Mushroom Soup with Sun-Dried Tomatoes and Parmesan

For lunch or a lighter dinner with friends and family look no further than this mushroom soup. The soup is easy to make and great to serve for lunch or dinner, while the addition of sun-dried tomatoes and parmesan sets it apart from most other mushroom soups.

The soup has a wonderfully rich and earthy flavor. Serve it with croutons or this parmesan garlic bread.

close up of mushroom soup with sun-dried tomatoes and parmesan  topped with croutons in a white bowl

Ingredients

Here’s what you’ll need to make this soup (for 4 large servings if serving for dinner or lunch or 6 smaller servings if serving as a soup course alongside other dishes):

overhead view of ingredients board needed from mushroom soup with all ingredients in separate small bowls placed on a wooden board
  • Mushrooms – 1.5 lb mushrooms (white button mushrooms, cremini mushrooms, portobello, or a mix; see the notes below), (680 grams)
  • Butter – 2 tbsp butter (salted or unsalted)
  • Onion – 1 brown onion, medium (about 1/2 cup when finely diced)
  • Flour – 2 tbsp all-purpose flour (level tablespoons, not heaped, about 15 grams total)
  • Garlic – 1 garlic clove, minced
  • Stock – 5 cups chicken stock (or vegetable stock for a vegetarian option), 1.2 liters
  • Cream – 3/4 cup double cream (6 fl.oz/175 ml)
  • Lemon – zest from one lemon & 1 tbsp of fresh lemon juice
  • Sun-Dried Tomatoes – 1/3 cup chopped sun-dried tomatoes (measured after chopping)
  • Parmesan – 2 tbsp grated parmesan
  • Salt & Black Pepper – a pinch of salt & pepper, to taste
  • Italian dried seasoning – 1 tsp Italian-style dried seasoning

Garnishes: croutons and more sun-dried tomatoes

Ingredient Notes

Sun-Dried Tomatoes: If you can’t find sun-dried tomatoes in the store & can’t make them at home, omit them rather than substitute them. If omitting them, you can add another tablespoon of lemon juice to the soup. DON’T use fresh or canned tomatoes instead of sun-dried tomatoes.

Mushrooms: You can use white button mushrooms, cremini/brown mushrooms, portobello mushrooms, or a mix of these. The cremini and portobello have more flavor and more texture but white button mushrooms are more accessible. I generally prefer to use a mix of white and cremini/brown mushrooms, depending on which ones I have on hand. I’ve tested it with just white button mushrooms as well and it’s still delicious and a bit lighter in color than in the pictures.

Parmesan: The best one is the real Parmesan (Parmigiano Reggiano). It’s best to grate it at home rather than buy it pre-grated.

Italian-style seasoning: It’s simply a blend of herbs like oregano, basil, marjoram, thyme, rosemary, and parsley. You can buy this pre-made or make it at home by mixing your favorite combination of these dried herbs.

How to Make it (with Photos)

Step 1. In a large pot, melt the butter over medium-high heat. Add the sliced mushrooms and a pinch of salt and pepper. Sauté the mushrooms, stirring often, until the liquid has almost evaporated and the mushrooms got some color (about 12 min).

close up of sliced mushrooms added to a cooking pot to be sauteed in melted butter

Step 2. Add the finely diced onion to the mushrooms. Sauté, stirring, until the onion has softened (about 2-3 minutes). Be careful not to burn the onion. Reduce the heat if needed.

diced onion being added to a cooking pot of sauteed sliced mushrooms

Step 3. Add the minced garlic, Italian-style dried seasoning, and lemon zest. Mix it all in for about 20-30 seconds.

minced garlic, Italian seasoning, and lemon zest being added to a cooking pot of sauteed sliced mushrooms and diced onion and stirred with a wooden spoon

Step 4. Add the flour, stirring it in and toasting it for a few seconds.

Flour being added to a pot of sauteed mushrooms, onions, and other ingredients to start making mushroom soup

Step 5. Add a cup of stock to the pot, stirring and scraping the bottom (to deglaze and dissolve the fond formed at the bottom of the pot). Once deglazed, add the rest of the stock, bring to a simmer, and simmer for 15 minutes. Reduce the heat as needed to make sure the soup is simmering not boiling hard.

close up of a cup of chicken stock being added to the pot after the flour has been stirred in to the mushrooms, onions, and other ingredients
close up of the mushroom soup just as the stock has been added
close up view of the mushroom soup after the stock has been added and the soup has simmered for 15 minutes, showing the soft sliced mushrooms on the surface

Step 6. Once the mushrooms are soft, remove the pot from the heat and blend the soup.

I like to use an immersion blender as you can blend it safely in the pot straight away. I also like a bit of texture to the mushroom soup, which is perfectly achieved with an immersion blender.

close up of a partially visible white immersion blender being used to blend mushroom soup in a cooking pot

Note: Using a countertop blender. You can use a countertop blender if you want a very smooth texture to the soup. But you have to be very careful when blending hot soup in a countertop blender. First, be careful when transferring the hot soup to the blender. Next, only fill the blender halfway. Put a lid on but remove the center cap from the lid and cover it with a kitchen towel. The towel prevents hot soup from splashing but it also allows the steam to escape rather than build up inside the blender. You’ll have to blend the soup in batches this way. It’s another reason I prefer the immersion blender.

