Vegan Cream of Mushroom Soup with Thyme & Coconut Milk

Ever since I was a little girl, I’ve always loved cream of mushroom soup. The kind I ate back then came out of a red and white can, but I loved it. When my son was first born, I craved cream of mushroom soup, but the good kind with fresh mushrooms and heavy cream.

I wanted to create a vegan version of this soup that would fit with my plant-based way of eating and I’m so happy with how this soup turned out. It still has the creaminess of the orignal with light coconut milk and some arrow root. A splash of sherry vinegar adds some brightness and fresh thyme gives it some herby flavor.

Ingredients

Serves 4-6

• 2 cloves garlic, minced

• 1 shallot, diced

• 32 oz of baby portabella mushrooms, sliced

• 3 tbsp arrow root

• 1 tbsp sherry vinegar

• 2 cups vegetable stock

• 2 13.66 oz cans of lite coconut milk

• 1 bunch of fresh thyme

• sea salt

• freshly ground pepper

• extra virgin olive oil

Method

Heat olive oil in a soup pot over medium-high heat. Add garlic and shallots and sweat from 2 minutes. Add mushrooms and continue cooking for 5-6 minutes until mushrooms begin to sweat and produce liquid. Add the sherry vinegar and continue cooking for 2-3 minutes. Evenly dust the mushrooms with the arrow root, season with salt and pepper and stir to combine. Add vegetable stock, coconut milk and thyme (I tie a handful with kitchen twine), stir to combine and reduce heat to a simmer. Simmer on low for 30 minutes or until soup is lightly thickened. Remove the thyme bunch, season to taste, garnish with fresh thyme and serve hot (I like mine with warm crusty bread drizzled with olive or coconut oil and sea salt).