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Autumn Wild Rice Soup

Autumn wild rice soup made creamy with a roux-style base, tender wild rice, and roasted-tasting butternut squash. This one-pot simmer delivers chewy rice kernels, a silky texture, and wilted kale in about an hour.
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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: 480
Ingredients Equipment Method Notes

Ingredients
  

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

Equipment

  • 1 Dutch oven

Method
 

Sauté the vegetables
  1. Melt butter in a large pot over medium heat, then sauté onion, celery, and carrots for 5 minutes until softened.
  2. Add garlic, mushrooms, and sage, then cook for 4 minutes, stirring, until mushrooms release moisture and aromas are fragrant.
Simmer the soup
  1. Whisk in flour and cook for 1-2 minutes to remove the raw flour taste.
  2. Add broth, wild rice, squash, and dried thyme, then bring the pot to a boil.
  3. Reduce heat to a gentle simmer and cook for 40 minutes, stirring occasionally, until wild rice is tender and squash is soft.
Finish and season
  1. Stir in heavy cream, kale, and nutmeg, then simmer for 5 minutes until the kale wilts and the soup turns creamy.
  2. Season with salt and pepper to taste and serve hot.

Notes

For best texture, keep the simmer gentle once the soup boils so the wild rice stays chewy. Store covered in the refrigerator up to 4 days; reheat on the stove with a splash of broth to loosen. Freezing is not recommended due to kale texture and cream separating. Dietary swap: use half-and-half or a plant-based cream substitute to make it dairy-free-ish, adjusting salt to taste.