Mushroom Soup (Video)

This creamy mushroom soup is made with porcini, potatoes, thin noodles, and a big handful of fresh dill. It’s a classic Ukrainian mushroom soup that uses any mushrooms you have. Wild porcini or store-bought, either one gives it great flavor, so no foraging required. I finish mine with Parmesan for a savory edge you’ll taste in every spoonful.

Soup season is here! Pair it with my Ukrainian borsch or my creamy mushroom sauce. The video is at the bottom of the post.

Mushroom Soup Recipe

Potatoes and thin noodles make this a hearty mushroom potato soup, more like a meal than a starter. I’ll show you two ways to cook the mushrooms: boiled, the way I make it, or sautéed until golden.

Wild Mushroom Soup with Foraged Porcini

In Ukraine, porcini are called bilyj gryb, which means “white mushroom.” Everyone who lived near the forest went mushroom picking, but I never got the chance growing up. It wasn’t until I moved to America that I went for the first time, and I’ve been hooked ever since.

Now the moment the fall rain starts, I’m not thinking about cozy sweaters. I’m thinking about mushrooms. This year my dad, my husband, and I found a ton of porcini.

Never pick mushrooms you’re not 100% sure about. If you’re new to foraging, go with an experienced forager or buy your wild mushrooms from a trusted market.

Ingredients for Mushroom Soup

Simple pantry ingredients, plus the best mushrooms you can find. Amounts are in the recipe card at the bottom.

Mushrooms

• Mushrooms: wild porcini or baby bella (cremini) mushrooms both work great. Mushrooms are naturally rich in umami, the savory flavor that makes everything taste better. Fresh, already-cooked, or pressure-canned mushrooms all work in this soup.
• Onion, bay leaf, and black peppercorns: these season the mushroom cooking water. A carrot is a nice optional addition.
• Kosher salt: for the salt-water soak that draws out any critters hiding inside wild mushrooms.

Mushroom Soup Base

• Chicken broth: homemade or store-bought. Use vegetable broth for a vegetarian soup.
• Potatoes: Yukon Gold or any yellow potato holds its shape best. Russets break down more and make a thicker soup.
• Thin noodles: I use thin vermicelli-style noodles. Angel hair broken into short pieces works too.
• Garlic: fresh cloves give the best flavor. Jarred minced garlic works in a pinch.
• Yellow onion and carrots: caramelized in olive oil for a sweet, golden flavor in the broth.
• Heavy cream: makes the soup creamy. Half-and-half works but tastes lighter.
• Parmesan: my addition to the Ukrainian version. Grate it fresh so it melts smoothly.
• Fresh dill: dill and mushrooms are a classic Eastern European pair. Dried dill isn’t the same here.

How to Make Mushroom Soup

Step-by-step photos below, and the full recipe card is at the bottom. You’ll need a big pot for the mushrooms, a soup pot, and a skillet.

How to Clean Foraged Porcini Mushrooms

Wild mushrooms come in with dirt and forest bits, so clean them well before anything else. Here’s how to spot a good porcini:

• Firm, with a thick white stem – no soft or slimy spots.
• Clean inside – cut it in half. No tiny worm holes means the mushroom is clean.
• Thin, white sponge under the cap – a sign of a young mushroom.
• Yellow or thick sponge – an older mushroom. It’s still good, but scoop that sponge out.

1. Peel and scrape – rinse each mushroom under running water and peel the stem with a Y peeler. Scrape off the roots and any dark spots.
   

   

2. Cut in half and check – cut each mushroom in half from cap to stem. If you see no worm holes, it’s clean and doesn’t need the salt-water soak. If you see a few small holes, cut those parts away.
   
   What if there are a lot of holes?

   Soak the cut mushrooms in cold salted water for about 30 minutes. If any critters are hiding inside, the salt water draws them out. Rinse and drain.
3. Check the sponge – if the sponge under the cap is thin and white, leave it on. If it’s yellow or thick, scoop it out with a spoon, since it turns slimy in soup.
4. Chop – chop into pieces a little bigger than bite-size. They shrink as they cook.
   

   

How to Cook the Mushrooms

Fresh mushrooms can be boiled or sautéed until golden. Boiling is how I make it, and the mushroom water gives the broth its deep flavor. Sautéing gives the mushrooms a golden, roasted taste. Using already-cooked or pressure-canned mushrooms? Skip this step and add them with the potatoes.

