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Autumn Wild Rice Soup

Autumn wild rice soup with chewy wild rice, tender butternut squash, and a creamy broth thickened with butter and flour. Simmer until the rice is tender, then wilt kale and finish with nutmeg for a warm, savory finish.
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Prep Time 20 minutes
Cook Time 50 minutes
Total Time 1 hour 10 minutes
Servings: 6 servings
Course: Main Dish
Cuisine: American
Calories: 420
Ingredients Equipment Method Notes

Ingredients
  

wild rice blend
  • 1 cup wild rice blend, uncooked
butternut squash
  • 2 cup butternut squash, peeled and cubed
cremini mushrooms
  • 2 cup cremini mushrooms, sliced
kale
  • 2 cup kale, chopped
onion
  • 1 onion, diced
celery
  • 3 stalk celery, diced
carrots
  • 3 carrot carrots, diced
garlic
  • 4 clove garlic, minced
vegetable or chicken broth
  • 6 cup vegetable or chicken broth
heavy cream
  • 1 cup heavy cream
butter
  • 3 tbsp butter
flour
  • 3 tbsp flour
fresh sage
  • 1 tbsp fresh sage, chopped
dried thyme
  • 1 tsp dried thyme
nutmeg
  • 0.5 tsp nutmeg
salt and pepper
  • Salt and pepper to taste

Equipment

  • 1 Dutch oven

Method
 

Sauté the vegetables
  1. Melt butter in a large pot over medium heat, then sauté onion, celery, and carrots for 5 minutes, stirring until softened and slightly glossy (visual cue: onions look translucent).
  2. Add garlic, mushrooms, and sage and cook for 4 minutes, stirring until the mushrooms release moisture and begin to brown (visual cue: browned edges on mushrooms).
Build the soup
  1. Whisk in flour and cook for 1-2 minutes to remove the raw taste, stirring constantly until it forms a pale paste (visual cue: mixture thickens slightly).
  2. Add broth, wild rice, butternut squash, and thyme, then stir well and bring to a boil (visual cue: large rolling bubbles).
  3. Reduce heat to low and simmer for 40 minutes, stirring occasionally until wild rice is tender and squash is soft (visual cue: squash cubes break easily with a spoon).
Finish and season
  1. Stir in heavy cream, kale, and nutmeg and simmer for 5 minutes until the kale wilts and the soup turns creamy (visual cue: kale darkens and softens).
  2. Season with salt and pepper to taste, then serve hot (visual cue: flavors taste balanced and the broth rounds out).

Notes

For the creamiest texture, whisk the flour thoroughly before adding the broth so the base stays smooth. Store leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator up to 4 days; reheat gently on the stove (do not boil hard to prevent separation). Freeze is not recommended because the cream can break when thawed. For a dairy-light option, use half-and-half instead of heavy cream (texture will be slightly thinner).