It’s the weekend after Thanksgiving, the elaborate feast you made for your family and friends has been polished off, and you don’t want to see a pie again as long as you live. But you do need to eat. On days like these, when I find myself craving something healthy and warm and satisfying, I turn to my favorite vegan soups and stews. This Mushroom and Wild Rice Bisque is usually at the top of that list (right alongside my other favorite, this vegan cream of mushroom soup) because it just hits the spot. It’s nutritious enough to be health food and has just 153 calories per serving, but it doesn’t taste like health food. Instead it’s creamy and fragrant with herbs, has delicious bits of wild mushrooms and wild rice, and, best of all, it warms you from the inside out. Everything you need to make this bisque is probably right in your pantry. I found myself without fresh mushrooms in my refrigerator after Thanksgiving this year, because I’d used them all up to make my Mushroom Pot Pies. But I did have some dry wild crimini mushrooms and a jar of wild rice. Some onions, garlic and celery, and I was on my way to soup heaven. This soup also comes together with very little effort, so you don’t have to spend an hour over the stove after having spent half the week cooking. Make sure you cook your wild rice separately, before you add it to the rest of the bisque, to get the perfect texture.
Expert tips
Use fresh crimini or button mushrooms, if you have those around, instead of the dry mushrooms. You don’t have to reconstitute the mushrooms, as you would the dry, so you’d be saving yourself an extra step. Use regular rice instead of wild rice. Or barley would work too! If you do use regular rice, I’d go with a long grain that’s less starchy, and you might need to thin out the bisque with more stock. Use a flavorful homemade mushroom stock or vegetable stock for best results. Use leeks instead of onions. Or shallots. Vary the herbs in your bisque. I used oregano and thyme, but rosemary or sage would be wonderful too. You can use fresh or dry herbs. If you don’t want to use cashew cream or are nut-free, blend ¼ block of silken tofu and add it to your bisque instead. Make this a cream of mushroom soup by skipping the wild rice.
What to serve with the vegan bisque
Serve this delectable bisque with a crusty wholegrain bread like this French bread, and a leafy salad, like a vegan Caesar salad. Check to get new recipe updates by email.
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