A few weeks ago a co-worker/friend (who lives in another state) told me about her amazing lunch. I, of course, always ask people what they’re having for lunch and so we usually ask each other. She told me she had a sandwich and this awesome cream of mushroom soup to dunk it in. It sounded so delicious. Fresh mushrooms in a creamy soup – and while the sandwich also sounded great, it seemed like a vehicle for getting to the soup faster. I informed her right after she finished her lunch that I was going to be making cream of mushroom soup that weekend.

This recipe which was adapted from Ina Garten, was so amazing, I can’t even handle it. I had soup for three nights after I made this – I couldn’t get enough. The awesome part of this soup is that it’s so fast – we’re talking about 30 minutes or so, prep included. You would think because it’s such a fast dish that it would be lacking flavor-wise. Trust me, it’s not. It’s creamy, it’s thick, it’s packed with fresh mushrooms and gets great flavor from the leeks. Since it’s been chilly here this week -I’ve had to use my seat warmers twice – it was the perfect dish to come home to; warm and comforting, and not to mention absolutely delicious.

Cream of Mushroom Soup

(Adapted from Ina Garten)

1/2 stick of butter
1/2 a yellow onion, minced
1 leek, white and light green parts only, chopped
8 oz cremini mushrooms, sliced
4 oz wild oysters blend, sliced (if you can’t find them, you can just use more cremini mushrooms)
3 Tbsp flour
1 cup white wine
Salt and pepper
3 1/2 cups beef broth (you can also use vegetable broth to keep it vegetarian)
1 tsp thyme leaves, minced
1 cup heavy cream
Chives, for garnish

In the bottom of a pot over medium-high heat, melt the stick of butter. Add in the onion and leeks and cook for about 5 minutes or until softened and translucent. Add in the mushrooms and cook for another 7-8 minutes or until the mushrooms have been browned and cooked through (do not add salt yet). Add the flour and cook for about a minute; the mushrooms will look “gummy” from the flour, this is completely normal, just keep stirring them around getting the flour taste to cook out. Add the wine scraping all of the brown bits from the bottom of the pot and cook for a minute or so. Season with salt and pepper and add the beef broth and thyme. Bring to a boil, then reduce and simmer with the lid on for about 15-20 minutes. Add the heavy cream and taste to adjust the seasonings for salt and pepper. Make sure the soup is hot, but do not boil. Garnish with chives and serve immediately.