Although not a classic English dish, mushrooms have been a stable of English cooking. Think of the classic Full English breakfast or the humble mushrooms on toast. Also I love mushrooms. So needing a recipe to aid in weight loss and knew I would like, I opted for mushroom soup. Soup is very common and been eaten for centuries in the UK when little food was around and could be bulked up by veg. Plus even a novice cook like me could attempt.
🛒 Ingredients
- 500g mushrooms (closed cup or chestnut), sliced (keep 50g back for garnish)
- 1 medium onion, chopped
- 2 cloves garlic, crushed or finely chopped
- Frylight spray (or 2 tbsp margarine/olive oil)
- 2 tbsp plain flour
- 750ml vegetable stock (2 stock cubes in hot water)
- 250ml skimmed milk
- Salt & black pepper, to taste
- 1 tsp dried parsley (optional, or leave out)
- Wholemeal bread, to serve (optional)
👩🍳 Method
- Spray a large pan with Frylight (or add margarine/oil). Warm over medium heat.
- Add onion and garlic → cook for 3–4 minutes until softened.
- Add 450g mushrooms → cook for 5–6 minutes until they shrink and release their juices.
- Stir in the flour → coat the mushrooms and onions well. Cook for 1 minute to remove the floury taste.
- Pour in the stock slowly, stirring to avoid lumps.
- Add the milk and dried parsley (if using), season with salt and pepper, then bring to a gentle simmer.
- Cook for 10–15 minutes, stirring occasionally.
- Use a stick blender to blend until smooth (or leave chunky if you prefer).
- In a separate pan, quickly fry the reserved 50g mushrooms until golden.
- Taste and adjust seasoning, then ladle into bowls and top with the golden mushroom slices.
- Serve hot with wholemeal bread if you like.
✨ Healthy, cozy, and super easy. Proof you don’t need to be an expert in the kitchen. I left my soup chunky as I like to bite into things.
This version is lighter than most recipes because I swapped cream for skimmed milk and used Frylight instead of butter. It still tastes rich and comforting, but without all the extra calories. It also works well for busy evenings, a few ingredients, one pot, and you’ve got a hearty meal on the table in under 30 minutes. I can assure you the amount of work that went into it and the taste that came out was amazing. I was very impressed with it all.
I loved making this lighter take on mushroom soup, it proves that healthy doesn’t have to mean boring. This will definitely be added into the rotation on when I just need real food to break away from the endless shakes and bars at the moment!
What’s your favourite cozy soup or autumn recipe? Let me know in the comments. I’d love to try some new ideas!
Couch Potato to World Getter 
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