Okay, let’s be honest for a second. Some nights you just need a hug in a bowl. You know the feeling. The day was long, you’re tired, and the idea of cooking a big complicated meal feels impossible.
This is the soup for those nights. I’m going to show you how to make a mushroom and spinach soup that tastes like it took hours but actually comes together super fast. It’s creamy, full of flavor, and just makes everything feel a little bit better.
You don’t need to be a fancy chef to nail this, I promise. We’re just using simple stuff to make something really, really good.
What You’ll Need
Getting your ingredients ready first is like a secret weapon for calm cooking. It’s what all the restaurant chefs do, they call it ‘mise en place’ which is just a fancy French way of saying “get your stuff together.” It makes everything go so much smoother.
Here’s the main list of what you’ll need to grab. Don’t worry about getting the exact brands I use, but I’ll mention them if it makes a real difference.
| Ingredient | Amount |
|---|---|
| Olive Oil | 2 tablespoons |
| Unsalted Butter | 2 tablespoons |
| Yellow Onion | 1 medium |
| Garlic | 4 cloves |
| Cremini Mushrooms | 24 ounces |
| Dried Thyme | 1 teaspoon |
| Vegetable Broth | 4 cups |
| Heavy Cream | ½ cup |
| Fresh Spinach | 5 ounces |
| Salt | 1½ teaspoons |
| Black Pepper | ½ teaspoon |
And for making it extra special, a few little things can go a long way. These are totally optional but I think they add a nice touch at the end.
| Optional Garnishes | Amount |
|---|---|
| Fresh Parsley | 2 tablespoons |
| Grated Parmesan | For topping |
| Red Pepper Flakes | A pinch |
| Crusty Bread | For dipping |
The Tools for the Job
You don’t need a bunch of wild kitchen gadgets for this. Just the basics will do perfectly fine. Having them out and ready before you start cooking is another one of those little things that makes life easier.
| Tool | Purpose |
|---|---|
| Large Pot or Dutch Oven | For cooking everything |
| Wooden Spoon or Spatula | For stirring |
| Cutting Board | For chopping veggies |
| Sharp Knife | For chopping safely |
| Measuring Cups/Spoons | For accuracy |
| Blender | Immersion or regular |
How to Make This Awesome Soup
Alright, here’s where the fun starts. We’re going to build this soup layer by layer, and I’ll walk you through every single part. Just follow along and you’ll be golden.
Step 1: Get the Veggies Ready
First things first, let’s chop. Dice up your medium yellow onion. You don’t need it to be perfect, just smallish pieces. Then, mince up the garlic cloves. For the mushrooms, just give them a quick wipe with a damp paper towel (don’t wash them under water, they get soggy!) and slice them up.
Step 2: Start with the Flavor Base
Put your big pot on the stove over medium heat. Add the olive oil and the butter. Once the butter is all melted and bubbly, toss in your chopped onion. Cook it for about 5-7 minutes, stirring every now and then, until it gets soft and looks kinda see-through. Then, add the minced garlic and dried thyme and stir for just one more minute until you can really smell it.
Step 3: The Most Important Mushroom Step
Turn the heat up just a bit to medium-high. Now, add all of your sliced mushrooms to the pot. This is going to look like a crazy amount of mushrooms, but trust me, they cook down a lot. Let them cook for about 10-12 minutes, stirring only once in a while. (This is key! Let them sit so they can get brown and delicious.)
Step 4: Bring It All Together
Once the mushrooms have released their water and started to get some nice brown color on them, pour in the 4 cups of vegetable broth. Use your spoon to scrape up any little brown bits stuck to the bottom of the pot. Those bits are pure flavor. Add your salt and black pepper now, too.
Step 5: Let It Simmer
Bring the soup up to a boil, then turn the heat down to low so it’s just barely bubbling. Let it simmer like that for about 15 minutes. This is when all those flavors get to know each other and make friends. Your kitchen is going to start smelling amazing right about now.
Step 6: Make It Creamy
This is where you decide what kind of soup you want. If you have an immersion blender (the stick kind), just stick it right in the pot and blend for about 10-15 seconds. I like to leave it a little chunky. If you have a regular blender, carefully scoop about half the soup into it, blend until smooth, and pour it back in the pot. (Be careful, hot soup can expand in a blender! Don’t fill it too full.)
