Easy Mushroom Soup – Slimming World Friendly Recipe

I love mushroom soup, especially when it’s thick and smooth enough to feel creamy without actually needing to pour loads of cream into it. This one gets its texture from mushrooms, potato and vegetables instead, which keeps the ingredients really simple.

It’s also an easy soup to make when mushrooms are reduced in the supermarket. You need 600g for four portions, so those big packs or yellow-sticker mushrooms that need using fairly quickly are ideal.

You can blend the soup completely smooth or leave some texture in it if that’s what you prefer. One reader actually commented that she’d never had mushroom soup without it being completely whizzed up before, so apparently I am not the only person who has pondered the great blended-versus-chunky mushroom soup debate!

Ingredients for easy mushroom soup

You’ll need:

• 600g mushrooms, roughly chopped
• 2 onions, roughly chopped
• 1 jacket-size potato, cubed
• 2 celery sticks, roughly chopped
• 3 garlic cloves, finely chopped or crushed
• 1 tsp dried thyme
• ½ tsp ground nutmeg
• 1 tsp balsamic vinegar
• 2 vegetable stockpots made with 600ml boiling water
• Low-calorie cooking spray

There’s no cream, milk or crème fraîche in the recipe. The potato helps give the blended soup a thicker consistency instead.

How to make mushroom soup

Spray a deep lidded pan with low-calorie cooking spray and place it over a medium heat.

Add the onions and garlic and cook for around 5 minutes without the lid.

Add the potato, celery, mushrooms, thyme and nutmeg. Put the lid on and cook for another 10 minutes.

Pour in the prepared vegetable stock and continue cooking for a further 20 minutes.

You can serve the soup with some texture remaining or use a hand blender to blend it until smooth.

Taste it before serving and adjust the seasoning if necessary.

Why doesn’t this mushroom soup need cream?

When people think of mushroom soup, it’s easy to assume that you need cream to get that lovely thick texture, but you really don’t.

The potato in this recipe helps thicken the soup once it’s blended, while the mushrooms themselves give it plenty of flavour.

That also makes it useful if you’ve specifically been searching for mushroom soup without cream, whether that’s because you don’t have any cream in the fridge or simply don’t particularly want it in your soup.

If you prefer a completely silky soup, blend it thoroughly. If you like a bit of texture, stop sooner or leave some of the mushrooms unblended.

What mushrooms should I use?

Ordinary supermarket mushrooms are absolutely fine.

You don’t need to go hunting for an expensive selection of wild mushrooms unless you particularly want to experiment. This is meant to be an everyday mushroom soup rather than one that costs more than lunch in a café!

It’s also a handy recipe for mushrooms that need using soon. As long as they’re still good to eat, it doesn’t matter if they don’t look pristine because they’re being cooked and probably blended anyway.

Is this a Slimming World mushroom soup?

If you’ve found this after searching for Slimming World mushroom soup, you’ll probably have noticed that the ingredients are quite different from a traditional cream-based mushroom soup.

It uses vegetables, potato, vegetable stock and low-calorie cooking spray rather than cream.

I don’t give recipes a fixed Syn value because plans change and the value can also depend on the particular branded ingredients you use. If you’re currently following Slimming World, check your stockpots, cooking spray and other ingredients against the current information for the plan.

I’ve got lots more Slimming World soup recipes if you’re looking for other warming lunch ideas.

Is mushroom soup good for weight loss?

Mushroom soup isn’t magically going to make anyone lose weight, but the ingredients in different mushroom soups can vary enormously.

This recipe doesn’t contain cream, butter or cheese. It’s predominantly mushrooms and other vegetables, with potato and vegetable stock.

If you’re keeping an eye on calories or following a particular eating plan, calculate it using the exact stock and cooking spray you’ve used rather than assuming every homemade mushroom soup has the same nutritional values.

For more ideas, have a browse through my healthy soup recipes.

Can I make mushroom soup in a soup maker?

Yes, although I wouldn’t simply assume that you can put the quantities above into every soup maker because capacities vary.

Prepare the mushrooms, onions, potato, celery and garlic, then check that the ingredients and liquid stay between the minimum and maximum levels specified for your particular machine.

Use the appropriate smooth programme if you want traditional blended mushroom soup.

I’d also follow the manufacturer’s instructions about whether ingredients need sautéing first and whether frozen ingredients can be used. Soup makers aren’t all identical, so your own model’s instructions take priority.

If you’re looking for more ideas specifically for your machine, I’ve got a whole collection of soup maker recipes, as well as my guide to the benefits of a soup maker if you’re still deciding whether to buy one.

Can I use frozen mushrooms?

You could experiment with frozen mushrooms, but this recipe has been written using fresh mushrooms.

Frozen mushrooms release quite a lot of water as they cook, which can affect the consistency of a soup. If you’re using them, bear that in mind before adding extra liquid.

For the recipe as written, I’d stick with the 600g of fresh mushrooms.

Can I make the soup thicker?

Blend it first before deciding that it’s too thin. The potato makes much more difference to the consistency once everything has been blended.

If you prefer really thick soup, you could also start by holding back a small amount of the stock and add it after blending if needed.

Don’t dramatically reduce the liquid while everything is cooking, though, because the vegetables still need enough liquid to cook properly.

What can I serve with mushroom soup?

Bread and soup is always an easy lunch. Crusty bread, toast or a bread roll all work well, and you could have a sandwich alongside it if you need something more substantial.

If you’re following a particular eating plan, obviously what you serve alongside it needs to fit whatever you’re doing too.

I work from home, so I’m never very far from my own kitchen, but I still find having lunch ready in advance useful. Otherwise it’s remarkably easy to get distracted, realise it’s well past lunchtime and then eat whatever happens to be quickest!

This soup is easy to portion out after cooking so you’ve got lunches ready rather than having to make something from scratch every day.

Can you freeze mushroom soup?

Yes, you can portion this mushroom soup for freezing.

Because there’s no cream in the recipe, you don’t have the same concern about a dairy-based soup separating when it’s frozen and reheated.

Let the soup cool, divide it into suitable containers and refrigerate or freeze it promptly.

When you’re ready to eat it, defrost it safely if frozen and reheat it until steaming hot throughout.

If the soup seems thicker after storing, stir in a little water or vegetable stock as it reheats.

More homemade soup ideas

For plenty more lunch inspiration, have a look through my healthy soup recipes.

I’ve also got a collection of healthy winter soup recipes for the days when only something warm will do, along with my Slimming World soup recipes if you’re specifically looking for recipes that fit that style of eating.

If mushrooms aren’t doing it for you today, my smoky aubergine soup is completely different, while the curried parsnip soup is another easy blended vegetable soup worth trying.

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