Condensed Cream of Mushroom Soup
I love mushrooms of all kinds, and I love a good cream of mushroom soup. This gluten-free cream of mushroom soup base recipe came about, because I noticed that a lot of people in the gluten-free groups online were looking for a substitute for Campbells Condensed Cream of Mushroom soup.
Campbell’s Condensed Cream of Mushroom soup is a thick, gelatinous soup base in a can that has long been a staple in traditional green bean casseroles, scalloped potatoes, broccoli and cheese casseroles and other home cook recipes. Since most people requesting the recipe were wanting to use it as a base for other dishes, I decided to make a recipe that was also a condensed soup and as similar to the original as possible.
If you want to serve this as soup, you just need to mix equal parts of the base and the milk or cream of your choice; it’s delicious.
The gelatin in this soup adds a silky texture, but is not necessary for any other reason, so you can leave it out if you like.
Which Mushrooms Should You Use?
The simple answer is — whichever ones you like best. If you use darker mushrooms, you will have a darker colored base, so keep that in mind. I like to use a combination of wild mushrooms and white button mushrooms. Matsutake and King Oyster are really flavorful and are great choices, but not always as easy to find.
*This recipe makes the equivalent of 4 ten ounce cans of Campbell’s condensed soup.
Gluten-Free Mushroom Soup Base
You can use this as you would use any canned condensed mushroom soup in your favorite recipes. To thin this mushroom base out to a classic cream of mushroom soup consistency, reheat with a 1:1 ratio of milk, plant milk or heavy cream.
Ingredients
- 500 grams chicken stock (or vegetable stock)
- 1 tablespoon unflavored gelatin (optional)
- 60 grams unsalted butter (or plant butter)
- 50 grams 1:1 gluten-free flour blend
- 200 grams mushrooms, diced, fresh woody stems removed
- 1 teaspoon dried thyme
- 1 teaspoon granulated garlic
- 250 grams heavy cream (or cashew cream thinned to heavy cream consistency)
- Salt to taste
- Black pepper to taste
Instructions
-
Set a large, two to three-quart saucepan on high heat. Pour in the chicken stock. As soon as it comes to a boil, turn the heat down to medium. Let the stock simmer about 10 minutes, until it has reduced to half its original volume.
-
Mix the powdered gelatin into the hot stock with a whisk, making sure that it dissolves fully.
-
Set a large saucepan on medium-high heat. Add the butter. When it has melted, add in the flour and stir. Cook for 1 minute, before the roux takes on any color. Pull the pan off the heat, and whisk in half of the chicken-stock reduction. Set aside the pan for later.
-
Add mushrooms, thyme, garlic, salt and pepper to the remaining half of the chicken stock/gelatin reduction. Bring the mixture to a light simmer, then cover the pot and smmer about five minutes until the mushrooms are tender.
-
When the mushrooms are tender, pour them and the broth into the pan with the roux and heavy cream mixture. Whisk everything together until it is smooth. Bring the liquid to a simmer, and let it cook for at least five minutes, stirring to avoid sticking to the bottom of the pan and burning. This will allow the flour to cook out. You don’t want the taste of raw flour in your soup base.
-
Stop cooking. You do not want this to thin out. You want this to be a thick, gelatinous base, like the canned cream of mushroom soup.