Hearty Vegan Mushroom Soup

Pop quiz: what's the best time of year for soup?

Okay, that's kind of a trick question—as far as we're concerned, soup is a year-round meal (as evidenced by our previously-shared recipes for Roasted Butternut Squash Soup, Pumpkin Soup, and Chili, among others). If we absolutely had to choose, though, the answer seems pretty clear: fall!

Today, we're happy to share yet another soup to add to your weekly roster. Our Hearty Vegan Mushroom Soup will warm you right up on chilly days; not to mention, it's filling, healthy, and comes together in a few straightforward steps!

With delicately sautéed vegetables, buttery mushrooms, aromatic sage, and robust wild rice, this dish will satisfy soup-enthusiasts far and wide.

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• 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
• 3 stalks celery
• 1 medium white onion
• 3 large whole carrots
• 4 cloves garlic
• 1 tablespoon fresh, finely-minced sage (or 1 teaspoon dried)
• 2.5 cups water
• 1/2 cup white rice
• 1/2 cup wild rice
• 2 32 oz containers of vegetable broth
• 3 tablespoons vegan butter
• 2 pints mushrooms
• 1 cup almond milk (or preferred vegan milk alternative)
• Fresh cracked black pepper
• Sea salt

1. Dice celery, onions, and carrots. Mince garlic. In a medium saucepan over medium heat, pour two tablespoons of olive oil. Once oil is hot, add the vegetables and stir, then follow with a generous amount of fresh-cracked sea salt and pepper. Once the vegetables have cooked down and are growing translucent, add four gloves of minced garlic and continue to cook until the vegetables have begun to brown and are fragrant. Right before taking it off the heat, add the fresh, finely-minced sage and stir in.
2. Rinse wild and white rice separately, Giving each their own pot, cover the wild rice with 1.5 cups of water and the white rice with 1 cup of water, heavily salting each pot. Over medium-high heat, bring the water to a gentle boil, then reduce the heat to medium. The wild rice will need 35-40 minutes, and the white rice will need 15 minutes or less.
3. Once the white rice has cooked, add it to the sautéed vegetables and stir (it may still be slightly al dente). Transfer to a 5.5 quart pot, follow with 2 containers of vegetable broth, then cover. While the soup is heating, wash and thinly slice two pints of white mushrooms. In a medium saucepan over medium-high heat, melt down vegan butter. When the butter is hot, add the mushrooms, stir, and cover. Check back frequently, stirring and adding both sea salt and cracked pepper to taste, until mushrooms are tender. Transfer to the big pot and stir together.
4. Once the wild rice is fully cooked and tender, and water is absorbed, add to the large soup pot. Follow with almond milk, and stir thoroughly. Taste and add more salt and pepper as desired. Leave covered over medium-low heat and allow to come to a simmer, cooking an additional 10-15 minutes once it has reached this stage, stirring frequently. Ladle up and enjoy!

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