Delicious and simple, this creamy vegetable rice soup recipe is perfect for fall. This hearty soup is one of those easy meals that will make everyone happy, and be on the table in less than 45 minutes!
Fall has officially arrived. There was frost on the ground in my backyard this morning, which is my cue to start putting away the citrus squeezer and popsicle molds, in favor of the dutch oven and slow cooker. This is exactly the time of year when only a soul-warming bowl of soup will do.
Thankfully, my whole family loves soup. As long as it is served up with a ceasar salad and some crusty bread, everyone is happy on soup night. Creamy vegetable rice soup is one of our favorites. It's an easy recipe that is quick on cooking time and heavy on flavor. The creamy broth is hearty and delicious. It's a versatile soup that is accepting of lots of variations, and is a great way to use up the leftover proteins or veggies in your fridge.
Add this simple soup to your weekly meal plans, and I promise you will not regret it. If you, like me, are a baby about cold weather, you will probably also want to make some turkey bell pepper chili and butternut squash carrot ginger soup this week. There is simply no better way to warm up.
You Will Love This
- One of our favorite simple and delicious soup recipes for fall!
- This is a great recipe to customize. Make it your own with leftover proteins like chicken or turkey, or additional veggies like green beans or kale.
- A one-pot meal means fewer dishes and more time to curl up by the fire with your favorite book!
Ingredients
Gather up your ingredients. For this soup, you will need:
- Butter: For sautéing the vegetables and giving the soup a rich and creamy flavor. You could substitute olive oil for half the butter, or cut the butter down by half if you want to lighten up the soup. It will just be a little less creamy.
- Onion, celery and carrot: Chopped onion, celery and carrot is also called mirepoix, and is used as a base for tons of soups and stews. If you are short on time, check your grocery store's produce section for pre-chopped mirepoix - many stores sell it! I've also seen frozen mirepoix in my store's frozen vegetable section.
- Mushrooms: I used baby bella mushrooms, but you could also use white mushrooms.
- Garlic cloves: Jarred minced garlic will also work.
- Broth: Use chicken broth, or vegetable broth for a vegetarian soup.
- Half and half: You can use milk for a lighter soup, but it will not be quite as creamy.
- Corn starch: My favorite way to thicken soup!
- Rice: I used white rice, as it cooks the quickest and is my family's favorite. You could substitute another kind of rice like a wild rice blend, or brown rice for an extra serving of whole grain. If you are using a rice that has a long cook time (like brown rice), I suggest cooking it separately so that it doesn't soak up all the broth and make your soup too thick. Also, if you are using a rice blend beware of blends with black rice in them. Black rice will turn your soup purple. Even my kids who love soup are skeptical of purple soup... speaking from experience here!
- Italian seasoning: You can substitute fresh basil, fresh thyme or rosemary and fresh parsley for the Italian seasoning. Just remember that when you use fresh herbs you need a little more to get the same flavor you get from dried herbs (which are more concentrated). You typically need one tablespoon of fresh herbs per one teaspoon dried. When using dried herbs, add them in earlier in cooking to develop their flavor. When using fresh herbs, stir them in at the end.
- Kosher salt and black pepper
Make it your own!
This recipe is a very versatile one. Make it your own by:
- Adding leftover cooked chicken breast or turkey for extra protein. This is a perfect recipe for that leftover Thanksgiving turkey!
- Adding more veggies for an extra healthy dinner. I have tried green beans and baby spinach - and both were great! Other add-ins that I think would be yummy are kale, butternut squash, yellow potato or sweet potato.
Instructions
Step One: Prep all the fresh vegetables: Wash all vegetables, and peel the carrots and garlic. Dice the onion, celery and carrot into small bite-sized pieces. Mince the garlic. Slice the mushrooms into thin slices.
Step Two: In a large pot over medium-high heat, warm the butter or olive oil. Add the diced onion, and saute until translucent and fragrant, about 2-3 minutes. Add the garlic and mushrooms, with the dried Italian seasoning and a small pinch of salt. Saute the mushrooms until softened, about 3-5 minutes.
Step Three: Add the carrots, celery, broth and white rice to the pot. Bring the soup to a low boil. Reduce to medium heat and allow the soup to simmer for about 15 minutes, until the rice is cooked al dente.
Step Four: In a small bowl, make a slurry by mixing the cornstarch and the half and half and whisking until no clumps remain. Pour the slurry into the soup pot, and stir well to combine. Allow the soup to simmer for another 5-10 minutes, until thickened and heated through. Add additional salt and pepper to taste.
Recipe
Simple Creamy Vegetable Rice Soup
Ingredients
- ½ medium onion
- 3 carrots
- 3 stalks celery
- 8 ounces baby bella mushrooms
- 2 cloves garlic
- ½ teaspoon Italian seasoning
- 4 tablespoons salted butter
- 4 cups vegetable or chicken broth
- 2 cups half and half
- 3 tablespoons cornstarch
- 1 cup white rice
- Kosher salt and black pepper to taste
Instructions
- Wash all vegetables, and peel the carrots and garlic. Dice the onion, celery and carrot into small bite-sized pieces. Mince the garlic. Slice the mushrooms into thin slices.
- In a large pot over medium-high heat, warm the butter or olive oil. Add the diced onion, and saute until translucent and fragrant, about 2-3 minutes. Add the garlic and mushrooms, with the dried Italian seasoning and a small pinch of salt. Sauté the mushrooms until softened, about 3-5 minutes.
- Add the carrots, celery, broth and white rice to the pot. Bring the soup to a low boil. Reduce to medium heat and allow the soup to simmer for about 15 minutes, until the rice is cooked al dente.
- In a small bowl, make a slurry by mixing the cornstarch and the half and half and whisking until no clumps remain. Pour the slurry into the soup pot, and stir well to combine. Allow the soup to simmer for another 5-10 minutes, until thickened and heated through. Add additional salt and pepper to taste.
Tony
This was so good. I love this broth - so creamy and flavorful.