Better Than Out of a Can…..

With all of the rain that we are having today I decided that it would be a good day to make some soup. By far one of my favorites, even as a kid, is mushroom soup. There are a couple of downfalls with canned cream of mushroom though. First all the “extras” that are totally unnecessary, second the price (Soup is expensive!), and third, and most important, the mushrooms are NEVER big enough. I decided to remedy that situation by making my creamy mushroom soup with big slices of baby bella mushrooms. Ah-mazing!

I don’t like watery soup, and I would rather have a nice thick soup for the calories than a large amount that is just subpar. I understand that most often a serving of soup is one cup. This recipe came out to be about ¾ of a cup, but the amount of mushrooms and the creaminess just put it all in perspective. It was meant to be. The calories may seem a little exorbitant at 110 calories for ¾ cup, but there aren’t any additives, and my “secret ingredient” doubled the calories that would have existed had I stuck with the base I was working with. I just couldn’t do it! If you are going to eat CREAM OF something… it better be creamy. If you are going to INDULGE you can add that little extra something that makes it taste like double the indulgence. (And the calorie count is about equal, if not a little less than most of the “healthy eating” cream of mushroom soup recipes.)

One of the best things about this soup is it is easy, and quick to make. It tastes like it has been simmered for hours, and made with straight cream and butter, but the fact that it’s not can be our little secret. 😉 When sweating the mushrooms I just used butter flavored cooking spray rather than butter, but you can use butter, olive oil, coconut oil, or any other “oil” that you would like. The only other quick tip I have for this soup is adding the flour. I didn’t make a roux, I just added it in with the chicken broth and stirred it into a paste on one side of the pan until there were any lumps. I allowed the mushroom, broth, flour mixture bubble for a few minutes before adding the milk and whipping cream. And basically that was it! I julienned some baby spinach for color and texture, but nothing to crazy difficult. Take a break, make some soup, sit back, relax, and enjoy!

 Creamy Baby Bella Soup

By Angie Gouchenour

3 servings

Ingredients

Cooking spray – To spray skillet

4 cups baby portabella mushrooms – sliced (Save some time and buy pre sliced)

3 garlic cloves – minced

1 ½ cups low sodium chicken broth

3 Tablespoons all-purpose white flour

¾ cup 1% milk

3 Tablespoons whipping cream

Salt and pepper to taste (I used a pinch of salt and dash of pepper for each serving)

Directions

Spray skillet and add mushrooms over medium heat

Cover and sweat for a few minutes, uncover and brown

Add minced garlic and brown toward the end of browning the mushrooms

Add chicken broth to the mushroom and garlic

Add flour to one side of the pan and stir until smooth (Or you can make a slurry and pour it in the mixture)

Let simmer for a few minutes as it thickens

Add milk and whipping, salt and pepper and allow to simmer for another 3-5 minutes

Remove from heat and serve immediately

110 calories per ¾ cup (approx.)