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Autumn Wild Rice Soup

Autumn wild rice soup with tender wild rice, soft roasted-style squash, and a creamy golden broth thickened with butter and flour. This American main dish simmers until the grains are chewy and the kale wilts.
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Prep Time 20 minutes
Cook Time 50 minutes
Total Time 1 hour 10 minutes
Servings: 6 servings
Course: Main Dish
Cuisine: American
Calories: 420
Ingredients Equipment Method Notes

Ingredients
  

wild rice blend
  • 1 cup wild rice blend uncooked
butternut squash
  • 2 cup butternut squash peeled and cubed
cremini mushrooms
  • 2 cup cremini mushrooms sliced
kale
  • 2 cup kale chopped
onion
  • 1 onion diced
celery
  • 3 stalks celery diced
carrots
  • 3 carrots diced
garlic
  • 4 cloves garlic minced
vegetable or chicken broth
  • 6 cup broth vegetable or chicken
heavy cream
  • 1 cup heavy cream
butter
  • 3 tbsp butter
flour
  • 3 tbsp flour
fresh sage
  • 1 tbsp fresh sage chopped
dried thyme
  • 1 tsp dried thyme
nutmeg
  • 0.5 tsp nutmeg
salt
  • 0.25 tsp salt to taste
pepper
  • 0.25 tsp pepper to taste

Equipment

  • 1 Dutch oven

Method
 

Sauté the aromatics
  1. Melt the butter in a large pot, then sauté the onion, celery, and carrots for 5 minutes. Cook until softened and fragrant with a light, glossy sheen on the vegetables.
  2. Add the garlic, mushrooms, and fresh sage, then cook for 4 minutes. Stir until the mushrooms release moisture and begin to brown.
Simmer the soup
  1. Whisk in the flour and cook for 1 to 2 minutes. The mixture should look slightly thickened and lose the raw flour smell.
  2. Add the broth, wild rice blend, butternut squash, and dried thyme. Bring everything to a boil, then reduce heat to simmer for 40 minutes until the wild rice is tender and the squash is soft.
Finish and serve
  1. Stir in the heavy cream, kale, and nutmeg, then simmer for 5 minutes until the kale wilts. Watch for the soup to turn creamy and the kale to darken.
  2. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Taste at the end to balance the flavor and adjust thickness if needed.

Notes

For the creamiest texture, whisk the flour thoroughly into the butter-and-veg base before adding the broth so it dissolves smoothly. Store leftovers in the refrigerator up to 4 days; reheat gently over medium-low to avoid boiling. Freezing is not recommended because the wild rice can turn grainy after thawing. For a dairy-light option, use half-and-half instead of heavy cream and add it off the heat to reduce curdling risk.