Shirtless Chef – Cream of Mushroom – the swiss army knife of the culinary world

Local fitness enthusiast Jason Murphy remakes favorite meals of his youth into healthy dishes. See the full list of his recipes at www.mysaline.com/shirtless.

If you’ve ever made a casserole of any kind, at some point you will need the ingredient of cream of mushroom soup. It’s almost in everything, especially those corporation created recipes designed to get you to purchase pre-made ingredients like soups or sauces. And why not? Cream of mushroom soup is…well…creamy, and it’s delicious. Let me preface that by saying I used to believe the stuff in the can was delicious. Then I made my own with healthy, fresh ingredients and never again will I be cracking open that congealed mess of sodium and who knows what else. Cream of Mushroom is so quick and easy to make at home, and tastes so much better, you will never bother with a can again. The ingredient list is a good reason why:

The big thing that jumps out besides the unhealthy and inflammatory oils and the mysterious “flavour” listed there is the amount of sodium. It’s 860 mg per serving and there’s 2.5 servings in the can, so that’s 2,150 mg per bowl, because I’ve never seen anyone in my life divvy up a can of soup among 2 1/2 people. When you take control and make your own, not only can you ditch the mystery flavor ingredients and cheap oils, but you have complete control over the sodium content. If you don’t want your soup or casserole to be the Dead Sea, you can now manage that issue. The taste of homemade COM soup is worth it alone, healthy or not. The canned stuff just does not come close. This soup doesn’t have to be regulated to being a casserole binder, it stands out on it’s own perfectly as the main dish on a cold winter day. It’s quick, easy, and very healthy when using the correct ingredients. It quickly became a household favorite here, and I’m sure it will at your place as well.

Homemade Cream of Mushroom Soup:

Ingredients:

1/4 cup grass fed unsalted butter

6 cups rough chopped organic baby bella mushrooms

1/2 cup yellow onion, diced fine

1 clove garlic minced fine

1/2 tsp sea salt (add more after cooking to taste)

1 tsp fresh cracked pepper

1/2 tsp dried thyme

1 32 oz chicken bone broth no salt added

2 cups grass fed heavy cream

4 oz cream cheese

3/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese

Instructions:

Melt the butter in a large stock pot and then add the mushrooms and onion:

Cook until tender, then add the garlic and cook for one more minute. Add the salt, pepper, and thyme, stir and cook for one more minute. Beat the softened cream cheese in a bowl:

Add the cream cheese to the pot. Stir and cook until the cream cheese is smooth and then add the chicken stock:

Simmer until it comes to a slight boil, then reduce heat and add the heavy cream:

Stir and heat through, then sprinkle the grated Parmesan cheese and stir until melted. Taste test and slowly add more salt and pepper if needed to taste. Serve and enjoy, or use in a casserole: