Vegan Cream of Mushroom Soup

Ingredients

• 1 cup cashews
• 1 cup boiling water (for soaking the cashews)
• 3 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
• 4 cup mushrooms (chopped)
• 2 cup onions (chopped)
• 2 garlic (cloves, chopped)
• 1 tbsp fresh thyme leaves (or substitute 1 teaspoon dried thyme)
• 3 cup cold water (divided; use 1 cup for blending and the remaining 2 cups in the soup)
• 1 tsp salt
• 0.5 tsp black pepper
• 2 tbsp nutritional yeast (optional; may be omitted)

Steps

1. 1

   Put the cashews in a bowl and pour the boiling water over them.

2. 2

   Leave the cashews to soak for 1 hour. Drain and rinse them.

3. 3

   While the cashews soak, add the olive oil, chopped mushrooms, chopped onions, chopped garlic, and fresh thyme to a large pot.

4. 4

   Cook over medium heat, stirring frequently, for 10 minutes or until the mushrooms and onions are golden and caramelized.

5. 5

   If desired, reserve a few mushrooms for garnish.

6. 6

   Put the soaked cashews and 1 cup of the cold water in a blender. Blend until smooth.

7. 7

   Add the cooked mushrooms and onions to the blender and blend again until smooth.

8. 8

   Return the mushroom-cashew purée to the pot. Add the remaining 2 cups cold water, salt, black pepper, and nutritional yeast.

9. 9

   Simmer over low heat until the soup is hot.

10. 10

    Serve the soup, garnished with the reserved mushrooms if using.

Notes

Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days or freeze for up to 3 months. The author also suggests dried thyme, basil, or parsley in place of fresh thyme; nutritional yeast can be omitted. Structured data specifies fresh thyme, while the body gives the dried-thyme alternative as 1 teaspoon. The source does not specify the final simmer duration or a serving temperature.

Nutrition per serving

• soup
• main
• vegan
• dairy-free
• gluten-free
• stovetop
• comfort food