Weeknight Instant Pot Cream of Mushroom Soup

Method

1. First things first: Make some mushroom chips. Yeah, the cook said they’re skippable, but you really should finish this soup with Crispy Mushroom Chips . They’re like crunchy umami “croutons!” So go follow this super-simple recipe and pop them in the oven.

2. Next, grab your sliced mushrooms. You can slice them by hand, but a food processor will save you lots of time (and possibly a few of your fingers).

3. Turn on the “Sauté” function on your Instant Pot. Once the metal insert is hot, add the ghee or your fat of choice. Turn in the mushrooms and cook, stirring occasionally, until all the liquid released from the mushrooms has evaporated. This will take about 12-15 minutes, and will help concentrate the mushroom flavor. In other words: don’t skip this step.

4. Turn in the leeks and shallots and cook for about a minute.

5. Stir in the garlic cloves, dried mushrooms (no need to rehydrate ’em first!), and 1 teaspoon of the cook Magic Mushroom Powder . (No Magic Mushroom Powder on hand? Tip in 1 teaspoon Diamond Crystal brand kosher salt.)

6. Tip in 4 cups of chicken broth and mix in the fresh thyme sprigs.

7. Turn off the “Sauté” function by hitting “Cancel.” Lock the lid on the Instant Pot, and program it to cook for 5 minutes under high pressure.

8. When the soup is done cooking, release the pressure manually, and fish out the two thyme twigs.

9. You can use an immersion blender—which will mean fewer things to wash, but you’ll end up with a slightly chunkier soup. The cook’d recommend this option only if you’re in a rush, feeling incredibly lazy, or have no one else you can sucker into doing the dishes for you.

10. My strong preference is to use a high-speed blender to get the soup as smooth and creamy as possible. (But make sure you follow these instructions if you’re using a countertop blender to prevent a super hot liquid explosion.)

11. The cook’m going to assume you’ve gotten the hint, and you’re using a countertop blender. Ladle about half the soup into the blender container making sure you don’t go above the halfway point. Secure the lid without the plastic middle piece (i.e., leaving the hole in the lid open) and place a clean kitchen towel on top.

12. Slowly increase the speed of the blender and blitz until smooth.

13. Move the rest of the unblended soup from the Instant Pot into a large measuring cup, and pour the blended soup back into the metal insert of the Instant Pot. Then, pour the unblended soup from the measuring cup into the blender and add the coconut cream.

14. Following the same blending instructions above, blitz the soup and cream together.

15. Whisk together the blended halves of the soup in the Instant Pot insert.

16. Squeeze in the lemon juice and taste the soup for seasoning. Adjust as necessary with extra salt, Magic Mushroom Powder, black pepper, and/or additional lemon juice.

17. Ladle the soup into bowls, and top with Crispy Mushroom Chips, chopped chives, and a drizzle of olive oil if desired!

18. You can store the soup in the fridge for up to 4 days or freeze it for up to a few months. After you reheat the soup, you can blend it with an immersion blender to re-emulsify everything.

Kitchen notes

• Stovetop instructions: Rehydrate the dried porcini mushrooms in a bowl of water for at least 30 minutes or until softened.
• Leave steps 2 thru 6 in a 6-quart stock pot over a medium burner.
• After you add the broth and thyme, crank the heat up to high and bring the soup to a boil.