Four Mushroom + Garlic Soup

I know that I probably say this too much, but this Roasted Mushroom and Garlic soup is one of my favourite recipes. Interestingly, I consider it to be the “mullet” of my recipe collection – business up front and party in the back. Or, more specifically, it can just as easily be served as a gourmet opening course as it could be a leisurely weekend lunch for the kids. It’s completely versatile and absolutely delicious.

The recipe is incredibly easy and takes less than an hour to complete. And maybe the best part is that it’s vegetarian!

Print Recipe Pin Recipe

Prep Time 20

Cook Time 35

Total Time 55

Servings: 6

Course: Soup

Cuisine: Global

Calories: 218

Ingredients Equipment Method Notes

Ingredients

2 cups Shitake mushrooms chopped
2 cups white or Cremini mushrooms chopped
2 cups oyster mushrooms chopped
2 cups Portobello mushrooms chopped
6 cloves garlic whole
4 cups vegetable broth
1/2 cup heavy cream
1 cup red onion diced
3 tbsp olive oil divided
1 tbsp Cognac
2 tbsp butter divided
2 tsp Kosher salt divided
1/4 tsp black pepper freshly ground
2 tbsp fresh sage chopped
1 tsp fresh thyme

Equipment

large baking sheet
parchment paper
large Dutch oven (or pot)
wooden spoon
immersion blender (or regular blender)
measuring cups and spoons

Method

Mise en Place

Assemble equipment. Clean and roughly chop mushrooms, peel garlic, peel and dice red onion, chop sage, measure and separate all ingredients.

Bring it Together

Preheat oven to roast at 350 degrees F.
Drizzle 1 tbsp of olive oil onto a parchment-lined large baking sheet and add chopped mushrooms and garlic. Drizzle a second tbsp of oil on top of the mushrooms, sprinkle with 1 tsp of salt, and shake lightly to coat. Place in the oven and roast for 20 minutes.
While mushrooms and garlic are roasting, add the remaining 1 tbsp of olive oil and 1 tbsp of butter to a large Dutch oven over medium heat. Once heated, add the diced onion and cook for 2 minutes stirring frequently with a wooden spoon. Add the fresh sage and thyme and continue to cook for 1 minute. Add cognac to de-glaze the pan and cook for 1 minute more.
Add the vegetable broth to the pot and bring to a low boil over medium heat. Add the roasted mushrooms and garlic to the pot and stir to combine. Cover, reduce the heat to medium-low, and allow the mixture to cook for 10 minutes.
Remove from heat and use an immersion blender to blend the soup until fully pureed and smooth – about 5 minutes.

Note that at this point the soup should still be slightly "rough" in terms of texture, but there should be no large chunks left in the pot.

Return to the heat and add the heavy cream, remaining butter and salt, and pepper. Bring back up to temperature, stirring frequently. Garnish and serve immediately.

Notes

I usually like to serve this soup with crispy Portobello chips which can be made by roasting thinly sliced Portobello with a bit of olive oil and salt for about 15-20 minutes in a 350 degree F oven.
In order to maximize the flavour, never wash or add liquids to mushrooms. Usually, all you’ll need to do is trim the stem and give them a light brushing to remove debris.
You may be wondering about the “gills” on the underside of a Portobello mushroom. Some experts say remove them – others say don’t. I always remove them before cooking, but I’ll leave it up to you to decide what to do with yours.

Four Mushroom + Garlic Soup