Crockpot Mushroom, Wild Rice, Lima Bean Soup
This recipe has been modified from the original Butterbean Soup with Portabellas and Wild Rice to use the items I had in my pantry and give it a bit more flavor because I found the original to be a bit bland. While my recipe is no longer fat-free thanks to the addition of a bit of olive oil, it is still vegan and delicious. I’ve been addicted to my crockpot lately and relied on that to slow cook my soup while I was at work and I walked in to a delicious warm meal on a bitterly cold day; a real treat. I also paired mine with a bit of sourdough garlic toast for dinner and then poured the remaining soup over the leftovers from the Wild Mushroom Risotto for lunch today and it is amazing! I’ll break my recipe down to show the steps that I took to prep the night before I began cooking.
Ingredients:
1 lb. Dry lima beans (could substitute butter beans, navy beans or whatever you’ve got in your pantry).
2 medium onions, diced
4 cloves garlic, minced
6 cups water
6 oz mushrooms, sliced ( I used plain old buttons, but cremini would be great).
1/4 cup wild rice
1 tbsp fresh rosemary, chopped
1 tbsp fresh sage, chopped
1 tsp soy sauce
1-2 tsp salt (to taste)
1 tsp black pepper
2 tbsp olive oil
1 – 2 tbsp cumin (to taste)
1 tsp chili powder
1 tsp cayenne
1 tsp smoked paprika
*My family loves smoky, spicy flavors and they really paired well with this dish, but if you prefer you can crank up or turn down the heat by adding or omitting the cayenne
Day 1 (the evening before I planned to serve the meal)
Place the dry beans in a large bowl and fill with water, then set aside to soak overnight. Next, saute the onions in 1 tbsp of olive oil until soft and translucent Add the garlic to the onions and continue to saute for another minute or two, until the onions begin to brown and the garlic/onion mixture is fragrant. Fill your crockpot (I used a 4qt and had plenty of room) with the water, onion/garlic mixture, wild rice, soy sauce, salt, pepper, sage, and rosemary and place in the refrigerator overnight.
Day 2
In the morning, add the beans and mushrooms to the crock pot and cover and cook on low for 8-10 hours. After 8+ hours have passed, give the soup a stir and use a potato masher to soften the beans and thicken the soup. Finally, add the remaining spices, top with a swirl of olive oil and serve.
It’s an easy, filling and healthy soup perfect for a cold winter’s day with a crusty loaf of bread and a glass of wine. Enjoy!
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