Homemade Cream of Mushroom Soup
We are mushroom lovers in this house, and we both forage and grow our own mushrooms at times. And one of our favorite ways to enjoy them is in cream of mushroom soup. We also like to have healthy, homemade meals ready to eat on days when there’s no time to cook. I do freeze this soup, but right now freezer space is at a premium. That’s why I also can cream of mushroom soup base.
Cream of mushroom soup contains both cream and a thickener like flour or arrowroot, but neither of those items can be safely canned. But you can safely home can the soup base and when it’s time to heat just quickly thicken and add cream. So easy!
Is Cream of Mushroom Soup Recipe Healthy?
When is the last time that you read the ingredients on a can of store bought cream of mushroom soup? Below are the ingredients of a very popular brand:
WATER, MUSHROOMS, VEGETABLE OIL (CORN, CANOLA AND/OR SOYBEAN), CREAM, MODIFIED CORNSTARCH, WHEAT FLOUR, SALT, MODIFIED MILK INGREDIENTS, SOY PROTEIN ISOLATE, MONOSODIUM GLUTAMATE, TOMATO PASTE, FLAVOUR, YEAST EXTRACT, DEHYDRATED GARLIC.
Half of those ingredients are not something that we care to have in our real food diet.
I found the cream of mushroom soup base recipe in Angi Schneider’s new book Pressure Canning for Beginner’s and Beyond which I recently purchased.
I’ve been canning for years, but I learned so much here and reading this really encouraged me to have more home canned ready-to-eat meals on hand.
Real Food Cream of Mushroom Soup Ingredients
When I spotted the cream of mushroom soup base recipe in Pressure Canning for Beginner’s and Beyond I immediately contacted the author and asked her permission to reprint it here for you. This recipe is destined to become a family favorite.
So, what ingredients are in this soup recipe? Just simple, real food ingredients like:
- butter
- onions
- garlic
- mushrooms
- white wine
- bone broth
- sea salt
- pepper
- thyme
- pepper
- cream
- arrowroot powder
All ingredients that I can feel good about serving to my family and guests.
Is it Ok to Use Wild Mushrooms?
You can certainly use any mushroom in this recipe if you are eating it immediately. The USDA does not recommend canning mushrooms or using them in any home canned recipe like this soup base. It is difficult to determine their reasoning, but many have surmised that someone may incorrectly identify a mushroom and become ill.
So, use your own discretion. I personally will use the wonderful harvest of wild mushrooms we forage each year because we are 100% sure of their identification. And I hope to do a post on canning wild mushrooms sometime in the future.
How to Can Homemade Cream of Mushroom Soup
Start by preparing your pressure canner, jars and lids. You’ll need eight 1-pint jars. It is not recommended that quart jars be used for any recipe with mushrooms.
Fill the pressure canner with a few inches of water, according to the manufacturer’s instructions, and put the canner on the stove over low heat with the jars inside to stay hot. This is a hot-pack recipe, so the water needs to be about 180°F (82°C).
Make your homemade soup according to the directions in the recipe card below.
Remove the soup from the heat and ladle it into the prepared jars. Ladle the solids into each jar first so that each jar has about the same amount. Then divide the liquid among the jars, leaving 1 inch of headspace.
Remove the bubbles with a bubble removal tool and recheck the headspace. If you end up short of liquid, top the jars off with boiling water. Wipe the rims with a clean, damp cloth. Put the lids and bands on the jars and load them into the pressure canner.
Process the jars, according to the manufacturer’s instructions, at 10 psi for 45 minutes for 1-pint jars, adjusting for altitude if necessary. Please see the chart below for altitude adjustments.
After processing, allow the canner to depressurize naturally, then remove the jars and let them cool on the counter for at least 12 hours. Check the seals and store the jars for up to 1 year.
More Posts You’ll Love
Beginner’s Guide to Pressure Canning
Book Review: Growing Mushrooms for Beginners
Book Review: The Scout’s Guide to Wild Edibles
Wild Ramp Salt Recipe (with tips for foraging)
Homemade Hot Pepper Sauce with Instructions for Canning
Step-by-Step Guide to Pressure Can Dried Beans
How to Can Cream of Mushroom Soup Base
Ingredients
- 4 tablespoons butter
- 8 cups minced onions (approximately 2 1/4 pounds)
- 6 garlic cloves minced
- 2 pounds mushrooms thinly sliced
- 2/3 cup white wine
- 6 cups beef or chicken broth
- 4 teaspoons sea salt or other non-iodized salt
- 2 teaspoons dried thyme
- 1 teaspoon ground black pepper
For Serving Per 1 Pint Jar
- 1/4 cup heavy cream
- 1 tablespoon arrowroot or flour
- fresh parsley or thyme to garnish
Instructions
- Prepare the pressure canner, jars and lids. You’ll need eight 1-pint jars. Fill the canner with a few inches of water, according to the manufacturer’s instructions, and put the canner on the stove over low heat with the jars inside to stay hot. This is a hot-pack recipe, so the water needs to be about 180°F (82°C).
- In a large stockpot, melt the butter and sauté the onions and garlic over medium heat, until the onions are translucent; this should take about 15 minutes.
- Add the mushrooms, wine, broth and the spices to the stockpot. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat and boil for 5 minutes.
- Remove the soup from the heat and ladle it into the prepared jars. Ladle the solids into each jar first so that each jar has about the same amount. Then divide the liquid among the jars, leaving 1 inch of headspace.
- Remove the bubbles with a bubble removal tool and recheck the headspace. If you end up short of liquid, top the jars off with boiling water. Wipe the rims with a clean, damp cloth. Put the lids and bands on the jars and load them into the pressure canner.
- Process the jars, according to the manufacturer’s instructions, at 10 psi for 45 minutes for 1-pint jars, adjusting for altitude if necessary. There are no recommended times for canning mushrooms in quarts; therefore, this recipe must be canned in pints.
- After processing, allow the canner to depressurize naturally, then remove the jars and let them cool on the counter for at least 12 hours. Check the seals and store the jars for up to 1 year.
- For serving, empty a jar of Cream of Mushroom Soup Base into a medium stockpot and heat over medium heat for 10 minutes, until bubbling. Add the cream and an arrowroot or flour slurry to thicken the soup. Bring the soup back to a boil and boil for another minute or two to let it thicken. Be sure to stir it while it’s thickening. Garnish with parsley or thyme and serve with toasted or fresh bread.
- Reprinted with permission: Schneider, Angi. Pressure Canning for Beginners and Beyond (pp. 429-430). Page Street Publishing.
