Autumn Wild Rice Soup

Preparation time: 15 minutes

Cook time: 45 minutes

Total time: 1 hour

Yield: 8 Servings

Ingredients:

• 6 cups vegetable stock (or chicken stock)
• 1 cup uncooked wild rice*
• 8 oz. baby bella mushrooms, sliced
• 4 cloves garlic, minced
• 2 medium carrots, diced
• 2 ribs celery, diced
• 1 large (about 1 pound) sweet potato, peeled and diced
• 1 small white onion, peeled and diced
• 1 bay leaf
• 1 1/2 Tbsp. Old Bay seasoning
• 1 (14-oz.) can unsweetened coconut milk (or see cream sauce option below*)
• 2 large handfuls of kale, roughly chopped with thick stems removed
• fine sea salt and freshly-cracked black pepper

Directions:
Pressure Cooker Method:

1. Combine base ingredients. Combine vegetable stock, wild rice, mushrooms, garlic, carrots, celery, sweet potato, onion, bay leaf and Old Bay seasoning in the bowl of an Instant Pot pressure cooker. Stir briefly to combine.
2. Pressure cook. Cover and cook on manual (high pressure) for 25 minutes. Let the Instant Pot rest and naturally release the pressure for 10 minutes. Then carefully open the vent and quick release the remaining pressure. Remove lid and discard the bay leaf.
3. Add final ingredients. Add the coconut milk and kale to the soup, and stir gently until combined. Taste and season with salt and pepper (plus any extra Old Bay seasoning, if you would like) as needed.
4. Serve. Serve warm and enjoy!

Slow Cooker Method:

1. Combine base ingredients. Combine vegetable stock, wild rice, mushrooms, garlic, carrots, celery, sweet potato, onion, bay leaf and Old Bay seasoning in the bowl of a large slow cooker. Stir briefly to combine, then place the lid on the slow cooker.
2. Slow cook. Cook on high for 1 to 2 hours, until the rice is cooked and tender. (Note: Our readers have found that the cooking time for this recipe can vary widely between different brands of slow cookers. So I recommend testing the rice at the 1 hour point to see if it is close to being tender, and then every 20 minutes afterwards until the rice is ready to go. Alternately, if the rice cooks quickly and soaks up too much of the broth while cooking, feel free to add in an extra cup of vegetable broth.)
3. Add final ingredients. Add the coconut milk and kale to the soup, and stir gently until combined. Taste and season with salt and pepper (plus any extra Old Bay seasoning, if you would like) as needed.
4. Serve. Serve warm and enjoy!

Stovetop Method:

1. Sauté the veggies. Heat (an extra) 1 tablespoon butter or olive oil in a large stockpot over medium-high heat. Add onion and sauté for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally, until soft and translucent. Stir in the garlic and cook for an additional 1-2 minutes, stirring occasionally, until fragrant.
2. Add base ingredients. Add in the vegetable stock, wild rice, mushrooms, carrots, celery, sweet potato, bay leaf and Old Bay seasoning. Stir to combine.
3. Simmer. Continue cooking until the soup reaches a simmer. Then reduce heat to medium-low, cover and simmer for 30 to 40 minutes until the rice is tender, stirring occasionally.
4. Add final ingredients. Add the coconut milk and kale to the soup, and stir gently until combined. Taste and season with salt and pepper (plus any extra Old Bay seasoning, if you would like) as needed.
5. Serve. Serve warm and enjoy!

Notes:

• Wild rice: I used 100% wild rice which I love and recommend for this soup. Cooking time may vary if you use a wild rice blend or a different type of rice.
• Alternate cream sauce recipe: In place of the coconut milk, you can either add 1 1/2 cups half and half. Or you can make a cream sauce by melting 3 tablespoons of butter in a (separate) saucepan over medium-high heat, whisking in 1/4 cup flour for one minute, and then whisking in 1 1/2 cups milk until the mixture is smooth. Let the sauce cook until it nearly reaches a simmer, at which point it will thicken, then remove from heat and add the sauce to the soup once the rice has completely cooked.

*Picture from Eliza Christensen

*Recipe from gimmesomeoven.com