The cream of mushroom soup I grew up with was a gray blob in a can that looked disgusting and was used to make broccoli and rice casserole, chicken spaghetti, or a great roast in the oven or crock pot.

End of story.

As a child, I rustled up the courage to taste this soup directly from the can. I still have post-traumatic stress thinking about it. Yuck.

This past month, I dusted off an old family recipe and prepared home-made chicken spaghetti for a friend’s birthday. It looked so good, but I couldn’t eat it due to my Alpha-Gal allergy.

Or could I?

A quick scan of a few vegan (dairy-free) recipes changed my mind.

I sent my husband to the grocery store during the recent snow event, and he brought home white mushrooms and some brown ones I had never used before.

The Baby Bellas looked like dirty button mushrooms. Not appealing at all.

Some of us live in the country, and we cook with what we have! We certainly don’t want to waste food. I googled “what is the difference between my “white mushrooms and Baby Bella’s?”

The Sophisticated Caveman’s blog took my fears away.

Similar in appearance to white button mushrooms, crimini has a light tan to rich brown cap and a firmer texture.
A more mature version of the white button mushroom, crimini mushrooms have a deeper savory umami flavor.

Their firmer texture holds up well to high-heat cooking applications, making them an excellent choice for about any recipe. Creminis’ hearty, full-bodied taste makes them an excellent addition to beef, wild game, and vegetable dishes.

Source: Crimini Mushroom Variety

Let me introduce you to an over-the-top delicious cream of mushroom soup I created with these two tasty mushrooms.

 It is easy. Just requires a little chopping and stirring. Simple ingredients.

Why make your own cream of mushroom soup with soy milk?

Lots of reasons!

First, it is delicious.

I prepared this recipe three times in two weeks. It is that good.

Second. It is dairy-free with 21 grams of protein per serving. Awesome!

The unsweetened, shelf-stable soymilk I used in this recipe can be safely stored in your cabinet for 6-12 months (read the label). Once opened, the carton needs to be stored in the refrigerator and can be consumed for another 7-10 days. Shelf-stable soymilk reduces stress during snow events like we just had. No more rushing to the store for milk and fighting the crowds!

For friends and family with milk allergies or who are lactose intolerant soy milk is a game changer, and a gift.

This soup can also be made gluten-free or vegan with the same remarkable results. If you want to shave the calories and total fat from the recipe a little more, substitute vegetable broth for canola oil to sauté the onions, garlic, and mushrooms. Easy peasy!

This soup makes those old family recipes pot-luck-friendly again.

There are a lot of great foods in America.

The “best” foods for each of us depend on our health goals, allergies, and health conditions.

This recipe brought chicken spaghetti back to my plate!

Now, I just want to eat it out of the bowl all by itself.

I understand this soup is also freezer-friendly, but I haven’t had a chance to test this.

No leftovers yet in our kitchen!

Enjoy!

Soylicious™ Cream of Mushroom Soup

Cook Time: 30-45 minutes.

Serves: 6

Ingredients

• 1 teaspoon canola oil

• 4 cups of white button mushrooms sliced thin

• 3 cups of Cremini/Baby Bella mushrooms sliced thin

• 2 cups of chopped mushrooms (some of each)

• 1 medium yellow onion, minced

• 1 tablespoon of garlic, diced

• 2 cups chicken broth (or vegetable broth for vegan version)

• 2 cups unsweetened Soymilk

• 1 teaspoon thyme

• 1 teaspoon salt

• ½ teaspoon paprika

• ¼ teaspoon black pepper

• 3 Tablespoons of all-purpose flour (for gluten-free substitute corn starch, rice starch, or potato starch)

• ¼ cup white wine (optional)

• 1 teaspoon of chopped fresh parsley (optional)

DIRECTIONS

Getting Ready: Round up your ingredients, turn on some music, and get to chopping!

1. Get out a large chopping board and a good knife with a sharp edge that will slice thinly!

2. You can use a small food processor to dice the onions because the smaller the better! You want them to break down in the soup.

3. Chop onion, mince garlic, slice, and chop mushrooms.

4. Mix spices or just line them up ready to use.

5. Measure flour, soy milk, and broth and set aside.

STEP 1: Sauté ingredients. This is a one-pot shop! (Use a soup pot with a lid).

• In your pot, heat canola oil on medium-high heat on the stove top.

• Add onion and stir occasionally for about 3 minutes.

• Add diced garlic and stir in.

• Add salt and black pepper and stir frequently until the onion is clear but not browning.

• Stir sliced and diced mushrooms into the onion/garlic mixture.

• Sauté the mushroom mixture for about 7 minutes.

STEP 2: Add spices, flour, broth, and milk one step at a time.

• Add Thyme and Paprika to the pot and mix.

• Add flour (or cornstarch, etc.) stirring constantly until mixture is warm and mixed well.

• You can add some wine now to enhance the flavor (or skip this step).

• Add the chicken broth, stirring well to prevent lumps from forming.

• Add the soy milk, blend/stir well, and bring to a boil.

• Stir frequently to prevent sticking to the bottom of the pot.

STEP 3: Stir well, turn the heat off, cover with a lid, and let the soup rest and thicken.

• Add 1 teaspoon of chopped fresh parsley (optional).

• Cover the pot with a lid and stir occasionally while it thickens.

•  Let simmer for 15-30 minutes.

GARNISH with chopped fresh parsley and steamed mushroom slices.

ENJOY!