Shiitake mushrooms create a wonderfully rich and flavorful broth for this vegan brussels sprouts soup, which is full of the taste and aroma of Thanksgiving.
Brussels sprouts, rice, and perhaps some white beans. I was planning a soup for dinner, but there seemed to be something missing. Carrots? No. Potatoes? No, the rice would provide enough starch. I needed something to give the broth depth and flavor. I was strolling through my back yard and considering my options when I saw the missing ingredient growing on a log near the fence:
iPhone photo of shiitake mushrooms growing on log
Mushrooms! But don’t worry, I wouldn’t be crazy enough to risk my family’s life on any old mushrooms. These were shiitake mushrooms that I had “planted” in this log about a year and a half ago.
I’d ordered plugs of mushroom spawn from Fungi Perfecti, drilled numerous holes in three oak logs, and hammered the plugs in. I thought that was the hard work, but then I read that I was supposed to water the logs every day. Somehow after a few weeks, “every day” turned into “infrequently” and then into “not at all.” The logs showed no sign of sprouting anything, and I’d given up checking them for signs of life.
So I was thrilled when I just happened to notice one of the logs in full-bloom, though I hate to think how many mushrooms went to waste because of my lack of attention. I’m now going to start pampering the other two logs, which contain the spores of exotic Lion’s Mane and Maitake (I think–it’s been so long) mushrooms.
I harvested the biggest of the mushrooms and used them as the basis of this main-dish soup. Shiitakes create a wonderfully rich and flavorful broth, so if you can find them at a reasonable price, I strongly recommend them.
If fresh shiitakes aren’t available, consider using dried: Reconstitute 2-3 ounces of dried shiitakes in hot water until soft, and strain the liquid through a coffee filter to remove all grit before using the mushrooms and the liquid in the soup. If dried shiitakes aren’t an option, use any flavorful mushroom with, perhaps, vegetable broth instead of water. With beans added, this is a hearty soup, full of the flavors of fall, that would make a nice addition to your Thanksgiving menu.
Speaking of Thanksgiving
I know that some of you are already planning your Thanksgiving menus, so I’ve tried to make it a little easier by labeling some of my more Thanksgivingy recipes with a tag. The recipes stretch over several pages, so click the “Previous Entries” link at the bottom of each page. For some more Thanksgiving ideas that include recipes on the FFV Recipes site, check out the bottom of this post.
Brussels Sprouts and Shiitake Mushroom Soup
Ingredients
- 1 medium onion , chopped
- 14 -16 ounces small Brussels sprouts , trimmed and cut in half
- 6 ounces shiitake mushrooms , stemmed and sliced
- 3 cloves garlic , minced
- 6 cups water or vegetable broth
- 1 1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
- 1 1/2 teaspoon rubbed sage
- 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- 1 teaspoon salt , or to taste
- 1/2 cup uncooked brown rice
- 1 15-ounce can great northern beans , drained and well-rinsed (optional)
- 1 cup no-chicken broth (optional)
- 1-2 teaspoons lemon juice (optional)
Instructions
- Heat a large, non-stick pot. Add the onion and cook, stirring, until it becomes translucent. Add the Brussels sprouts and cook until onion begins to brown, about 2 more minutes. Add the mushrooms and garlic and cook for about two more minutes.
- Add all remaining ingredients except for the optional ingredients. Cover and simmer on low heat until rice is cooked, about 50 minutes. Check seasonings and add more along with the lemon juice, if desired. If you’re using the beans, add them and the broth and cook for about 15 more minutes.
Notes
Nutritional info is approximate.
Please pin and share:
Mary (What's Cookin' with Mary)
November 11, 2010 at 10:56 amI’ve put a lot of random things in soups, but have never thought to use b-sprouts?! Great idea Susan!!
moonwatcher
November 11, 2010 at 11:40 amHi Susan,
The photo of this soup is just absolutely gorgeous and mouth watering. I love brussels sprouts, so I’d like to try this. I have to be careful about which mushrooms I eat (criminis are too high in niacin and make me flush), but shitakes, within resaon, seem fine.
