Mushroom-Spinach Soup With Cinnamon, Coriander and Cumin

By Melissa Clark

Updated August 31, 2017

  • Andrew Scrivani for The New York Times
Media 1 of 1
Total Time
1 hour
Rating
5(4,966)
Comments
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This is a very hearty, chunky soup filled with bits of browned mushroom and silky baby spinach. A combination of sweet and savory spices – cinnamon, coriander and cumin – gives it a deep, earthy richness. For the most complex flavor, use several kinds of mushrooms and cook them until they are dark golden brown and well caramelized.

Featured in: Vegetable Soups Built for Maximum Flavor

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Ingredients

Yield:6 servings

  • 6 tablespoons unsalted butter or extra-virgin olive oil

  • 1 ¼ pounds mixed mushrooms (such as cremini, oyster, chanterelles and shiitake), chopped

  • ½ pound shallots, finely diced

  • 1 tablespoon tomato paste

  • 2 teaspoons chopped fresh thyme leaves

  • 1 ½ teaspoons ground cumin

  • 1 teaspoon ground coriander

  • ¾ teaspoon ground cinnamon

  • Pinch ground allspice

  • 2 ½ teaspoons kosher salt, more to taste

  • 1 teaspoon black pepper

  • 5 ounces baby spinach

  • Fresh lime juice, to taste

  • Plain yogurt, for serving (optional)

Ingredient Substitution Guide
Nutritional analysis per serving (6 servings)

12 grams carbs; 32 milligrams cholesterol; 169 calories; 4 grams monosaturated fat; 1 gram polyunsaturated fat; 7 grams saturated fat; 13 grams fat; 3 grams fiber; 434 milligrams sodium; 5 grams protein; 6 grams sugar

Note: The information shown is Edamam’s estimate based on available ingredients and preparation. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.

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Preparation

  1. Step 1

    Heat 3 tablespoons butter or oil in a large pot over medium-high 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 butter, mushrooms and shallots.

  2. Step 2

    Return all mushrooms to the pot and stir in tomato paste, thyme, cumin, coriander, cinnamon and allspice; cook until fragrant, about 1 minute.

  3. Step 3

    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.

  4. Step 4

    Using an immersion blender or food processor, coarsely purée soup. Mix in lime juice. Thin with water, as needed. Taste and adjust seasoning, if necessary. Serve with dollops of yogurt if you'd like.

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Ratings

5 out of 5
4,966 user ratings
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Comments

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I'm confused, the caption above calls this a "hearty, chunky soup," as the photo confirms.

Then the recipe says to puree the whole thing with an immersion blender.

I guess you can go either way.

Christine Howard

This made a great foundation for wonderful soup. I started first with some bits of bacon that I had left over, substituted a whole sweet onion for the shallots, added a clove of chopped garlic, and then all the fresh mushrooms chopped, then the wonderful spices, followed with 5 cups of chicken broth (instead of water) and egg pasta noodles. Just before taking from the stove, added the fresh spinach! It was delicious, and my husband loved it! I especially loved all the amt. of mushrooms .

Grace Hoffmann

very delicious. I don't have an immersion blender and left it the way it was -- chunky (and it looked just like the picture). I would argue for not processing it.

LBoo

This recipe is a go-to in our house! I use 1/2 the fat and replace 1/2 of the salt with Trader Joe’s mushroom umami seasoning for some extra shroomy goodness. For the mushroom mix, one of the assorted mushroom packs at my local Asian market + one pack of sliced button/baby bellas provide an economical way to get all of the different mushroom tastes and textures. I also go very light with the immersion blender and keep it on the chunkier side!

Fzaw

My harissa incorporates all of the herbs flavors so I replaced that with 1 tablespoon of the harissa and used half the tomato paste. I also used a combination of collared greens I blanched previously to make up for a shortage of spinach in my pantry. I only had a small shallot so I added in some trimmed, cleaned and chopped leek and I skipped any purée but I sliced the mushrooms instead of chopping them. Delicious recipe.

Lulu

Tasty!!! I noticed this recipe didn't include garlic after I added my usual garlic but I think it only made it better. I did use the immersion blender very briefly but left it chunky. I topped with some baked tofu I seasoned with zaatar spice and a big dollop of Greek yogurt. I might have also sprinkled parmesano reggiano because I love cheese 😅

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