Instant Pot Mushroom & Wild Rice Soup – Recipe!

Mushrooms, you know that slightly earthy tasting fungus we are all so fond of, can make the best soup.  Mushrooms, when cooked, release a natural creaminess and seem to soak up all the flavors from their surroundings.  Preparing a soup with mushrooms and wild rice is a natural pairing because they both are fall-like foods that capture the essence of the season ahead.

As you know by now, I am a fan of the electric pressure cooker, even more so than a slow-cooker, why?  Well, for a few reasons that I can’t stress enough – for starters, it cuts down on cooking time drastically, and even if you are an avid cook like me, every meal doesn’t need to be a production.  Secondly, it doesn’t overcook your food like a slow-cooker does.  Meat comes out tender and juicy, while legumes, rice, eggs and starchy vegetables are amazingly toothsome and still in tact.  There are foods I wouldn’t cook in an Instant Pot, like delicate vegetables mixed with hardier foods, or things you want to make crispy, like the skin of your chicken.  However, if you practice just a bit – you can prepare many delightful meals.

Soups are a recipe that comes out amazingly well in such a vessel.  Wild Rice, while taking nearly 30 minutes to prepare on the stove top, is done in a soup like this in 15 minutes.  So, for people who says they don’t have time to cook – this pots-for-you.  No, I’m not a sponsor, I just want to encourage you to make most of your own meals – it’s better for you, and let’s face it – they taste much better too.

Ingredients

1 white onion, diced

3 stalks celery, sliced

1 clove garlic, minced

1 pound baby Bella or Crimini mushrooms, sliced

2/3 cup wild rice, rinsed

2 cups chicken or vegetable broth

1 bay leaf

pinch of red pepper flakes

salt & pepper

olive oil

(Serves 4)

To Prepare:

1. Press Saute and add 2 teaspoons oil to pot.  Add onions and celery and cook for 3 minutes.  Add garlic and stir to combine.  Add mushrooms, rice, broth, 2 teaspoons salt, 1/2 teaspoon black pepper, bay leaf and chili flakes.  Stir to combine soup mixture.  Cancel Saute.
2. Place lid on top and place nozzle in Sealing position.  Press Soup or Manual and cook for 15 minutes on high pressure.  Let soup release steam naturally.
3. Remove lid and bay leaf.  Using a immersion blender puree soup for 1 minute, leaving most of it chunky (If you don’t have an immersion blender, remove 1 cup of soup and puree until smooth in a regular blender and add back into pot).
4. Ladle soup into bowls and serve while hot.  Enjoy!