Low Fat Mushroom & Thyme Soup

Mushroom & thyme soup was our soup of choice on our wedding menu as it truly is one of my favourite soups. However I normally reserve it for a treat, as when you think of mushroom soup you can’t help but think of all the cream used in the cooking of it that makes it so delicious and creamy. So for that reason I rarely order it as its sure to be laden with cream and butter.

Sure enough when I researched classic mushroom soup recipes, they nearly all started with sautéing mushrooms in butter and flour, followed by lashings of cream, and some even double cream!!!!

I thought to myself, I like this soup way too much to give it up, so I set about creating my own low fat version of it. And so here it is. Bye bye butter!! Bye bye cream!!!.

 I’ve found that the trick to a good and tasty mushroom soup, is the quality of the mushrooms and the variety used. Chestnut mushrooms and portabello work really well, and give a great nutty flavour. The only thing you really have to worry about in this recipe is the potato and thats not even all that bad.

What’s great about this recipe is that you are in control. You decide or whether to add milk, or cream, or neither!!

Serves 4

Ingredients

·         200g of white mushrooms, sliced

·         160g of chopped all sorted mushrooms

·         1 garlic clove, grated

·         2 tbsp of thyme

·         2 shallots, roughly sliced

·         1 rooster potato, peeled and cubed

·         1 leek, finely sliced

·         700ml vegetable stock

·         100ml skimmed milk

·         Salt and pepper

·         Low cal oil spray

Method

1.       In saucepan, spray some low cal oil and sauté the shallots, leek and garlic for 5 minutes.

2.       Add the mushrooms and potatoes and thyme and continue to sauté.

3.       Add the stock and bring to boil, then simmer for 10 minutes, or until potato is soft.

4.       Pour in the milk and whizz with a hand blender.

5.       Add salt and pepper and give it a good final stir.