Most of all, though, I loved this story about the mushrooms! I’ve thought of ordering some of those, but the labor involved seemed daunting for me. No matter my own sensitivity to mushrooms, Paul Stamets at Fungi Perfecti is one of my heroes, since he’s taught me so much about mushrooms and how amazing they are. You can listen or see some of his talks on Fungi Perfecti’s site or at the Bioneers, too. And I have a neighbor friend here who knows how to identify which ones that come up here are edible. It’s just so perfect and true about our gardens and yards that they can yield such lovely things, even when we neglect or leave them alone, sometimes especially when we do.
Thanks so much, Susan and congratulations on your mushroom colony!
xo
moonwatcher
Michelle
November 12, 2010 at 2:47 pmJust a note- Niacin is good for reducing cholesterol. The flushing is one of those things that should abate with time (if you keep taking it) or you can take an 81mg aspirin before you take it (or eat the mushrooms) which should help 🙂
virtual.jess
November 11, 2010 at 1:28 pmThis looks so very delicious…. I love brussel sprouts! I’d maybe want to shred them though, cause I love the shredded texture of sprouts and can picture them swirling in a rich shitake broth… My lunch isn’t cooking fast enough!
sylvia
November 11, 2010 at 2:45 pmThis soup looks fantastic! I may try it with mushroom broth instead of water. It makes any soup with mushrooms seem so much more like a meal.
Linda
November 11, 2010 at 3:26 pmJust copied your Brussels sprouts soup recipe and am eager to try it! Thank you too for the printer friendly option. Only 1 sheet of paper this time! I copied your picture separately and will tape it on the sheet. I don’t like not being able to see what I’m making! I have a cookbook that has several pages in the center of the book with pictures but non on the recipe pages. 🙁 This soup sounds like great comfort food!
donna
November 17, 2010 at 10:02 amThanks for the idea of taping a separate picture of the recipe to the printer friendly version. Genius! Why did I never think of this??!
Claire
November 11, 2010 at 6:32 pmWhoa! I didn’t know you could order mushroom “seeds” and grow your own. I’m always growing accidental fungus here in Houston; I should definitely try to grow some on purpose.
Coincidentally, I was planning to make a soup with Brussels sprouts soon. I was thinking of a veganized version of a broccoli-cheese soup, but this look great.
Suzanne
November 12, 2010 at 7:57 amSusan,
This soup looks wonderful! Two of my favorites…brussels sprouts and Shitake mushrooms. Thanks for this beautiful recipe! I believe it’s on the menu this weekend.
Shez
November 12, 2010 at 10:00 pmMy husband’s favorite veggies are mushrooms and brussel sprouts, so of course this had to be dinner tonight. I had dried porcini mushrooms and used them instead of shitake mushrooms. OMG, this soup was incredible. I was expecting to hate it because I dislike mushrooms and wasn’t sure that the brussel sprouts would overcome my antipathy towards mushrooms. This is a keeper, thank you. I made my son the Patatas Bravas as I knew I’d have no chance of getting him to eat mushrooms and brussel sprouts and he loved the potatoes. Thank you.
SusanV
November 12, 2010 at 10:50 pmThanks so much for letting me know, Shez! I’m so glad your family liked it and the Patatas Bravas!
Dianne
November 12, 2010 at 10:48 pmThis recipe looks amazing! I’ve been wondering what to do with brussels sprouts besides roasting them, and I love mushroom-based soups. Thanks!
KCalla
November 13, 2010 at 6:10 pmThank you for a wonderful supper! We just finished. This is a fantastic soup! It was so very different for us. I was excited to try it and thrilled with the results. I used the vegetable broth option (in addition to some of the water to fill out the measure) The only changes I made were to substitute just a tiny amount of balsamic vinegar for the optional lemon juice (because I was surprised to find out that I was out of lemons) and to use navy beans because I did not have great northern. I need to double check my pantry before store trips and not try to go by memory. This was my first time cooking with fresh brussels sprouts and with fresh shitake mushrooms. It sure won’t be my last. This soup will be making return engagements on our table! Again, thank you.
Alexia @ DimpleSnatcher
November 13, 2010 at 8:23 pmDid E like this soup, Susan?
I love soup, but I can’t think of any child I know who does.
SusanV
November 13, 2010 at 8:36 pmI just asked her, and in her words, “It was okay.” She did eat two small bowls of it, one more than I would have expected.
Alexia @ DimpleSnatcher
November 14, 2010 at 1:30 pmHahaha. Thanks!
