Creamy Mushroom Soup

5 from 1 vote

A rich and creamy mushroom soup is a cozy, flavorful, easy dinner that's perfect for chilly evenings!

Course Dinner

Cuisine American

Keyword cream of mushroom soup, creamy mushroom soup, creamy mushroom soup recipe, mushroom soup

Prep Time 10

Cook Time 35

Total Time 45

Servings cups

Calories 176kcal

½ cup (1 stick) salted butter
8 ounces fresh, sliced mushrooms (increase to 1 lb. of mushrooms if you like more mushrooms in your soup)
¼ cup finely-diced onion
¼ cup all-purpose flour
¼ teaspoon dry mustard
¾ teaspoon kosher salt, plus additional to taste
1 teaspoon chopped fresh thyme (or ¼ teaspoon dried thyme)
2 cups chicken broth, vegetable broth, or vegetable stock (make sure to use a vegetarian broth or stock for a vegetarian soup)
2 cups half-and-half or heavy cream, at room temperature
2 tablespoons sherry
¼ cup chopped fresh parsley or chives
Ground black pepper, to taste

In a large pot or Dutch oven, melt butter over medium-high heat. Add mushrooms and a pinch of salt; sauté until the mushrooms soften and release their juices. Reduce the heat to low; continue cooking and stirring the mushrooms until golden brown, about 8-10 more minutes. Add onion and cook, stirring, until the onion softens, about 5 more minutes.
Add flour, dry mustard, salt and thyme. Cook, stirring, for 2 minutes.
Gradually add chicken broth and bring to a simmer. Cook until the broth thickens. Reduce the heat to low; stir in the half-and-half and sherry. Cook, stirring occasionally, for about 10 more minutes, or until the soup is warmed through. Do not let it boil.
Remove from heat and stir in the parsley or chives. Taste and season with additional salt and pepper if necessary. Garnish with additional fresh thyme or other herbs if desired.

Sherry is a fortified wine that adds so much rich flavor to this broth. Don't omit this ingredient -- it really sets the soup apart from its counterparts! In a pinch, you can substitute with red wine, white wine, marsala wine or port. Just make sure that you're not using sherry vinegar.
This recipe yields a relatively small portion of soup -- about 5 cups. If you're feeding a larger family, I recommend doubling all of the ingredients.