Step 7: Add the Greens and Cream
With the heat still on low, stir in the heavy cream. Once that’s mixed in, add the whole bag of fresh spinach. It will look like a mountain, but just keep stirring gently for a minute or two. The spinach will wilt down into the hot soup almost instantly.
Step 8: The Final Taste
Turn off the heat. Now, grab a clean spoon and taste it. Does it need more salt? A little more pepper? This is your soup, so make it taste perfect for you. Once you’re happy with it, it’s ready to serve.
Pro Tips (From My Kitchen to Yours)
Over the years, I’ve made this soup a hundred different ways. I’ve messed it up and I’ve perfected it. Here are the three biggest things I’ve learned that make all the difference.
Tip 1: Don’t Crowd the Mushrooms
I know I said this in the instructions, but it’s the most important rule of mushroom cooking. When you dump all those mushrooms into the pot, your first instinct is to stir them constantly. Don’t do it. Let them sit in the hot pan without moving them around too much. This allows them to get that beautiful golden-brown color, which creates a deep, roasted flavor. If you stir them too much, they just steam and get rubbery.
Tip 2: The Blender Trick
The secret to a soup that feels creamy and rich without being too heavy is texture. Blending only some of the soup is the best way to do this. It makes the liquid part of the soup thick and velvety, but you still get those nice big pieces of mushroom to chew on. It’s truly the best of both worlds. If you blend all of it, it’s still good, but you lose that wonderful texture.
Tip 3: Don’t Boil the Cream
When you add the heavy cream at the end, make sure your heat is on low. If you let the soup boil after the cream is in, it can sometimes curdle or separate. It won’t ruin the soup, but it can look a little weird. A gentle heat is all you need to warm it through and keep everything smooth and perfect.
Swaps and Changes
One of the best things about a simple soup like this is that you can change it up easily. It’s a great recipe to use what you have in the fridge.
- Make it Vegan/Dairy-Free: This is an easy swap. Use a dairy-free butter substitute or just more olive oil at the beginning. Instead of heavy cream, use a cup of full-fat coconut milk from a can or a dairy-free cream alternative. Cashew cream works great too.
- Change Up the Mushrooms: I used cremini mushrooms (they’re just baby portobellos) because they have great flavor. But you could use regular white button mushrooms, or get fancy with a mix of shiitake, oyster, or portobello mushrooms.
- Add Some Protein: If you want to make this a bigger meal, you could stir in some shredded rotisserie chicken or some cooked white beans at the end.
- Make it Gluten-Free: Good news. This recipe is already naturally gluten-free. Just make sure you serve it with gluten-free bread if you’re dipping!
Leftovers and Storage
This soup is almost better the next day, so making extra is never a bad idea.
Once the soup has cooled down completely, you can store it in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 4 days. The flavors will actually get even better overnight.
You can also freeze it. Let it cool completely, then pour it into freezer-safe containers or bags. It will last in the freezer for about 3 months. To reheat, let it thaw in the fridge overnight and then warm it up gently on the stove. You might need to give it a good stir to bring the creamy texture back together.
Quick Questions Answered
Here are a few questions I get asked all the time about this soup.
Q1. Can I use frozen spinach instead of fresh?
Ans: Yes, you can. Just make sure you thaw the frozen spinach completely and squeeze out as much water as you possibly can before adding it to the soup.
Q2. My soup seems too thin. How can I thicken it?
Ans: The easiest way is to just simmer it for a little longer with the lid off to let some water evaporate. You could also make a little slurry by mixing a tablespoon of cornstarch with a few tablespoons of cold water, then stirring that into the simmering soup.
Q3. What if I don’t have an immersion blender?
Ans: No problem at all. Just carefully transfer about two or three cups of the soup to a regular blender, blend it up, and pour it back into the pot.
Q4. Can I use different herbs?
Ans: Definitely. Fresh thyme would be amazing instead of dried. A little bit of rosemary or sage would also work well, but use them sparingly because they have a strong flavor.
Wrapping Up
See? That wasn’t so hard. You just made a beautiful, comforting bowl of soup from scratch, and your kitchen probably smells incredible. This is the kind of recipe you can lean on when you need something easy and delicious. It’s perfect for a quiet night in or for sharing with people you care about.
Now it’s your turn. Give this recipe a try and see for yourself. And please, come back and leave a comment below. I’d love to hear how it turned out for you or if you made any fun changes. Happy cooking.
