Portobello Potato Soup Recipe. Low Carb Variation

Portobello Potato Soup

My version bis a sort of a new age Vichyssoise, delicious hot or chilled.

I like to keep my soups meatless at all costs (unless of course the meat or poultry is the star, as in beef soup or chicken soup). So all my soups are vegetarian and water-based, and I am told – forgive the swagger – delicious. I am the water soup girl, and mighty proud of it! I only have a handful of soups that need a strong meat of chicken broth to achieve full flavor: this portobello soup, and onion soup among them. Still I am determined to keep them not only meatless, but all natural as always, so commercial soup powders, soup cubes, consommes, broth and Gd Knows what other heavily processed calamities are out.

Miso Magic

All right: Here’s my secret for perfect beef or meat flavor in the few soups where we need that “Fleishik” layer: I recreate a very realistic natural meatless chicken broth in this wonderful soup by using white miso paste and dry sherry or sake (for beef flavor, I use dark miso and red wine). You just wouldn’t believe how fabulous it tastes.

Low Carb Portobello Soup

If you would rather not use potatoes, that’s all right, it is indeed the portobello that is the star in this soup; explore with other white roots, all suitable and all great: Celery root, turnips, parsnips, etc….

Portobello Lovers

Try my other mushroom soup too: French wild mushroom soup, using portobello instead of button mushrooms; proceed with the recipe as instructed.

Ingredients

  • 1/3 cup olive oil
  • 4 large leeks, white and light green parts, sliced
  • 2 pounds Portobello mushrooms, diced
  • 1 cup dry sherry or sake (liquor stores)
  • 8 cups water
  • 3 large Yukon potatoes, cut into large chunks (avoiding carbs? use celery root, turnips, parsnips, yellow zucchini  etc)
  • 6 sprigs thyme, leaves only
  • 2 good pinches saffron
  • 4 bay leaves, or 1/2 teaspoon ground
  • 1 cup white miso paste
  • 4 cups milk or dairy-free milk (soy, rice, almond, oat etc), low-fat OK
  • Good pinch nutmeg
  • Ground pepper to taste

Instructions

Heat the oil in a wide heavy pot, and add the leeks. Sauté until translucent. Add the portobello and sauté until all liquids evaporate. Take out a handful of the portobello mixture and reserve, this is your garnish. Add the sherry, water, potatoes, thyme, saffron and bay leaves, and bring to a boil. Reduce to medium and cook, covered, one hour. Add the miso, milk, nutmeg and pepper and heat through, another 3-4 minutes. Cream with an immersion blender. Adjust the texture and seasonings. Stir in the reserved portobello mixture. Delicious hot or chilled.

Yield: Makes a dozen ample servings.

6 replies
  1. Ria
    Ria says:

    so happy to have made this! it’s wonderfully nourishing, just what i needed. sad that there’s no image, though!

    Reply
    • Lévana
      Lévana says:

      Ria I just added a picture. But really, the picture is just ….. a bowl of soup. Quite often I feel a picture is quite unnecessary. Since the recipe is so clear and comes out so delicious I can’t understand why not including a picture of it is sad. You seem to have figured it out OK!

    • Ria
      Ria says:

      i like to use pinterest to organize the recipes that i find online. i’m so glad to see your picture! just made this again tonight, with the proper amounts of things! (i was using far fewer mushrooms than it called for the first time around). i added some shiitakes in place of a small portion of the portobellos and it was just as lovely! very forgiving soup. :)

  2. rivkas
    rivkas says:

    where do I get white miso paste? also, in the liquor store, do I look for sherry or sake in the kosher wine section? is all sake kosher?
    thanks!

    Reply
    • Lévana
      Lévana says:

      Hi Rivka,
      Miso paste: In any health food store. Sherry in the kosher section. Sake might be in the general section but several brands have a kosher sign (even though strictly speaking they don’t need one: it’s rice-based, not grape-based)

Leave a Reply

Want to join the discussion?
Feel free to contribute!

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *