Welcoming Fall with Roasted Crimini Mushroom Soup

Nothing makes me happier then being able to open the windows (even in the winter) and let the fresh air pour in.  I love the smell of fall, burning leaves, crisp air, and something amazing simmering in the kitchen.

For our first real weekend in fall I made Roasted Crimini and White Bean Mushroom Soup.  This has now turned into one of my favorite feel good soups.  I typically like smooth or creamy soups vs. a stew but with the recent attention to the waist line have been staying away from the cream.  I was able to trick my taste buds with this recipe.  The recipe below is 100% vegetarian but I’ve added notes along the way to zest it up for the non veggies.

Something to note:  I don’t like to cook with added salt. Mainly for health reasons and salt is added to everything we cook with so there is always a certain level of salt in any recipe.

Ingredients

• 2 16 oz. packages of crimini mushrooms, quartered (any mushroom will work in bite size form)
• 2 medium sweet onions, quartered or sliced
• 3-4 garlic cloves, slightly crushed
• 1-2 tablespoons olive oil
• 2 teaspoon pepper, divided ( I like my soup with a little kick, you might not use all of this… Taste as you go)
• 1 Tablespoon Italian herb blend
• 8-10 fresh sage leaves*
• 6-8 stems + 1 tablespoon leaves fresh thyme*, divided
• 48 oz. vegetable broth (chicken broth can be substituted for carnivore version)
• 2 – 15 oz. cans cannellini beans, not drained
• 1-15 oz. butter beans  (3 cans of any white bean will be ok)
• Additional salt and pepper for your preference
• I container diced Pancetta (carnivore version) I find a container of pre-diced Pancetta is available in Trader Joes or the grocery store where they sell the meat and cheeses.

*Dried herbs may be substituted for fresh. The rule of thumb is one part dried, to three parts fresh.

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 450°F.
2. Toss mushrooms, garlic and onion in olive oil, and 1 teaspoon pepper. (Separate mushrooms on baking sheet for roasting, you’ll use them in different parts of your recipe. Make sure to us a larger baking sheet; mushrooms give off a lot of steam along with the onions and you don’t want to over crowd your pan..) Spread on baking sheet. Add sage leaves and stems of thyme. Roast in 450° F oven for 10 minutes, toss and roast for additional 15 minutes.
3. While vegetables are roasting, add broth, beans, 1 teaspoon pepper, and 1 tablespoon Italian herb blend to a large stock pot over medium heat and simmer.
4. When vegetables are done roasting, let cool slightly.
5. Retrieve at least 2 cups of the white beans (more if you want it smoother), and 1 cup of broth from the stock pot, add to a blender along with the roasted onions, garlic and 1 tablespoon fresh thyme leaves. Cover and blend until smooth.
6. Add pureed bean mixture back to stock pot, stir in until smooth. Add roasted mushrooms to soup. Salt and pepper to taste.
7. Warm over low heat until ready to serve.
8. If you are interested in jazzing this up with some carnivorous touches; crisp up some pancetta in a saute pan over medium heat.  Once crisp, drain on some paper towels and sprinkle over soup with as much or as little as desired.  (Another reason not to add additional salt)