I must admit- mushroom week has been more difficult than I thought it would be. I love mushrooms, but it only became a favorite food for me in the last few years. Because of that, my kids haven’t been eating mushrooms from the time they were little. So, they’ve been a bit hesitant to accept them. (totally my fault!)
Creamy soups however have been a favorite in our family for a long time. In the beginning (pre-blogging) the only soup I ever cooked was cheesy potato soup. I would always make some delicious artisan bread to go with it, and the kids started asking for that potato soup on a regular basis- literally declaring it their favorite food! So, as I try to introduce mushrooms into their diet, it just made sense that a creamy mushroom soup would go over much better than a side dish of roasted mushrooms.
Well, last night proved me right! Not only did they eat every last drop of the creamy mushroom soup we made, but they were asking for more!
Our method was simple. We chopped our veggies: (full recipe below)
- Mushrooms (I used 4 cups of chopped baby portabellas)
- Carrots
- Onion
- Garlic
Then we put all the veggies in a hot slow cooker with 1 tablespoon of butter on the bottom. I put the lid on it to let the veggies start to wilt. After about 30 minutes, I added 1/2 cup of wild rice and 6 cups of chicken broth.
At the end of cooking (after about 4 hours) I added some milk/cream and flour to make it creamy. We cooked for about 30 more minutes, and we were ready to eat!
Crockpot Creamy Potato Soup
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons butter, unsalted
- 2 pounds yukon gold potatoes
- 1/2 medium onion
- 3 cloves garlic minced
- 3 cups low sodium chicken broth
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
- 1 teaspoon dried thyme
- 1 cup milk
- 2 tablespoons flour
Instructions
- Dice onion into small pieces. In a small skillet, heat 1 tablespoon of butter over medium-high heat. Add onion and saute until soft and translucent.
- Place 1 tablespoon of butter inside your crockpot and turn it to high to heat up with the lid on.
- Scrub the outside of your potatoes and chop into bite size pieces. Place in your crockpot with the sauteed onions.
- Add chicken broth, salt, pepper, and thyme. Cover and cook on low for 6 hours or high for 4 hours. If you crockpot cooks faster or slower, adjust the times by an hour.
- When there is 30 minutes left of cooking, whisk the milk and flour together and pour in your crockpot. Stir everything and cook for 30 more minutes.
- Serve warm soup with shredded cheese, crumbled bacon and fresh chives.
Nutrition
www.superhealthykids.com
This concludes our mushroom ideas for the week! Don’t be afraid to include mushrooms in any form for your kids. Whether it’s a pizza topping, inside scrambled eggs, or in a creamy soup like this, mushrooms are a great source of Vitamin D and other important nutrients. For loads of ideas, check out the Mushroom Council website.