Creamy mushroom soup with lentils and brown rice
This creamy mushroom soup with lentils and brown rice is just the trick on chilly days. It is warming and cozy. Plus, the lentils and brown rice give it enough oomph to power you through shoveling duties. If you'd like to make this soup in an Instant Pot, check out the notes.**
Servings: 4 people
Calories: 246kcal
Ingredients
- ¼ cup + 2 Tablespoons raw cashews*
- 4 cups water divided
- ½ teaspoon white miso paste
- 8 ounces cremini mushrooms or white button mushrooms, divided
- ½ teaspoon extra virgin olive oil
- ½ onion chopped (about 1 cup chopped onion)
- 3 cloves garlic minced
- Salt to taste
- ½ cup French lentils du Puy
- ½ cup basmati brown rice
- 1 vegetable bouillon cube or 1 teaspoon Better Than Bouillon no chicken base
- ½ teaspoon dried rosemary
- ½ teaspoon dried thyme
- Freshly ground pepper to taste
Instructions
- In a high-speed blender, combine raw cashews, ½ cup water, miso paste, and 2 large mushrooms that have been cut into quarters. (Save the remaining mushrooms for the soup.) Once it is fully blended and creamy, set aside for later use.(If you don't have a high-speed blender, see the notes for workarounds.)
- Cut the remaining mushrooms into thin slices and set aside.
- Bring a soup pot to a medium heat with extra virgin olive oil. Saute onion and garlic in the pot for a few minutes, until fragrant.
- Add the sliced mushrooms and a pinch of salt. Continue cooking for a few more minutes, stirring occasionally, while the mushrooms release their liquid and soften.
- Add 3 ½ cups water, French lentils du Puy, brown rice, vegetable bouillon cube, dried rosemary, dried thyme, and a pinch more salt. Stir and bring to a simmer. Once the liquid has started to simmer, lower heat and cover for 30 minutes.
- After 30 minutes, test the rice and lentils to make sure they are done. If not, cook for 5 minutes more. Then add the cashew cream to the pot, stir, and continue cooking for another 5 minutes to allow the flavors to combine.
- Add freshly ground pepper and any additional salt to taste.
Notes
*If you don't have a high speed blender, grind the raw cashews in a coffee grinder until they become the texture of flour. Then add them to a standard blender with the other blender ingredients.
If you don't have a coffee grinder either, cover the raw cashews in additional water and soak them for several hours in the refrigerator then drain before starting recipe.
(If you have a high speed blender, you don't need to soak the cashews first.)
**A couple readers have made this soup in an Instant Pot. One cooked for 20 minutes with natural release, and added the cashew cream once it was done and let it sit for 5 minutes. The other cooked at high pressure for 12 minutes with a natural pressure release and found that to be plenty.
Storage & reheating
Store leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator. It will keep for about 4 days.
Reheat on the stove in a pot, or in the microwave.
The soup will continue to thicken in the refrigerator. So you’ll need to add a splash of water before reheating.
Nutrition
Calories: 246kcal | Carbohydrates: 39g | Protein: 11g | Fat: 5g | Sodium: 217mg | Potassium: 555mg | Fiber: 9g | Sugar: 2g | Vitamin C: 4mg | Calcium: 39mg | Iron: 3.2mg
