, the rice tasted perfect. Can’t wait to serve this to my friends! Thanks for sharing this recipe xx
Hey Vivian,
Thanks you so very much for trying this recipe, I love to hear that it was enjoyed! xxTieghan
Made this last night and wow, my husband and I were very impressed! Roasting the mushrooms in the oven is a MUST. Doing that added so much flavor to the soup. I also didn’t use the crock pot since I didn’t have time, I cooked on the stove top on low for one hour. I used unsweetened almond milk instead of whole Milk and it was perfect. Overall a soup I am adding to my recipe box to make in the future! Thank you!
Hey Dana,
I am delighted that this recipe was enjoyed, thanks for making it! ☘️ xTieghan
Followed this recipe to a T and the wine did not burn off in the soup leaving it tasting bitter. Also adding milk into hot soup will make it curdle… luckily I knew that but it was not detailed in the recipe so I hope others don’t make that mistake. Also, the mushrooms roasted in 20 minutes, not 40… leaving them burnt when I went to flip them. I wasted so much time and money on buying all fresh and organic ingredients for this soup just for it to all be thrown away.
Hey Kristen,
So sorry you did not enjoy this recipe, please let me know if I can help in anyway! xTieghan
Delicious! This recipe is so good and so worth it! It took me two tries though. I used a wild rice blend that had white rice and it turned to mush, well beyond what could be salvaged and I had to toss the entire thing. Just be careful not to make the same mistake! On take two, it cooked nicely on the “soup” setting of my instapot for 30 minutes. I added cooked ground turkey after it was cooked and it complemented it nicely.
Hey Elena,
Thanks so much for trying the recipe, I am so glad it was enjoyed! Have a great weekend:) xTieghan
I don’t have a slow cooker but this was no issue. I made it in a big soup pot and it took about an hour for the rice to soften. But oh my goodness those buttery mushrooms on top are just the ticket. This soup is so flavorful! Thank you for another fabulous recipe.
Hey Jessica,
I am so thrilled the recipe was enjoyed, thanks so much for giving it a go! Happy Friday! xTieghan
Any suggestions for replacing the milk with non-dairy? I am lactose intolerant but would love to try this!
Hey Tamar,
Any non dairy milk will work well here. I hope you love the recipe, please let me know if you have any other questions! Happy Holidays! xTieghan
I made this last night. I think it was even better as leftovers today. The rice soaked up the broth, but I think that just helped meld the flavors. The lemon zest added a nice freshness. It’s so nice to find a hearty meatless winter soup.
Hey Angela,
Thanks so much for giving the recipe a try, I am thrilled that it worked out for you! Happy Holidays! xTieghan
Can you make this on the stove top?
Hey Julie,
Yes, all of the stove top instructions are listed above. I hope you love the recipe, please let me know if you have any other questions! Happy Holidays! xTieghan
This soup is so lovely! I’m a huge mushroom fan! Would definitely make again. Thank you for sharing!!
Hey Cynthia,
I am so glad you enjoyed the recipe, thanks for giving it a try! Happy Holidays! xTieghan
do you think you could add coconut milk to the leftovers to make it more soupy?
Hey Cat,
Sure that would work! I hope you love the recipe, please let me know if you have any other questions. Happy Holidays! xTieghan
I never ever leave reviews for recipes I find online but this was just unbelievably good!!! I was skeptical about leaving the rice in the slow cooker for that long as I thought it might get mushy and even get stuck to the bottom. But it did not and the combination of the hearty mushrooms with the acidic white wine and slight touch of lemon, combined with the broth base was just incredible! Thank you so much for this delicious recipe!!
I am so happy this recipe turned out so amazing for you, Severin! Thank you so much for trying this one! xTieghan
Hi! Would it be weird to substitute the milk/cream with full fat coconut milk? So excited to make this now that it’s getting colder down in Georgia 🙂
Thanks!
Hey Megan,
Coconut milk would be totally fine to use. I hope you love the recipe. Please let me know if you have any other questions and Happy Holidays! xTieghan
How would this work in an instant pot?
Hey Rebecca,
I would just cook on manual for 12-15 minutes. Cook the mushrooms as directed! Please let me know if you have any other questions. I hope you love this recipe. Thanks so much! xTieghan