Animals Say Thanks

Cream of Sweet Onion Soup with Sautéed Mushrooms

What better way to warm up than with a hot cup of soup? This recipe is a play on an old family tradition: creamed onions. We also love mushrooms so we’re keeping them intact – each spoonful should have a burst of mushroomy goodness!

We made this soup a day in advance to save time on Thanksgiving day. Serves 6-8.

Soup Ingredients:

• 2 tablespoons Earth Balance Margarine.
• 6 cups sweet onions – sliced into 1/4 rounds, 1/4 inch thick
• 2-3 large garlic cloves – minced.
• 1 8oz package of mushrooms – we used a mixed package of small mushrooms from Whole Foods. We encourage you to experiment with the variety and size of your mushrooms!
• 4 cups low sodium veggie broth – we make our own!
• 1 medium russet potato – cut into 3/4-inch pieces
• 3/4 cup plain unsweetened coconut milk
• 3/4 cup plain unsweetened almond mik
• 1 tablespoon dry Sherry
• 1 teaspoon fresh thyme – minced
• Sea salt – to taste
• Black pepper – to taste
• 1 tablespoon fresh chives – minced
• 1 teaspoon smoked paprika

Soup Preparation:

1. Melt the margarine in a large pot over medium heat. Add onions and sauté about 15 minutes, stirring occasionally to keep the onions from sticking to the pot. At the 15 minute mark, add the garlic and mushrooms and sauté another 5 minutes until the onions are semi-translucent.
2. Scoop 1 cup of the sautéed onions and mushrooms out of the pot and set them aside for later.
3. Add veggie broth and potato to the pot and bring to a boil. Reduce heat; cover and simmer until the potato is cooked through, about 15-20 minutes. Remove the pot from the heat and allow to cool until you feel it’s safe to blend the soup.
4. Working in batches, puree the soup in a blender. If you have one, you can use an immersion blender for this step instead.
5. Return the blended mixture to the pot. Now stir in the coconut and almond milk, sherry and thyme. Raise the heat and bring the soup to a simmer for about 10 minutes. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
6. Garnish each serving with a spoonful of the remaining sautéed onions and a sprinkle of chives and smoked paprika.

Serve hot and enjoy!