Cream of Mushroom Soup

I grew up with Cream of Mushroom Soup from a red can. Now, as much as I love the convenience using canned soup for other meals, when it comes to soups, I prefer the real deal.

The original recipe called for pureeing the mushrooms. I opted to leave the mushrooms sliced. I also added in an extra cup of mushrooms because we are huge mushroom fans.

I made this soup to go with the Pull Apart Onion Blossom Bread. It was the perfect meal on a cold winter's day.

Serves: 4

Ingredients
6 cups fresh mushrooms, sliced
2 cups chicken broth
1/2 cup chopped onion
1/4 tsp dried thyme
1 tbsp butter

Roux
3 tbsp butter
3 tbsp all-purpose flour
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp ground black pepper
1 cup half and half (I used 1/2 of cream and 1/2 cup of milk)

Directions
1. In a large pot, melt 1 tablespoon of butter over medium high heat.

2. Add onions and saute until the onions are translucent.

3. Add in the mushrooms. Saute until the mushrooms are soft and tender, about 5 to 10 minutes.

4. Pour in chicken broth, thyme and bring to a boil. Once it is boiling, cover. Reduce heat to low and simmer.

5. In a separate saucepan over medium high heat, melt 3 tablespoons of butter.

6. Whisk in the flour until it is smooth. Season with salt and pepper.

7. Pour in 1/3 cup of the half and half. Whisk until the mixture is smooth. Add in the remaining half and half until the mixture is lump free and smooth.

8. Ladle in 1 cup of the mushroom broth to the saucepan and stir to combine.

9. Pour the entire contents from the saucepan to the large pot of mushroom soup. Stir constantly to combine.

10. Bring the soup back to a boil, stirring frequently. Cook until the soup is thickened. Serve hot.

Source: Slightly adapted from Allrecipes