Rich delicious mushroom soup made into a meal with hearty freekah. Chunky and filling, this delicious vegan soup is real comfort food. A family favourite!
Autumn is most definitely upon us. Walking my daughter Kipper to school the other day, I really wished I’d worn a hat and gloves. And we only have a 5 minute walk! I am most certainly in the mood for soup.
Mushroom soup – comfort in a bowl
I first made this wonderfully soothing soup after one of those weeks. DH was away for work. Kipper’s bedroom door fell off its hinges. And my car broke twice in two days – first the battery, then the clutch. Definitely time for comfort food.
Comfort food
Soup is a real comforter for me, so I made a big pot of this creamy vegan mushroom soup with freekah, and fully expected to eat the lot myself, as Kipper doesn’t like mushrooms. Ahem. More on that later.
What is freekeh?
If you haven’t tried freekeh/freekah, I heartily recommend it. I first bought it earlier in the year for Shavuot, as according to The Encyclopaedia of Jewish Food, it is the same ‘roasted grain’ as Ruth and Boaz eat together in Megillat Rut.
Made from roasted green wheat grains, it cooks up like rice but has a slightly smokey, nutty flavour. It’s lovely in a tabbouleh style salad, and it made this easy mushroom soup hearty and filling, with a wonderful rich flavour. Just the kind of thing you’ll want to wrap yourself around while you shiver in the Sukkah, for instance…
Mushrooms…?
Back to Kipper and the mushrooms. I served her a bowl of this mushroom soup without comment. She looked at it and asked suspiciously, “What kind of soup is this?”
Accusingly, “It looks like mushrooms…”
I encouraged her to try it, figuring I could always make her a cheese sandwich if necessary. She had a taste. And another. “This is delicious Mummy! I’ve always loved mushrooms!”
I swear she’ll grow up to be a politician.
Milk, or not
I used oat milk in the soup, which is my preferred non-dairy milk alternative. You could also use soy milk, or even cow’s milk if you’re not bothered about the dairy. It makes the mushroom soup lovely and creamy – just the thing on a cold, autumn day.
Mushroom soup ingredients
The ingredients for this easy mushroom soup recipe are as follows:
- mushrooms – obviously!
- onion
- freekeh – you can substitute bulgar wheat but it doesn’t have exactly the same flavour
- olive oil or butter
- vegetable stock
- dried thyme
- black pepper
- plant-based milk (I used oat) or the dairy or non-dairy milk of your choice
You might also like to sprinkle some chopped parsley on top, which looks pretty but is not essential.
Comforting mushroom soup
So, next time you’re having one of those weeks, or if you just want a warm bowlful of comfort, reach for this mushroom soup recipe. I know I will!
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Mushroom soup with freekeh
Ingredients
- 2 medium onions
- 450 g brown mushrooms (20-30 mushrooms or about 6 cups, sliced)
- 3 tablespoon olive oil (or butter or ghee)
- 1 teaspoon dried thyme
- ½ teaspoon ground black pepper
- 75 g freekeh
- 600 ml hot vegetable stock
- 300 ml milk or non-dairy alternative
- Chopped parsley to garnish (optional)
Instructions
- Peel and thinly slice the onions. Brush any dirt from the mushrooms and slice thinly.
- Heat the oil in a large saucepan over a medium flame, then saute the onions for 5 minutes until softened. Add the sliced mushrooms and continue to cook, stirring occasionally, for another 10 minutes.
- Stir in the thyme, pepper and freekeh, and mix well. Add the hot stock, bring to the boil, and simmer, covered, for around 30 minutes. The freekah should be well cooked and the soup thickened.
- Remove half the soup to a separate pan or large jug, and add the milk. Process with a stick blender until smooth.
- Return the blended soup to the original pan and mix with the unblended soup to give a chunky, creamy texture.
- Serve hot, sprinkled with chopped parsley to garnish.
Nutrition
More delicious warming soups
If you like the look of this filling, warming, grain-packed vegan mushroom soup recipe, you might also enjoy my sweet and sour cabbage and tomato soup with rice, this thick onion soup with barley and melty cheese, or this warming roasted butternut squash soup with lentils.
