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Vegetable + Wild Rice Soup

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Hearty, creamy, packed with vegetables and herbs – this soup is perfect for the upcoming winter season.

Vegetable and wild rice soup that is made in under 90 minutes? Why, yes, you heard me right. The most comforting, hearty soup to warm you up on these frigid winter days. Just a few simple ingredients, and two bags of Uncle Ben’s “Ready Rice” and you my loves will have a delicious soup just screaming for a crusty bread for dipping.

A key ingredient to this soup is the entire head of roasted garlic that is added to the soup. It is SO simply to do this!

Take an entire bulb of garlic – turn the bulb of garlic to its side and slice the entire top (just the tips) off of the garlic bulbs.  Place onto a large square of foil, exposed bulbs facing up and cover with olive oil (1 to 1 1/2 Tbsp olive oil) Fold up the foil around the garlic tightly.  Bake at 350* for 60-90 minutes on a baking sheet.  Take out of oven and let cool before you squeeze out the softened bulbs of garlic to add to the soup.

This is a BIG batch of soup – BUT, let this be known, it freezes beautifully if you omit the rice in what you are freezing. So, you would make the entire recipe up until adding the rice, remove what you are wanting to freeze and simply add rice to the pot of what you will be consuming that night. To freeze, let the soup cool completely, pour into a gallon freezer ziplock bag and lay flat in the freezer for easier storage! When you are ready to enjoy, simply break the soup apart in the bag with your hands, add it to a pot, simmer until it has warmed through and then add the bag of rice! Voila!

NOW – let’s make the soup!

VEGETABLE + WILD RICE SOUP

1 Head of Garlic, roasted (instructions below)

2 medium onions, diced

1 bunch of celery, cut into 1/4 inch pieces

3 lb carrots, cut into 1/4 inch round discs

3 Tbsp Better Than Bouillon Vegetable Base

Tbsp olive oil

1/4 cup flour

2 32oz containers of chicken or vegetable broth

32oz water (use empty broth container to measure)

1 bunch green onion, cut into 1 inch chunks

1 handful flat leaf Italian parsley, minced

2-3 cups chopped organic kale

3/4 cup half and half

2 Tbsp flour

Salt and pepper to taste

2 bags of Uncle Ben’s ready rice, Long Grain + Wild 

  1. Over medium-high heat, in a dutch oven or large pot, add all of the onions, carrots and celery with a few tablespoons of olive oil.  Stirring every few minutes, let the vegetables cook down
  2. After 25 minutes or so, once the vegetables have softened and the bottom of the pot has little brown bits.
  3. ADD the 3 tablespoons of better than bouillon base, tablespoon of olive oil and 1/4 cup of flour.  Stir everything together for 2-3 minutes to let the flour cook down. 
  4. ADD the two containers of broth, and an additional 32oz of water to the pot.  Good pinch of salt and pepper, give it a good stir and let simmer over medium-low heat for 30 minutes.
  5. ADD the roasted garlic bulbs, green onion and parsley.
  6. Continue to simmer for an additional 30 minutes.
  7. Once your soup has simmered for 60 minutes, add the chopped kale and give it a good stir.  
  8. IN A SEPARATE BOWL: whisk together the cold half and half and the 1/4 cup of flour.  Make sure you have zero clumps of flour
  9. ADD this slurry to the soup, stir and simmer to thicken 5-10 minutes.
  10. ADD two bags of Uncle Ben’s Ready Rice the Long Grain + Wild Rice
  11. Stir, let simmer over LOW heat until you are ready to enjoy! 

This soup is fantastic if you add rotisserie chicken to it, as well. I hope you love this recipe as much as we do! Make sure to tag me in all of your Thome Home recipes on instagram @abby_thome