This Cozy Autumn Wild Rice Soup is full of hearty seasonal vegetables and wild rice (plus chicken, if you would like), it’s wonderfully creamy and comforting, and easy to make in the Instant Pot, Crock-Pot or on the stovetop.
For those days when you’re craving a cozy, creamy, comforting bowl of soup…
I have the perfect new recipe for you.
It’s a riff on the classic chicken and wild rice soup of my childhood. But in lieu of the chicken (which you’re still welcome to add if you’d like), I’ve loaded this soup up instead with lots and lots of seasonal veggies. And added in some bolder savory seasonings. And lightened it up a bit by using Greek Yogurt instead of heavy cream. And the result?
Basically the most delicious, hearty, sweet-and-savory, thick-and-creamy, comforting soup a girl could ask for. Delicious, nutritious and warm. A true favorite.♡
WILD RICE SOUP INGREDIENTS:
To make this Cozy Autumn Wild Rice Soup recipe, you will need:
Wild Rice: I used and loved 100% wild rice (affiliate link) in this recipe, not a wild rice blend.
Vegetable Stock: Or chicken stock, whatever you happen to have on hand.
Autumn Veggies: Sweet potato, carrots, celery, onion, baby bella mushrooms and garlic.
The “Bays”: Old Bay seasoning plus a bay leaf, to season our soup. (Or see ideas below on different seasoning ideas.)
The Cream Sauce: Normally made from butter, flour and milk, which we will mix up at the end of the cooking time. My modifications use Greek Yogurt and gf flour for thickening and gluten-free power!
Kale: I also added in lots of fresh kale at the end, or you could sub in baby spinach or collard greens.
Salt & Pepper: Don’t forget ’em!
INGREDIENTS
6 cups low sodium vegetable stock (or chicken stock)
1 cup uncooked wild rice*
8 ounces baby bella mushrooms, sliced
4 cloves garlic, minced
2 medium carrots, diced
2 ribs celery, diced
1 large (about 1 pound) sweet potato, peeled and diced
1 small white onion, peeled and diced
1 bay leaf
1 1/2 tablespoon Old Bay seasoning
1/4 cup flour or gluten-free flour
2 cups 4% fat Greek Yogurt
1 1/2 cups milk or unsweetened almond milk
2 large handfuls of kale, roughly chopped with thick stems removed
Kosher salt and freshly-cracked black pepper
INSTRUCTIONS
INSTANT POT (PRESSURE COOKER) METHOD:
Combine vegetable stock, wild rice, mushrooms, garlic, carrots, celery, sweet potato, onion, bay leaf and Old Bay seasoning in the bowl of an Instant Pot pressure cooker. Stir briefly to combine.
Cover and set vent to “sealing”. Cook on manual (high pressure) for 25 minutes. Let the Instant Pot rest there for an extra 10 minutes (natural release). Then carefully turn the vent to “venting” and release the remaining pressure (quick release). Remove lid and discard the bay leaf.
Meanwhile, during those final 10 minutes of pressure cooking, prepare your cream sauce on the stove. (SEE BELOW)
Add the cream sauce and kale to the soup, and stir gently until combined. Taste and season with salt and pepper (plus any extra Old Bay seasoning, if you would like) as needed.
Serve warm. Or transfer to sealed container(s) and refrigerate for up to 4 days.
CROCK-POT (SLOW COOKER) METHOD:
Combine vegetable stock, wild rice, mushrooms, garlic, carrots, celery, sweet potato, onion, bay leaf and Old Bay seasoning in the bowl of a large slow cooker. Stir briefly to combine, then place the lid on the slow cooker.
Cook on high for 2-3 hours*, until the rice is cooked and tender.
Meanwhile, during those final 10 minutes of slow cooking, prepare your cream sauce on the stove. SEE BELOW. Gradually add in the cream sauce, and whisk until combined. Continue cooking, stirring frequently, until the mixture nearly comes to a simmer and has thickened. (It should be very thick.)
Add the cream sauce and kale to the soup, and stir gently until combined. Taste and season with salt and pepper (plus any extra Old Bay seasoning, if you would like) as needed.
Serve warm. Or transfer to sealed container(s) and refrigerate for up to 4 days.
NOTES
*Coconut Milk Option: It’s dairy-free and vegan, and absolutely delicious in this recipe! (After making this soup dozens of times, I now prefer this option to the dairy cream sauce option.)
*Wild Rice: I used 100% wild rice (not a blend), which I love and recommend for this soup. Cooking time may vary if you use a wild rice blend.
*Slow Cooking: If using the Crock-Pot method, I recommend keeping a close eye on the soup in the last hour to be sure that the rice doesn’t overcook and soak up all of the broth. That said, if it does soak up more of the broth than you’d like, just stir 1-2 cups of extra veggie stock into the soup after the rice has finished cooking.
HOW TO MAKE WILD RICE SOUP:
I have included detailed instructions above for how to make this wild rice soup recipe either in the Instant Pot (pressure cooker), or Crock-Pot (slow cooker)but here are the basics..
Cook the base of the soup: Whichever cooking method you choose, we will simmer the base soup ingredients (veggies, rice, broth, seasonings) until the rice is cooked and tender.
Make your cream sauce: Then during the last 10 minutes that the soup is cooking, prepare your cream sauce in a separate saucepan. Use 4% fat Greek Yogurt here . Take the milk and stir it into the yogurt until silky smooth . Add the flour slowly until it blends into a creamy texture. Hold this on the side until the last 10 minutes where you will add this creamy protein mix to the soup . (Or skip this whole step and add in a can of coconut milk instead, which is vegan and also incredibly delicious in this recipe.)
Add in the cream sauce and kale: And stir to combine. Then taste and season with salt and pepper as needed. And…
Serve warm: Preferably with a nice hunk of crusty bread, or some oyster crackers, or whatever sounds good.
Add chicken: You can either add pre-cooked/shredded chicken. Or add a chicken breast (or two) to the pot and let it cook along with the rice and veggies, then remove and shred it once it has cooked through.
Add more veggies: There are so many other veggies that would be great in this soup too, like cauliflower, butternut squash, parsnips, bell peppers…whatever sounds good!
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