Alternatively check out this barley stew with smoked garlic, mushrooms and lemon thyme from Coffee & Vanilla, this spinach and rice soup from Gingey Bites, or this smoky Mexican quinoa soup from The Veg Space.
I’m joining in with CookBlogShare, hosted this week by Easy Peasy Foodie.
Michelle Watson
I’ve been making this regularly and it’s delicious with home made bread but I always make it and serve immediately. Can it be made in advance and reheated? I’m not sure if the freekah would go slimy.
Helen
Hi Michelle. So happy to hear how much you enjoy this soup! It’s fine to reheat – you might just need to add a bit more liquid if it becomes very thick. Thanks and all the best, Helen x.
Lisa
Yes please. What a gorgeous soup. I love mushrooms anything. Thanks for sharing with NCR. I’m a bit late with the roundup, but it will be appearing shortly.
choclette
This sounds delicious Helen. I’ve only tried freekah in flour form and I really liked that, but it would be good to try it in grain form too. How funny kids are. I guess their tastes are chaining so much, they don’t quite know what’s going on either.
Nico @ yumsome
This looks so perfect – what a fab autumn soup!
Kirsty Hijacked By Twins
I love soup, especially at this time of year. This looks delicious x #cookonceeattwice
Emily | Oat&Sesame
I love mushroom soup. This sounds like a great recipe to make this week!
Helen
Thanks Emily. Mushroom soup is one of my favourites – I love how versatile it can be, and adding grains turns it into a whole meal. Yum!
Jen
I’ve only used freekeh as a side dish, must try it in a soup now. Shame my partner doesn’t like mushrooms, might just have to make a pan of it for myself instead!
Helen
LOL! DH isn’t a big soup eater – I made this while he was away!
Lisa Ray
I don’t have the slightest idea what freekeh is, but the soup looks so hearty and warming! Pinning:)
Helen
Thanks Lisa! I only came across freekeh recently myself, but I’m glad I did! Track some down and I’m sure you’ll enjoy it.
Eb Gargano / easypeasyfoodie.com
Definitely time for comfort food! And your soup sounds so lovely. I love mushrooms and really want to try freekeh – everyone keeps saying such good things about it. Thanks for linking up to #CookBlogShare 🙂 Eb x
Helen
Thanks Eb. Yes, I’m sure you’ll love freekeh! You can find it in health food shops or otherwise Amazon has it.
Mandy Mazliah
Still haven’t cooked with freekeh but it’s definitely on my to-try list now. This soup looks ideal for this time of year! #CookBlogShare
Helen
Thanks Mandy. Yes, I love a thick, filling soup now the weather’s getting colder 🙂
Corina
What a gorgeous soup – definitely good for this time of year! It looks like it has lots of texture too which is great in a soup. I haven’t tried freekeh yet but it is one of those grains I intend to try soon. Thank you so much for sharing with #CookOnceEatTwice!
Helen
Thanks Corina. Freekeh is lovely – it has a nutty, slightly smoky flavour which is perfect at this time of year. I’m sure you’ll like it!
Kate Veggie Desserts (@veggie_desserts)
This sounds like an incredible, filling soup. I love mushroom soup and this is right up my alley. Yum!
Helen
Thanks Kate. Yes, it really is a meal in a bowl. I love soup!
Becca @ Amuse Your Bouche
This looks awesome, I don’t use freekeh enough! Shame you ended up having to share it 😉
Helen
I don’t really mind – good excuse to make another batch!
Dannii @ Hungry Healthy Happy
What a great way to bulk out soup! This looks perfect for a cold evening.
Helen
Thanks Dannii! Yes it’s just the thing now the evenings are ‘drawing in’ 🙂
KFord
This looks really lovely, just the thing for a chilly autumn evening! I’ve only recently discovered freekeh but its such a lovely grain to cook with.
Helen
Isn’t it?! I love the soft smoky flavour it has.