1. To boil: bring a large pot of water to a boil with the whole onion, bay leaf, peppercorns, and a carrot if you like. Add the mushrooms and boil for 5 minutes.
   To sauté: heat olive oil in a large skillet and add the mushrooms over medium-high heat. They release a lot of moisture at first, so keep cooking until it evaporates and the mushrooms turn golden.
   

   

2. Lift out the mushrooms – if you boiled them, lift the mushrooms out with a sieve instead of pouring the pot through a strainer. Any dirt left on the mushrooms sinks to the bottom of the pot during the first boil, so you only take out the clean mushrooms. Save some of the cooking water from the top (the amount is in the recipe card) and discard the rest, along with the onion and spices.
   

   

   What if I sautéed the mushrooms?

   There’s no mushroom water, so use the same amount of extra broth in the soup instead.

How to Make the Mushroom Soup Base

While the mushrooms cook, get the broth and the onion and carrots going.

1. Heat the broth – in a clean soup pot, bring the chicken broth to a boil.
2. Caramelize the onion and carrots – heat olive oil in a skillet and cook the diced onion until golden. Add the grated carrots and cook for 5-7 minutes. Add the minced garlic for the last minute, or save it to stir in fresh with the cream for a stronger garlic flavor. If you sautéed the mushrooms, add the onion and carrots to the mushroom skillet and cook them together for a few minutes.
   

   

3. Add potatoes, noodles, and mushrooms – to the boiling broth, add the potatoes, noodles, mushrooms, salt, pepper, and the saved mushroom water. Once it boils again, cook for about 5 minutes, until the potatoes are fork-tender.
   

   

4. Stir in the onion and carrots – add the caramelized onion and carrots to the pot.
5. Add the cream – stir in the heavy cream and bring the soup back to a boil.
6. Stir in Parmesan, then dill – stir in the Parmesan, then the chopped fresh dill. Once the dill is in, don’t let the soup boil again, or the dill changes flavor.
   

   

7. Cover and rest – cover with a lid, take the pot off the heat, and let the soup rest for 30 minutes so the flavors blend.
   
   Can I serve it right away?

   Yes, but the rest makes it better. The noodles and potatoes finish cooking in the warm broth, and the cream blends in.

Marina’s Pro Tips for theBest Mushroom Soup

These small steps make wild mushrooms clean, tender, and full of flavor.

• Cut one in half first. No worm holes means you can skip the salt-water soak.
• Scoop out yellow or thick sponge. A thin, white sponge on young porcini can stay.
• Lift the mushrooms, don’t drain them. The dirt stays at the bottom of the pot, and the clean mushrooms come out on top.
• Save the mushroom water. It gives the soup its deep, earthy flavor.
• Brown sautéed mushrooms deeply. The more golden they get, the more flavor in the broth.
• Don’t boil after the dill. Boiling changes its fresh flavor.

Ways to Serve Mushroom Soup

I top each bowl with crunchy croutons and a fresh herb leaf. A slice of no-knead bread is perfect for dipping.

Got questions? Here are the ones I hear most.

More Soup Recipes to Try

Ukrainian Borsch

The beet and beef soup I grew up on. →

Roasted Tomato Soup

Bright, creamy, and great with grilled cheese. →

Instant Pot Chicken Noodle Soup

Comforting chicken soup in a fraction of the time. →

Creamy Mushroom Sauce

More mushrooms, for pasta, potatoes, or chicken. →

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Mushroom Soup

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Creamy mushroom soup with porcini, potatoes, thin noodles, and dill. A Ukrainian classic that's just as good with store-bought mushrooms.

Author: Marina | Let the Baking Begin

Course: Soup

Cuisine: Ukrainian

Calories: 360 kcal

Prep Time: 50 minutes

Cook Time: 40 minutes

Total Time: 2 hours

Servings: 12 servings

Ingredients

Mushrooms

• 4 lb (1814 g) mushrooms wild porcini or baby bella (cremini), cleaned and chopped a little bigger than bite-size (Note 1)
• 6 quarts (5680 ml) water for boiling
• 1 medium onion peeled and left whole
• 1 bay leaf
• 6-8 whole black peppercorns
• 1 carrot peeled, optional
• 2 Tbsp (30 ml) olive oil sauté method only

Mushroom Soup Base

• 2 Tbsp (30 ml) olive oil add 1 more Tbsp if needed
• 1 medium yellow onion diced
• 2 medium carrots grated
• 4 garlic cloves minced
• 4 quarts (3785 ml) chicken broth or vegetable broth
• 5-6 medium potatoes peeled and diced
• 12 oz (340 g) thin noodles about 1½ cups
• 2 Tbsp (32 g) kosher salt Morton, adjust to your broth (Note 4)
• ½ tsp (1 g) black pepper
• 1 cup (240 ml) heavy cream
• ½ cup (50 g) grated Parmesan
• ½ cup (15 g) fresh dill chopped

Equipment: The pans and tools I use are in my Amazon shop.

