Slow-Cooker Wild Rice and Mushroom Soup
Slow-cooker soups might be the best kind of soup. Add your ingredients to the pot, walk away, and come back a few hours later to a hearty, healthy meal that warms and satisfies.
This creamy, supper-worthy soup is packed with good-for-you grains and fresh vegetables: wild rice, carrots, mushrooms, celery and spinach. It takes almost no time to prep—as in, you can do it before you leave the house for work—and pretty much cooks itself to perfection.
A milk-infused roux gives this soup its thick and creamy finish. If you want to take that one step further (trust me, you do), simply puree about 2 cups of soup and add it back to the slow cooker along with the roux. Doing this gives the soup a creamier consistency and releases additional starch from the rice to maximize its thickening potential. Just make sure you serve it with a loaf of hearty bread for dunking
With Halloween on the horizon, this scoop-and-serve meal is the perfect pre-trick-or-treat dinner. Not only will you be able to focus on those last-minute costume details, but the fiber-rich veggies and protein will also slow the absorption of sugar and blunt any impending Halloween hangovers.
Slow-Cooker Wild Rice and Mushroom Soup
MAKES: 10 cups
INGREDIENTS
- 1 small onion, chopped
- 4 large stalks celery, chopped (about 2 cups)
- 4 large carrots, chopped (about 2 cups)
- 8 ounces fresh mushrooms, chopped
- 1 cup uncooked wild rice, rinsed
- 3 cloves garlic, minced or pressed
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt, plus more to taste
- 1½ teaspoons poultry seasoning
- 5 cups vegetable or chicken broth
- 3 tablespoons butter
- ¼ cup flour
- ½ cup milk
- 3 loosely packed cups baby spinach
- freshly ground black pepper for serving
INSTRUCTIONS
Add onions, celery, carrots, mushrooms, wild rice, garlic, salt, poultry seasoning and broth to the slow cooker. Stir to incorporate. Cover and cook on high until rice is plump and vegetables are tender, about 4 hours on high or 7 to 8 hours on low.
When the rice and vegetables are fully cooked, melt butter in a small saucepan over low heat. Add flour and stir until fully incorporated and bubbling. Add milk and whisk until it thickens to the consistency of thin mashed potatoes.
Add flour mixture to slow cooker and stir until fully combined. For an extra thick soup (pictured), puree 2 cups soup in a blender and return puree to slow cooker. Allow soup to thicken for 15 minutes, then stir in spinach until wilted. If soup gets too thick, add extra water, milk or broth to reach desired consistency.
Serve with crusty bread and season with additional salt and pepper, if desired.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7DQBU4IBLpU
Video and photo credit: Elle Penner, MPH RD