TADA!! It's the final soup of the season!! Last week I promised you this last hurrah to winter but little things like power outages and flying to LA and back in just about 24 hours kinda got in the way. But here it is, in all its mushroomy, wild rice splendor! One more warming bowl of comfort before I officially close up the soup shop around here (unofficially, I'll probably be making soup for months to come though!)

Though I love this soup for its lovely flavor and texture, I also love it because it's super simple to make. Just an onion, carrots, garlic and mushrooms to chop up (and you can simplify things even further if you buy the mushrooms pre-sliced) and you can have a comforting pot of soup ready in under an hour! 

'Cause once the veggies are lightly sautéed, all you do is add in the broth and wild rice and let it simmer. Easy least! Makes a great lunch or light supper with a piece of good crusty bread!

Now, let's talk wild rice. Love, love, love the nutty, earthy flavor and hearty texture and the fact that it's really good for you too! Full of fiber and protein and gluten free to boot! Drives me "wild" about this soup! Sorry, I couldn't help it!!

And while I'm putting on a good face about warmer weather just being around the corner, the truth is that they're predicting another Nor'easter for tomorrow and my prediction is that despite the fact that Spring is officially only a couple of weeks away, we're going to be needing lots of warm nourishing soup for quite some time yet!!

Mushroom and Wild Rice Soup

Makes 6 servings  

Prep Time:  45 minutes, but most of this is hands-free

Ingredients

• 3 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 tablespoon unsalted butter
• 1 onion, finely chopped
• 3 large carrots, peeled and finely chopped  
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• 12 ounces fresh cremini mushrooms, wiped clean and quartered
• At least 6 cups low-sodium chicken stock (you may need more if the rice absorbs a lot of the liquid) 
• 1 cup wild rice
• Salt and pepper to taste

The Recipe

1.  Heat the oil and butter in a large soup pot over medium heat, until very hot, about 2 minutes. Add onions and carrots and cook for 7-8 minutes, stirring often, until onions are translucent and tender. Add garlic and mushrooms and cook for 5 more minutes, stirring often. 

2.  Add chicken stock and rice. Bring to a boil, then lower heat, cover and simmer for about 20-30 minutes, until rice is tender. Season to taste with salt and pepper and serve. 

Enjoy! 

Note:  Recipe adapted from Trisha's Table by Trisha Yearwood. I tinkered a bit with this. Feel free to add other veggies you like and to sub in store-bought veggie broth or this homemade one to keep this entirely vegetarian.