Paula
November 14, 2010 at 6:10 pmCan’t wait to try this! I wanted a somewhat unusual, nutritiou soup that was still easy to prepare…this fits the bill. A really rare, inventive recipe! Paula
Lisa
November 14, 2010 at 6:36 pmI made this last night and loved it! Can’t wait to eat it for lunch tomorrow!
Priscilla
November 14, 2010 at 8:21 pmI just made this soup, it is delicious! I made enough to bring some to my two co-workers that don’t cook, but do enjoy eating good food (and they are meat eaters!). The only thing I did differently was using napa cabagge instead of brussel sprouts…and I didn’t have sage, so I added half of teaspoon dry, rubbed rosemary. Super yum! Next time I make it, I will follow the recipe exactly. I’m sure it will taste even better than the modified version.
Alexia Apollo
November 14, 2010 at 8:42 pmThe weather has finally turned cold in Texas and I’ve been wanting to make some soup and find another use for brussel sprouts. This was great! I used wild rice instead of brown, and at the last minute I threw in some asparagus that I needed to cook and topped my bowl with some nutritional yeast. Served it up with some herbed focaccia – not fat free 😉 – mmmm. Thanks, Susan!
SusanV
November 14, 2010 at 9:10 pmAlexia, I actually planned to use wild rice, but didn’t have any. So you made the recipe closer to how I intended. 🙂
Alexia @ DimpleSnatcher
November 14, 2010 at 11:26 pmYou name stealer you! 😉
Dan
November 15, 2010 at 8:10 amWhat a lovely, filling recipe this is. I used the beans to make it heartier, and, since I’ve been on a bit of a quinoa rant since I discovered its deliciousness a few months ago, I used quinoa instead of rice, since I had it and no rice on hand. I thought I might have to adjust the liquid, as quinoa does tend to absorb a lot, but it was perfect just the way it was. This turned my wife from a brussels sprouts hater to a brussels sprouts lover. A keeper for sure (the recipe as well as my wife, lol).
Michelle
November 15, 2010 at 9:32 amHi Susan, I made this soup for dinner last night and it was so tasty and even my hubby loved it! He’s not too into the vegan scene but he loves mushrooms and rice (I did add some extra rice for him and mixed some chicken in his bowl!) Anyway it was delicious and I’m grateful for your site as I’ve used lots of your recipes and it’s definitely made my transition to being a vegan much easier. Thank you!
David
November 15, 2010 at 6:33 pmI love mushroom soup in general, and i really love trying all sort of different recipes. I will try this one for sure.
Stacey
November 15, 2010 at 8:27 pmI LOVED this soup! It was so good! I recommend this to anyone who loves brussels. The mushrooms were great too!
jodye @ 'scend food
November 15, 2010 at 11:55 pmThis soup sounds wonderful, I’d love to “grow” my own mushrooms!
Kylie
November 16, 2010 at 11:39 pmThis soup is amazing! I keep a list of the best-o-the-best recipes. My husband tried the soup and the first words out of his mouth were “add this to the list”!
Thanks,
Kylie
pb
November 17, 2010 at 1:54 amgrowning your own mushrooms – thats admirable..
great use of brussel sprouts..a dreaded veegetable in our household..
thanks,
pb
Allison
November 17, 2010 at 9:31 amI made this last Sunday. I cooked the beans myself using water and a tablespoon of better than boullion “no chicken stock”, then used the bean cooking liquid in the soup, and added a tablespoon of better than boulion “mushroom base” and 4 cups of additional water (I doubled the recipe). I used frozen shitake’s, which worked great. LOVED THIS SOUP! I will definitely make it again!
Carol Lewis
November 17, 2010 at 5:52 pmI made this soup for supper last night–anything with Brussels Sprouts captures my attention and is usually a hit with the rest of the family. It was delicious! Another time I might prefer a thickened broth and so am considering adding 1-2 T. white wheat flour to the onions as they brown and see what that does. The flavor was fabulous–this is a definite “do again”.
allison
November 19, 2010 at 8:47 amCarol- try using 1-2 teaspoons of arrowroot powder dissolved in about 1/4 cup of water and add it at the end. It will thicken it up. Keep adding to get to desired thickness but a little bit of arrowroot can go a long way. You can find arrowroot powder in the bulk isle or the spice isle.
Rusty M.
