Why is my traditional wild rice soup bland?

One of the most important skills in soup making is learning to season as you go. You want to give the salt time to work its way into the ingredients and release their full flavors. If your soup feels bland, it needs some more. The right amount of salt can make even the most simplistic soup recipes taste delicious.

Does wild rice get mushy in soup?

Wild rice is a fantastic option for soups because it tends to hold its texture much longer than regular white rice or brown rice. If it's cooked at a high temperature for too long, it can become soft, but it typically keeps its slightly chewy texture.

Do you need to thicken creamy wild rice soup?

Although most creamy soups require you to make a roux out of butter and all purpose flour, this simple recipe does not. The potatoes will soften as they cook, adding starch to thicken the soup naturally, and the cream will help, too.

Creamy Wild Rice Soup

Description

This homemade Creamy Wild Rice Soup is one of my all-time favorite soups and the best way to warm up on a cold winter night! It's a simple recipe made with everyday pantry staples prepared to release as much flavor as possible. The mushrooms, nutty wild rice, and yellow potatoes offer a variety of textures and flavors, while a generous swirl of heavy cream adds the perfect finishing touch. It's the ultimate choice for soup season, especially with a chunk of crusty bread.

Ingredients

2 tablespoons butter
1 medium onion, diced
2 carrots, peeled and diced
2 celery sticks, diced
2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
1 teaspoon Italian seasoning
1/2 pound white or brown mushrooms, thinly sliced
1 cup wild rice, uncooked
5 cups vegetable stock
2 medium yellow potatoes, cut into 1-inch cubes
1 1/2 cups heavy cream
1/2 teaspoon salt (or to taste)
1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper (or to taste)

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Instructions

Melt butter in a large stockpot or 5.5 quart Dutch oven over medium-high heat until the melted butter bubbles, about 2 minutes. Add onion, carrots, celery, garlic and Italian seasoning. Sauté until tender, about 2-3 minutes.
Add mushrooms and wild rice. Stir well and cook until the mushrooms soften a bit, about 3-5 minutes.
Slowly pour in the vegetable stock and bring it to a boil. Reduce the heat to low and cover with the lid. Simmer for 30 minutes, stirring every 10 minutes to ensure the rice does not stick to the bottom of the pot.
Add potatoes and continue cooking for another 10 minutes until tender.
Add heavy cream and stir well to combine. Cook for another 3 minutes until warmed through. Season with salt and pepper to taste, and serve warm.

Notes

How to store: Allow the leftover wild rice soup to cool to room temperature within 2 hours, then store the leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for 3-4 days.

How to reheat: Either microwave your bowl of soup, stirring every minute, or reheat it gently in a pan on the stove.

How to freeze: It's not recommended to freeze cream-based soup recipes, as the cream will separate when you reheat it. If you want to make this soup to freeze, don't add the cream. Freeze like normal, then add the cream after you reheat it.

Prep Time: 15 minutes
Cook Time: 50 minutes
Category: Soup
Method: Stovetop
Cuisine: American