Creamy Mushroom Bacon Soup

This creamy mushroom bacon soup is loaded with four different types of mushrooms, lots of aromatics, and plenty of bacon for a comforting dinner you'll love. This easy soup recipe is definitely one you'll want to have in your back pocket for those chilly nights when you don't know what to make!

4.67 from 3 votes

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Prep Time: 15

Cook Time: 30

Inactive time: 1

Total Time: 1 45

Servings:

Calories: 563kcal

Equipment

Large soup pot
Food processor or blender
Kitchen twine

Ingredients

10 slices bacon sliced into thin lardons
2 stalks celery plus 1 tablespoon of leaves, stalks diced and leaves minced
1 yellow onion peeled and diced
6 cloves garlic peeled and minced
1½ pounds mixed mushrooms such as shiitake, cremini, white button, or baby bella, sliced, diced, or torn, depending on the variety
2 ounces porcini mushrooms plus 1 cup of hot water
6 cups chicken stock
4 sprigs thyme
2 sprigs rosemary
½ cup whole milk
¼ cup heavy cream
Salt pepper, and cayenne powder to taste
Minced fresh chives extra virgin olive oil, and silk chili flakes for serving

Instructions

Prep:

Cover the porcini mushrooms with 1 cup of hot water. Soak the mushrooms for 20 minutes. After the mushrooms have soaked, remove them from the water and roughly chop. Reserve the water.
Tie the end of the rosemary and thyme sprigs with a piece of kitchen twine to keep them together.

Cook the bacon:

Add the bacon to a large soup pot and turn the heat to medium. Cook, stirring regularly, for 8-12 minutes or until all the fat has rendered. Remove the bacon using a slotted spoon and transfer it to a large bowl. Set aside a big pinch or two of the cooked bacon for garnish. Remove about half of the fat from the pot and transfer it to a bowl (you may need it later).

Cook the vegetables:

To the soup pot, add the onion and celery. Cook for 5–7 minutes until softened and beginning to brown. Add the garlic and cook for 45 seconds until fragrant. Spoon the cooked vegetables out of the pot and transfer them to the bowl with the cooked bacon.

Cook the mushrooms and start the soup:

In batches, cook the mushrooms. It will take time to brown all of them, but you want the mushrooms to sweat, the liquid to evaporate, and the mushrooms to brown. Cook, stirring regularly, for about 10 minutes.
Once most of the liquid has evaporated, transfer the cooked mushrooms to the bowl of the vegetables and bacon and brown the remaining mushrooms, adding more bacon fat if needed.
During the last minute of the last batch of mushrooms cooking, turn the heat to high and add all the vegetables, remaining mushrooms, and bacon back to the pot.
Add 1 cup of the chicken stock and scrape up any browned bits stuck to the bottom of the pot. Next, add the remaining chicken stock, the porcini mushrooms, and the mushroom-soaking liquid. Finally, add the bundle of thyme and rosemary. Bring to a boil and then reduce heat and simmer for 30 minutes.

Finish the soup:

After 30 minutes, remove and discard the thyme and rosemary. Ladle 3–4 spoonfuls of the mushrooms into a food processor and pulse until smooth. Add the milk and heavy cream and continue pulsing until smooth. Pour the purée back into the soup and stir to combine. Taste and season with salt, pepper, and cayenne powder if desired, and cook for 10 minutes over low heat.

To serve:

Divide the soup between bowls. Garnish with fresh minced chives or thyme leaves, cayenne powder (optional), and the reserved crispy bacon. Enjoy!

Nutrition

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