November 17, 2010 at 8:12 pmSeriously the best soup ever!!! Had it for dinner last night and today for lunch. Thank you, thank you for the best recipes.
judee@glutenfreeA-Z
November 18, 2010 at 9:58 amThe soup looks amazing. Couldn’t believe it was vegan. Looks so delicious. Judging from the comments of those who tried it, I will have to make it. Thanks for the great recipes.I posted a brussel sprouts recipe this week too. Guess it is the season! Yum
judy
November 18, 2010 at 10:25 amThis came at a perfect time. I had just bought one of those large stalks of brussel sprouts they start selling at Whole Foods and TJ’s at this time of year! Had only intended to steam them and freeze the rest for a boring side dish. ho hum
This soup was fantastic! I did the recipe exactly as listed, although the shitakes were 12.99 a pound, I opted for a few ounces of those, the rest criminis and a large portobello. Next time I’ll throw in wild rice instead of brown, just to see the difference. Either way, it’s an awesome use of b sprouts, as well as warm and savory for cold nights..thanks Susan, as usual, you rock:)
Myrna
November 18, 2010 at 7:19 pmHi Susan,
Really love all of your soup recipe’s, I do eat meat, but find your recipe’s so filling and good, I really don’t miss the meat. And the best part, they are filling and low in fat, which is wonderful.
Thanks again for all your wonderful ideas.
Carry
November 19, 2010 at 11:13 amWe really REALLY enjoyed this soup. Thanks for the idea!
Beverly Baldwin
November 20, 2010 at 8:31 pmMy husband suffered a heart attack a year ago, and just recently had 2 additional stents put in due to additional blockage in his arteries. I had done some research and convinced my husband to start a Vegan lifestyle. I stumbed upon your blog while surfing the web looking for recipes. Your brussels sprouts and mushroom soup was one of our first meals. WOW! We loved it!!!!!!!! We ate the leftovers 3 days in a row! Meanwhile we have tried several other recipes on your blog and cannot thank you enough! We are only a week into this Vegan journey, but are so inspired and excited to be eating healthy. Great site and great recipes! Looking forward to making many more and reporting back!
khachapuri
December 1, 2012 at 5:52 amMmm Looks Delicious 🙂
Mary
November 24, 2010 at 2:20 amI made this week and loved it. Great comfort food
Nikki
December 2, 2010 at 9:17 ami made this last night and thought it was good but lacked something and can’t figure out what. i did half water and half veggie stock…did not put in the non-chicken stock or lemon….thoughts??
PS your blog is one of my faves and i make most of my meals from it, they are always delicious!
Gina R
December 12, 2010 at 10:35 amThis soup was so yummy! very tasty with many different wonderful textures going on. Sometimes the consistency of shiitake mushrooms can bother me, so I used maitake mushrooms (a first) and they were wonderful in the soup as well. Thank you for the recipe!
Gayle Wohlken
December 12, 2010 at 3:07 pmI made this soup last night, though I didn’t have shiitake mushrooms, nor great northern beans. I used baby portobellos and white kidney beans instead and it was still very good. I did add salt to mine since the beans I buy do not have salt in them (Eden brand). I also used cayenne instead of black pepper. I will make this soup again. Thank you for this recipe.
Sharron Clemons
December 21, 2010 at 2:21 pmI made this week and loved it. Great comfort food
Nona Mills
December 22, 2010 at 11:18 amThis soup was so yummy! very tasty with many different wonderful textures going on. Sometimes the consistency of shiitake mushrooms can bother me, so I used maitake mushrooms (a first) and they were wonderful in the soup as well. Thank you for the recipe!
chana
December 22, 2010 at 6:50 pmSusan,
Do you think this will work with baby bella mushrooms? Thats all I have at the moment.
Thanks,
C
SusanV
December 22, 2010 at 7:16 pmI’m sure they’ll be great. Hope you enjoy it!
LisaGG
January 1, 2011 at 11:00 pmI tried this yesterday, with basmati brown rice and onion broth. It was good and hearty!
Kat
January 7, 2011 at 11:23 pmMy husband’s about to make this for lunch and I can’t wait as it looks delicious. As for the Lion’s Mane mushrooms–definitely pamper them! They are commonly used as a meat substitute here in China–usually for pork or lamb–and they’re delicious. The first time I had a spicy cumin kebab made with them I thought the meat substitute geniuses had scored a jackpot. Their texture is strangely meaty, but without the icky flavor.