This time of year, soup is the only thing that warms me up. I’m usually wrapped up in some kind of fuzzy blanket all winter long (yes… even in Arizona), but soup is the only solution for truly cutting the chill. I like to utilize my Sundays for making soup. This Wild Rice Soup is the most recent Sunday soup. One pot of this soup makes about 6 warm and cozy servings.

My favorite soup pot: I love this 6-quart cast iron pot. It’s much cheaper than the more expensive name brand cast iron. And it comes in so many cute colors. I have the red one! Another soup pot worth noting: Farberware 4-Quart Soup Pot. This pot is slightly smaller, but it’s still good for making soup. It’s nonstick, it’s inexpensive and it comes in black and red. Ladle: You’ve gotta have at least one ladle in your collection! Stainless steel ladle or a Nylon ladle.

How to make Wild Rice Soup:

This is a very easy soup recipe to make. You’ll want to begin by making wild rice. 2 cups of cooked wild rice are needed for the soup. You can just follow the instructions on the package of wild rice. In some stores, you can buy packages of cooked wild rice (I know I’ve seen them at Trader Joe’s). In a large soup pot, you’ll sauté onions in butter and then whisk in flour. Then you’ll gradually whisk in the broth, bring it to a boil and simmer. Next, you’ll stir in the cooked rice, chopped ham, carrots, mushroom, celery, slivered almonds and a little salt and pepper. Finally, cream and sherry are added in, and the soup is heated through before serving.

Ingredient notes:

The almonds: The recipe calls for using slivered almonds. I know that adding nuts to soup might be a little different than the norm, but it’s definitely a nice addition if you are an almond lover. I love them in this soup! You can leave out the almonds if you’re not into it. Dry sherry or wine: You’ll need 3 tablespoons of one or the other. This will give the soup a great twang of flavor. If you don’t cook with alcohol, you can leave it out. But I personally think that the sherry/wine is what helps give this Wild Rice Soup its great flavor!

Substitutions:

Try substituting cooked chicken for the ham. Skip the celery, and add 1/2 cup of frozen peas instead.

Here are a few more soup recipes you might like to try:

Hot and Sour Soup Chicken Tortilla Sausage Soup Carrot and Butternut Squash Soup Cheesy Cauliflower Soup Cream of Mushroom Soup Easy Lentil Soup Buffalo Chicken Soup Bean and Sausage Soup