Step 7. Once the soup is blended, add the cream. If you’ve used a countertop blender, put the soup back in the pot (carefully). Bring the soup to a simmer and turn off the hob/take the pot off the heat when it just starts boiling (don’t let it boil).

overhead view of cream being added to the blended mushroom soup in the cooking pot

Step 8. Once the pot is removed from the heat, add lemon juice, parmesan, and chopped sun-dried tomatoes, and stir everything in. The soup is now ready to be served. I highly recommend it with croutons and additional chopped sun-dried tomatoes on top.

lemon juice being added to the mushroom soup
chopped sun-dried tomatoes resting on top of the mushroom soup in the pot just after the lemon juice has been added
close up of shaved parmesan being added to the mushroom soup, the final ingredient

Serving Ideas

Serve with more chopped sun-dried tomatoes and (optionally) croutons. I’ve used homemade parmesan croutons in the photos below.

overhead view of two white bowls contained mushroom, sun-dried tomato, and parmesan soup, topped with croutons and placed on a dark wooden surface

Especially during spring and summer when you don’t want anything too filling but still need good dinner options, I find soups like this are ideal. If you made it and loved it, let me know in a review below. Also, I’d love to know the occasion you made it for in the comments, and what you decided to serve it with.

top down view of two bowls of mushroom soup, topped with croutons and chopped sun-dried tomatoes, one in the foreground and one in the background on a dark wooden surface
three white bowls, two of which are serving bowls containing mushroom soup topped with croutons and sun-dried tomatoes, and one large white bowl containing the remaining soup, displayed in a crescent formation on a dark wooden surface

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close up of mushroom soup with sun-dried tomatoes and parmesan topped with croutons in a white bowl

Mushroom Soup

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Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 30 minutes
Servings: 4

Ingredients

  • 1.5 lb mushrooms white button mushrooms, cremini mushrooms, portobello, or a mix; see the notes below, (680 grams)
  • 2 tbsp butter salted or unsalted
  • 1 brown onion medium (about 1/2 cup when finely diced)
  • 1 garlic clove minced
  • 1 tsp Italian-style dried seasoning
  • 2 tbsp all-purpose flour level tablespoons, not heaped, about 15 grams total
  • 5 cups chicken stock or vegetable stock for a vegetarian option, 1.2 liters
  • 3/4 cup double cream 6 fl.oz/175 ml
  • zest from one lemon
  • 1 tbsp of fresh lemon juice
  • 1/3 cup chopped sun-dried tomatoes measured after chopping
  • 2 tbsp grated parmesan
  • a pinch of salt & pepper to taste
  • garnishes (to serve with): croutons and more chopped sun-dried tomatoes

Instructions

  • In a large pot, melt the butter over medium-high heat. Add the sliced mushrooms and a pinch of salt and pepper. Sauté the mushrooms, stirring often, until the liquid has almost evaporated and the mushrooms got some color (about 12 min).
  • Add the finely diced onion to the mushrooms. Sauté, stirring, until the onion has softened (about 2-3 minutes). Be careful not to burn the onion. Reduce the heat if needed.
  • Add the minced garlic, Italian-style dried seasoning, and lemon zest. Mix it all in for about 20-30 seconds.
  • Add the flour, stirring it in, toasting it for a few seconds.
  • Add a cup of stock to the pot, stirring and scraping the bottom (to deglaze and dissolve the fond formed at the bottom of the pot). Add the rest of the stock, bring to a simmer, and simmer for 15 minutes. Reduce the heat as needed to make sure the soup is simmering not boiling hard.
  • Once the mushrooms are soft, remove the pot from the heat and blend the soup.
  • Once the soup is blended, add the cream. If you’ve used a countertop blender, put the soup back in the pot (carefully). Bring the soup to a simmer and turn off the hob/take off the heat when it just starts boiling (don’t let it boil).
  • Once the pot is removed from the heat, add lemon juice, parmesan, and chopped sun-dried tomatoes, and stir everything in. The soup is now ready to be served.

Notes

Sun-Dried Tomatoes: If you can’t find sun-dried tomatoes in stores & can’t make them at home, omit them rather than substitute them. If omitting them, you can add another tablespoon of lemon juice to the soup. DON’T use fresh or canned tomatoes instead of the sun-dried tomatoes.
Mushrooms: You can use white button mushrooms, cremini/brown mushrooms, portobello mushrooms, or a mix of these. The cremini and portobello have more flavor and more texture but white button mushrooms are more accessible.
Parmesan: The best one is the real Parmesan (Parmigiano Reggiano). It’s best to grate it at home rather than buy it pre-grated.
Italian-style seasoning: It’s simply a blend of herbs like oregano, basil, marjoram, thyme, rosemary, and parsley. You can buy this pre-made or make it at home by mixing your favorite combination of these dried herbs.
Blending the Soup: I like to use an immersion blender as you can blend it safely in the pot straight away. I also like a bit of texture to the mushroom soup, which is perfectly achieved with an immersion blender.
Using a countertop blender. You can use a countertop blender if you want a very smooth texture to the soup. But you have to be very careful when blending hot soup in a countertop blender. First, be careful when transferring the hot soup to the blender. Next, only fill the blender halfway. Put a lid on but remove the center cap from the lid and cover it with a kitchen towel. The towel prevents hot soup from splashing but it also allows the steam to escape rather than build up inside the blender. You’ll have to blend the soup in batches this way. It’s another reason I prefer the immersion blender.

Don’t forget to save this mushroom soup recipe to one of your lunch or dinner boards, ready for when you next go shopping for ingredients.

graphic stating the name of the soup above two bowls of mushroom soup, topped with croutons and chopped sun-dried tomatoes, one in the foreground and one in the background on a dark wooden surface

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