Wild Rice Soup – Great Tastes of Manitoba

Ingredients

Soup

2 Tbsp (30 mL) unsalted butter
5 medium carrots, chopped
5 celery stalks, chopped
½ onion, chopped
4 garlic cloves, minced
1 cup (250 mL) uncooked wild rice, rinsed
8 oz (250 g) fresh mushrooms, sliced
6 cups (1500 mL) low sodium chicken broth
1 tsp (5 mL) poultry seasoning
½ tsp (2 mL) dried thyme
1 tsp (5 mL) salt

Roux

½ cup (125 mL) unsalted butter
½ cup (125 mL) all-purpose flour
2 cups (500 mL) 2% milk
Up to 2 cups (500 mL) additional milk or water

Method

In large saucepan or soup pot, melt butter over medium heat. Add onion, celery, carrots and garlic and cook, stirring, until tender, about 3-4 min. Add wild rice, chicken broth, mushrooms, poultry seasoning, thyme and salt. Bring to a boil then reduce heat to simmer over moderately low heat, stirring occasionally, until the vegetables and rice are tender, about 30-40 minutes.
In medium saucepan, melt butter and add the flour. Let the mixture bubble for 1 minute. Slowly whisk in the milk until a thick, creamy mixture forms (roux).
Add roux to the soup and stir to combine. Add extra chicken broth to thin soup as desired.
Season with salt and pepper to taste.

Tips

Rinsing rice under cold water before cooking is recommended as it removes the surface starch that can cause rice to clump together or get ‘gummy’ as it cooks.

You can sub for any type of rice, just note that varieties of rice will require different cooking times.