• 8-quart stockpot
• 12-inch skillet
• Y peeler
• fine-mesh sieve

Instructions

How to Clean Foraged Porcini Mushrooms

1. Peel and scrape. Rinse 4 lb mushrooms under running water, peel the stems with a Y peeler, and scrape off the roots and any dark spots.

2. Cut in half and check. No worm holes means the mushroom is clean; skip the soak. Cut away a few small holes. If there are many, soak in cold salted water for about 30 minutes (Note 3).

3. Check the sponge. Leave a thin, white sponge on. Scoop out a yellow or thick sponge (Note 2).

4. Chop. Chop into pieces a little bigger than bite-size.

How to Cook the Mushrooms

1. To boil: Bring 6 quarts water to a boil with 1 medium onion, 1 bay leaf, 6-8 whole black peppercorns, and 1 carrot. Add the mushrooms and boil for 5 minutes.
   To sauté: Heat 2 Tbsp olive oil in a large skillet and add the mushrooms over medium-high heat. Keep cooking until their moisture evaporates and they turn deep golden.

2. Lift out the mushrooms. If boiled, lift the mushrooms out with a sieve (don't pour the pot through a strainer; impurities settle at the bottom). Save 4 cups of the cooking water and discard the rest with the onion and spices. If sautéed, use 4 cups of extra broth instead.

How to Make the Mushroom Soup Base

1. Heat the broth. In a clean soup pot, bring 4 quarts chicken broth to a boil.

2. Caramelize onion and carrots. Heat 2 Tbsp olive oil in a skillet and cook 1 medium yellow onion until golden. Add 2 medium carrots and cook 5-7 minutes. Add 4 garlic cloves for the last minute (or save it for the cream step). If you sautéed the mushrooms, cook the onion and carrots with them for a few minutes.

3. Add potatoes, noodles, and mushrooms. Add 5-6 medium potatoes, 12 oz thin noodles, the mushrooms, 2 Tbsp kosher salt, ½ tsp black pepper, and the 4 cups of mushroom water. Once it boils again, cook about 5 minutes, until the potatoes are fork-tender.

4. Add onion and carrots. Stir the caramelized onion and carrots into the pot.

5. Add the cream. Stir in 1 cup heavy cream and bring the soup back to a boil. If you saved the garlic, stir it in now.

6. Add Parmesan, then dill. Stir in ½ cup grated Parmesan, then ½ cup fresh dill. Don't boil after adding the dill.

7. Cover and rest. Cover, remove from the heat, and let the soup rest for 30 minutes. Serve warm.

Recipe Notes

1. Mushrooms: Wild porcini or baby bella (cremini) mushrooms both work. Fresh, already-cooked, or pressure-canned mushrooms all work; for cooked or canned, skip the cooking step and add them with the potatoes. Never pick mushrooms you're not 100% sure about.

2. Porcini sponge: A thin, white sponge under the cap means a young mushroom; leave it on. A yellow or thick sponge turns slimy in soup, so scoop it out.

3. Salt-water soak: Only needed if the cut mushrooms show worm holes. The salt water draws out anything hiding inside. Store-bought mushrooms never need it.

4. Salt: Broths vary in saltiness. Start with half, taste after the rest, and add more as needed.

5. Make ahead: Boil the mushrooms a day ahead and refrigerate them and the saved mushroom water separately.

6. Storage: Refrigerate up to 3 days. The noodles soak up broth, so loosen with a splash of broth when reheating. Freeze the boiled mushrooms (not the finished soup) for up to 3 months.

Nutrition Facts

Mushroom Soup

Amount Per Serving

Calories 360 Calories from Fat 108

% Daily Value*

Fat 12g18%

Saturated Fat 6g38%

Cholesterol 33mg11%

Sodium 2000mg87%

Potassium 900mg26%

Carbohydrates 48g16%

Fiber 7g29%

Sugar 4g4%

Protein 14g28%

* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.

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