Creamy Mushroom Soup with Toast

45 min · Easy · Serves 1

520 kcal per serving · 18g protein

A deep, savoury mushroom soup whose flavour comes from browning the mushrooms properly before any liquid goes in. A potato simmered with them gives the soup body, so it needs only a modest pour of cream. With a slice of crisp toast alongside, it is a warming autumn lunch.

Ingredients

• 250 g Brown or white mushrooms, sliced
• 10 g Butter
• 1 tsp Olive oil
• Onion, finely chopped × ½
• 2 g Salt
• 1 clove Garlic clove, crushed
• ¼ tsp Dried thyme
• Potato, peeled and diced × ½
• 300 ml Vegetable stock
• 40 ml Cooking cream
• 0.5 g Black pepper
• 1 tbsp Fresh parsley, chopped
• 1 slice Crusty white bread

Method

1. Brown the first batch of mushrooms

   Heat half the butter and half the olive oil in a large pot over medium-high heat, add half the mushrooms in a single layer and fry for 5 minutes, stirring only every minute or so, until deep golden brown.

2. Brown the second batch

   Tip the browned mushrooms onto a plate, then brown the rest of the mushrooms in the remaining butter and oil the same way for 5 minutes, until golden. Set aside a spoonful of the best slices for the top.

3. Soften the onion

   Lower the heat to medium, add the chopped onion and a pinch of the salt to the same pot and cook for 5 minutes, stirring, until soft and translucent.

4. Add the garlic and thyme

   Stir in the crushed garlic and dried thyme and cook for 1 minute, until fragrant.

5. Simmer with the potato

   Return the browned mushrooms to the pot (keep the spoonful for the top aside), add the diced potato and vegetable stock, bring to a boil, then cover and simmer over low heat for 15 minutes, until the potato is soft enough to crush with a spoon.

6. Blend with the cream

   Pour in the cream and blend the soup with a stick blender for 1 minute, until smooth, or blend only half of the soup if you like pieces of mushroom left whole.

7. Toast the bread

   Toast the bread in a toaster or a dry pan over medium heat for 3 minutes, until golden and crisp.

8. Season and serve

   Season the soup with the rest of the salt and the black pepper, ladle the soup into a deep bowl and top with the mushroom slices you set aside and the chopped parsley. Serve with the bread on the side.

More to cook

• Mushroom & Spinach Frittata40 min
• Pork & Mushrooms in White Wine with Mashed Potatoes115 min
• Minestrone with White Beans42 min
• Roasted Sweet Potato & Carrot Soup65 min