Mushroom Spinach Soup with Cinnamon, Coriander and Cumin

Here’s my take on a yummy mushroom soup that appeared in a New York Times fall soup feature. I love the challenge of taking on conventional recipes and creating a vegan/gluten-free version — and this one is no exception. Although I rarely pass up a mushroom recipe, this one has a combination of cinnamon, coriander and cumin that totally caught my attention.

Ingredients

• 6 tablespoons coconut oil
• 1 ¼ pounds mixed mushrooms (such as cremini, oyster, chanterelles and shiitake), chopped
• ½ pound shallots, finely diced
• 1 tablespoon tomato paste
• 2 teaspoons chopped fresh thyme leaves
• 1 ½ teaspoons ground cumin
• 1 teaspoon ground coriander
• ¾ teaspoon ground cinnamon
• Pinch ground allspice
• 1 veggie broth cube
• Sea salt to taste
• 1 teaspoon black pepper
• 5 ounces baby spinach fresh or ½ bag of frozen spinach
• 2 tablespoons fresh lime juice
• Plant-based yogurt or sour cream

Directions

Heat 3 tablespoons butter or oil in a large pot over medium-high heat. Add half the mushrooms and half the shallots; cook, stirring occasionally until most of the liquid has evaporated and the mushrooms are well browned, 10 to 12 minutes. Transfer mushrooms to a bowl and repeat with remaining butter, mushrooms and shallots.

Return all mushrooms to the pot and stir in tomato paste, thyme, cumin, coriander, cinnamon and allspice; cook until fragrant, about one minute.

Stir in 5 cups water, veggie broth cube, black pepper and salt to taste. Bring mixture to a simmer over medium heat and cook gently for 20 minutes.

Using an immersion blender or food processor, coarsely purée soup. Mix in lime juice and spinach. Thin with water as needed and adjust seasoning if necessary. Serve with
dollops of yogurt or sour cream.

Enjoy!

Adapted from Melissa Clark’s recipe

First published October 2018