Easy Cream of Mushroom Soup – Lightened Up!
I love how easy this cream of mushroom soup is to make – and delicious, too!
“Healthi formerly iTrackbites is an alternative to Weight Watchers. “
Cream of Mushroom Soup is the perfect comfort food
I have a friend who's an incredible chef. If he's making green bean casserole, he won't use the canned cream of mushroom soup, he will make his own. I've got to be honest, I've been alternately impressed by this and of the opinion that he's a ridiculous overachiever.
That is until I made this recipe and realized how easy it is to make a healthy and delicious soup. This rich, decadent soup is absolutely delicious on its own, or you can use it to add incredible flavor to your favorite casseroles. One taste and you’ll never go back to the canned variety.
With the winter months in full-swing, this soup is the perfect comfort food. There's nothing better than a beautiful soup when the weather is miserable outside. A perfect pairing with this soup is this delicious pizza dough.
While I don't think pizza is a great side for this dish, you can make the dough and cut it into breadsticks. This will give you a low point bread to sop up any soup that's left in the bowl.
Fresh vs. dried herbs for soup
You can use either fresh or dried herbs for this recipe, depending on what you have on hand. Fresh rosemary and thyme are both tough enough to stand up to the cooking process, unlike many fresh herbs that are best stirred in once the cooking time is complete.
If using fresh thyme, be sure to remove any woody stems before serving. If you are growing your own herbs, check out our gardening post for some awesome gardening tips.
The best way to prepare cream of mushroom soup
I love my instant pot to pieces! I use it as both a slow cooker and an instant pot. When I was researching this recipe though, the dutch oven is really the best way to prepare this dish. You need to cook the ingredients to start, and there's a layering to these steps.
First the onions, then the garlic, then the mushrooms and layering these flavors is what the dutch oven was built for. In addition, the cook time is 10-15 minutes. Even if your instant pot cook time is 7 minutes, by the time it gets to pressure and releases, it will likely take more than 10 – 15 minutes. Add to that, cream-based items aren't ideal for any pressure cooker.
Replace one cup of heavy cream with one cup of milk and two tablespoons of cornstarch.
If you're looking for a Weight Watchers cream of mushroom soup recipe, this one is perfect to modify! If you make this recipe as is, you will be investing 10 points on all the plans. But, if you want to lighten it up a bit, I have a solution!
Replace one cup of heavy whipping cream with one cup of milk and two tablespoons of cornstarch. Simply mix the milk and cornstarch and let it sit for a few minutes until it thickens. This won't change the taste of the recipe much, but it cuts the points by more than half.
You can use this method any time you have a recipe calling for heavy whipping cream and you are cooking. It may alter the texture of baked goods and is not an option for making whipped cream.
Healthi formerly iTrackbites & weight watchers
To help me keep my weight loss journey on track, I've been loving Healthi formerly iTrackbites. It's super easy to follow and has kept me eating healthily while enjoying all kinds. of delicious foods.
- cost: Healthi formerly iTrackBites costs $36 for the year (using this link for 40% off makes it $36 – use COACH_SMILEY to save!!), WW is $20+ for the month, and it's the same formula and less options
- choices: I can choose PointsPlus, Freestyle, or any other plan I want with Healthi formerly iTrackBites. Even with the new WW changes, they only offer 3 plan options (not PointsPlus).
- logs: You can export your tracker data by the week, month, or quarter with Healthi formerly iTrackBites. WW does not give you access to quarterly data.
- accuracy: I've found inaccurate info in the WW app due to members submitting and not paying attention to the right numbers. With Healthi formerly iTrackBites, I know if I see the green check, it's been verified as accurate. This puts my mind at ease!
BLUE PLAN: 10 Points with heavy whipping cream. 4 Points with the milk/cornstarch modification
GREEN PLAN: 10 Points with heavy whipping cream. 4 Points with the milk/cornstarch modification
PURPLE PLAN: 10 Points with heavy whipping cream. 4 Points with the milk/cornstarch modification
Print
Dutch Oven Cream of Mushroom Soup – Lightened Up!
- Total Time: 45 minutes
- Yield: 6 cups 1x
Ingredients
2 T. unsalted butter
2 small yellow onions, finely chopped
Sea salt and black pepper, to taste
1–2 cloves garlic, minced
16 oz. Portobello mushrooms, sliced
2 t. dried rosemary (or 2 T. fresh rosemary leaves, finely chopped)
2 T. fresh thyme (or 1½ t. dried)
½ c. Marsala wine
2 c. chicken or vegetable broth, preferably organic
1 c. heavy cream, room temperature
3 T. all-purpose flour
Instructions
Melt butter in a large Dutch oven or pot over medium heat. Once hot, add chopped onions and season with salt and black pepper, to taste. Cook, stirring occasionally until the onions are soft and translucent, approximately 4-5 minutes.
Add garlic and cook, stirring frequently, for another 1-2 minutes.
Add mushrooms, rosemary, and thyme. Season with additional salt and black pepper, as desired, and stir to combine. Cook, stirring occasionally until the mushrooms are nicely browned and start to release their liquids, approximately 5 minutes.
Add the Marsala wine and gently scrape up any brown bits from the bottom of the Dutch oven with a spatula. Cook 1-2 minutes or until the wine is reduced by one half and the strong aroma dissipates.
Add the chicken or vegetable broth and simmer for 10-15 minutes. Remove from heat and temper the heavy cream by adding a couple of tablespoons of the hot soup to it before stirring it into the soup.
Create a slurry by adding 3 tablespoons of the hot liquid from the soup to the flour in a medium bowl. Stir until thoroughly combined and no lumps remain. Stir the slurry into the soup to thicken. Taste and adjust seasonings, as desired, before serving. Enjoy!
- Prep Time: 15
- Cook Time: 30
Keywords: soup, dutch oven, instant pot, slow cooker
