Satisfying Mushroom Spinach Soup with Middle Eastern Spices
Recipe Key
This Mushroom Spinach with Middle Eastern Spices has a rich, meaty taste that comes from the umami taste of mushrooms (no meat). Spinach gives it a silky texture. It’s a savory, brothy soup that can be made vegan or paleo, either way it’s incredible.
I love soup. When the weather is cold I often eat it for breakfast. It’s more satisfying to me than a smoothie and equally as nutritious. Since it’s still quite cold here in New York I made this satisfying Mushroom Spinach Soup with Middle Eastern Spices for lunch. I will probably eat it for breakfast tomorrow too! This recipe is adapted from Melissa Clark, who writes for the NY Times and is one of my favorite cooks and cookbook authors.
The soup has a savory, brothy, rich and meaty taste that comes from the umami taste of mushrooms. Mushrooms are one of the best sources of umami and the darker the mushroom the more umami it contains.
Mushrooms add a depth of flavor to our dishes that is otherwise unattainable, especially in vegetarian food. The umami taste enhances satisfaction.
The recipe calls for a combination of mushrooms to get the most complex flavor. Use which ever mushroom are available. I use cremini, shitake and “hen of the woods” also known as maitake. Cook the mushrooms until they are dark, golden brown to bring out their full umami flavor. I like ghee or butter since the mushrooms are cooked on medium heat. If you use olive oil keep the temperature lower so the oil doesn’t oxidize.
The combination of savory and sweet spices ~ cumin, coriander and cinnamon ~ brings out the deep earthy richness of the mushrooms. The spinach gives it a silky texture.
You don’t need stock to make this soup tasty. Water is fine, which makes it simple. The mushrooms are easily chopped. Since we are gently blending the soup, they don’t have to be in perfect slices.
Here is a kitchen tip: Buy tomato paste in a tube. It lasts for months in the refrigerator.
The soup, in a nutshell, is a delicious, easy to make fresh meal, full of awesome flavors, that will liven up your soup routine.
If you like this delicious soup you may also like these soups:
- Cleansing Turmeric Vegetable Soup
- Creamy Broccoli Dill Soup
- Cozy Mushroom Vegetable Soup
- Healing Cabbage Mushroom Soup
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PrintSatisfying Mushroom Spinach Soup with Middle Eastern Spices
This is a hearty soup filled with chunky bits of browned mushrooms and silky baby spinach.
- Prep Time: 30 mins
- Cook Time: 30 mins
- Total Time: 1 hour
- Yield: 6 1x
- Category: Soup
- Cuisine: Middle Eastern, Paleo, Gluten Free, Vegan,
Ingredients
- 6 tablespoons ghee, grass fed butter or extra-virgin olive oil
- 1 ¼ pounds mixed mushrooms (such as cremini, oyster, chanterelles and shiitake), chopped, ( 8 cups)
- ½ pound shallots, finely diced (2 cups)
- 1 tablespoon tomato paste
- 2 teaspoons chopped fresh thyme leaves
- 1 ½ teaspoons ground cumin
- 1 teaspoon ground coriander
- ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
- Pinch ground allspice
- 1 teaspoon Celtic sea salt, more to taste
- 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
- 5 ounces baby spinach, coarsely chopped
Instructions
- Heat 3 tablespoons ghee, butter or oil in a large pot over medium 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 ghee, mushrooms and shallots.
- Return all mushrooms to the pot and stir in tomato paste, thyme, cumin, coriander, cinnamon and allspice; cook until fragrant, about 1 minute.
- Stir in 5 cups water, the salt and the black pepper. Bring mixture to a simmer over medium heat and cook gently for 20 minutes.
- Stir in baby spinach and let cook until just wilted, 1 to 2 minutes.
- Using an immersion blender or food processor, coarsely purée soup. Thin with water, as needed.
- Taste and adjust seasoning, add more salt if necessary.
Please let me know if you like mushrooms? Do you think you will make this soup. I always love hearing from you.
This soup looks satisfying & delicious! I love the way this whole recipe is written. Can’t wait to make it for our lunches!
Thanks, it’s great if you can get a few different types of mushrooms, Whole Food usually has a good selection.
This soup is delicious. I didn’t have any allspice, so I omitted that, but otherwise, I wouldn’t change a thing. I used button, portabella and shitake mushrooms. Thanks for posting.
Hi Julie,
Thanks for posting how the soup came out for you. Nice selection of mushrooms. I’m glad you went ahead and made it without the allspice, things don’t have to be perfect to be good.
I love this basic recipe. I have made it both in purée and unblended, with a dollop of fat free sour cream and chopped chives. Mmmm.
We tend to enjoy the textures of the shrooms, shallots and last minute we toss in rinsed and patted dry baby spinach. Serve with cheddar biscuits for a hearty satisfying meal. Just delicious!
Thank you.
Hi Susan,
Thanks for sharing your experience with cooking and eating this recipe. Definitely different blended and unblended, I usually go for in between.
The earthy flavor of mushrooms with the wholesome goodness of spinach makes this a great soup for a cold day. I am sure the aroma from the middle eastern flavors while cooking is amazing.
Thanks for your appreciation. Experiencing the aroma of our food help us enjoy it so much. It sounds like you love smelling your food as much as tasting it.
Can I use rehydrated dried mushrooms?
Hi Anne,
I have never tried it with dried mushrooms. My thoughts are to use part dried and part fresh to get the best consistency. Let us know how it comes out. Thanks