Description
Wild rice soup from Minnesota kitchens wraps comfort around hearty ingredients. Local cooks appreciate this creamy harvest blend that warms souls through chilly seasons.
Ingredients
Scale
Base Ingredients:
- 6 cups (1.4 liters) vegetable stock
- 1 cup (240 milliliters) uncooked wild rice
- 8 ounces (226 grams) baby bella mushrooms, sliced
Vegetables:
- 1 small white onion, peeled and diced
- 2 medium carrots, diced
- 2 ribs celery, diced
- 1 large sweet potato (about 1 pound or 454 grams), peeled and diced
- 4 cloves garlic, minced
- 2 large handfuls kale, roughly chopped, stems removed
Seasonings & Liquids:
- 1 bay leaf
- 1 1/2 tablespoons Old Bay seasoning
- 1 can (14 ounces or 414 milliliters) unsweetened coconut milk
- Salt to taste
- Freshly-cracked black pepper to taste
Instructions
- Gather all ingredients and prepare your cooking vessel, either an Instant Pot or a large stockpot, ensuring all components are within reach for a smooth cooking process.
- For Instant Pot method, combine stock, wild rice, mushrooms, garlic, carrots, celery, sweet potato, onion, bay leaf, and Old Bay seasoning in the pot, stirring thoroughly to distribute ingredients evenly.
- Secure the Instant Pot lid and set to high pressure, cooking for precisely 25 minutes to allow flavors to meld and rice to become tender.
- Once cooking completes, allow natural pressure release for 10 minutes, then carefully quick release any remaining pressure to prevent overcooking.
- For stovetop method, warm butter or oil in a large stockpot over medium heat, sautéing onions until translucent and fragrant, approximately 5 minutes.
- Add minced garlic to the onions, cooking for an additional 1-2 minutes to enhance aromatic qualities without burning.
- Incorporate remaining base ingredients, excluding coconut milk and kale, bringing the mixture to a gentle simmer and reducing heat to maintain a low, steady temperature.
- Cover and let the soup simmer for 30-40 minutes, periodically checking rice tenderness and liquid consistency.
- Remove bay leaf from either cooking method to prevent potential bitter undertones.
- Finish the soup by stirring in coconut milk and chopped kale, allowing greens to slightly wilt and integrate into the warm broth.
- Taste and adjust seasoning with salt, pepper, and additional Old Bay seasoning as desired, creating a perfectly balanced autumn soup.
Notes
- Wild rice takes longer to cook than other rice varieties, so patience is key when preparing this hearty soup.
- Experiment with different mushroom types like shiitake or cremini for added depth of flavor and nutritional variety.
- For a protein boost, consider adding shredded rotisserie chicken or diced tofu during the final simmering stage.
- Make this soup gluten-free by ensuring your stock and Old Bay seasoning are certified gluten-free and using tamari instead of soy sauce if needed.
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 35 minutes
- Category: Lunch, Dinner, Snacks
- Method: Simmering
- Cuisine: American
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 6
- Calories: 200
- Sugar: 3 g
- Sodium: 700 mg
- Fat: 10 g
- Saturated Fat: 6 g
- Unsaturated Fat: 4 g
- Trans Fat: 0 g
- Carbohydrates: 28 g
- Fiber: 5 g
- Protein: 4 g
- Cholesterol: 0 mg