Cozy up with a warm, comforting bowl of Mushroom Gnocchi Soup with Wild Rice. It’s an easy-to-make, one-pan recipe that’s loaded with winter herbs and hearty veggies. Your family won’t be able to get enough!
If you’ve been around Fork in the Kitchen for a while, then you are well aware that here you’ll find a plethora of cozy, comforting, often one-pot, easy weeknight dinner recipes.
Not just any weekday dinner recipes though. Ones that are full of flavor, impressive, and elevated, because even simple weeknight dinners deserve a hint of elegance, don’t they?
Life’s too short to eat boring food. Life can also be too cramped or tired or busy to spend too much time making over-the-top dinners.
This is where these recipes come in.
May I present to you a cozy, comforting weeknight dinner that is also special enough to sit in for a Sunday night family dinner or when friends stop by (because friends are going to be able to stop by at some point again).
There are so many reasons to love this mushroom gnocchi recipe, so let’s get to it! First up:
The Ingredients
This recipe has a pretty straight forward winter soup recipe list going on. Similar to many wild rice soup recipes, it starts with a base of onion, carrot, and celery.
There are, most definitely, the mushrooms. Sliced or quartered, the mushrooms contribute a whole lotta umami flavor to the soup while adding a hearty component, too.
Speaking of hearty, how about the gnocchi? Those little potato dumplings that are so dang delicious no matter which way you serve them… including in this soup. I love adding gnocchi to this soup because well, hello carbs, but also because I’m all about textures when it comes to soup.
They’re not only carby but they’re chewy and contribute to the creaminess of the soup, too. An ultimate win in my book.
Very important note about the wild rice: you must note the type of wild rice you’re using in this recipe, because it will impact the cook time.
I recommend using a wild rice blend, which, depending on the brand, is usually a mix of brown, red, and wild rice. It often has a shorter cook time than 100% wild rice.
If using 100% wild rice, I recommend cooking the rice separately since it will take significantly longer to cook.
I love the herbs in this, too. There’s basil, thyme, and parsley. All dried because, well, winter, and they deliver all the warm herb flavor we love in winter recipes.
Recipe Steps
Start building in the layers of flavor with the onion, carrot, and celery mixture. Sprinkle in a bit of salt, again, this helps layer in the flavor throughout the recipe.
Don’t forget the garlic, either. Always more garlic.
It’s important that once the mushrooms go in, you make sure a lot of their water is evaporated so they develop their deep flavor.
Again, we’re laying in the flavors with the dried herbs, salt and pepper, and red pepper flakes throughout.
Once the mushrooms are browned, in goes the wild rice, vegetable broth (or stock). Water is added, too, for a couple of reasons. First, because if you’re buying (instead of making) vegetable broth, then you’ll use the entire 32 oz. package and not need to open another.
And second, because this reason again and I’m all about saving time and money and being efficient. And there are so many herbs and spices that you won’t miss the 1 cup of flavor that using broth would have given you.
Can you use stock in place of the water? Well, yes, of course.
Once the rice is just shy of al dente, add in the gnocchi to boil for a few minutes. Read those package directions and adjust accordingly. The gnocchi will be soft and tender and ready to eat in a few short minutes.
Stir in the lukewarm half-and-half at the end for the final creamy addition, garnish with fresh parsley, and be sure to grab some bread to serve alongside it.
FAQs + Tips
Can I make this vegan? Yes, you absolutely can! Use olive oil in place of the butter and omit the half-and-half (since there’s so little in it anyway, it won’t make much of a difference). Alternatively, you can also use full fat coconut milk or unsweetened oat milk.
Can I use 100% wild rice instead of a blend? Yes, but it is highly recommended that you boil the rice on its own about half the amount of the suggested cook time on its package. This will ensure the rice is cooked through without overcooking the veggies in the soup.
Can I add chicken or another meat? You sure can! It clearly would be vegetarian or vegan then, but shredded chicken would be great in it if that’s something you’d enjoy!
Any other versions? Add in some spinach or kale to wilt.
More Easy Weeknight Dinner Recipes to Love
- One-Pot Creamy Tomato Spinach Gnocchi
- One Pan Orecchiette Pasta with Broccolini and Sun-Dried Tomatoes
- Sheet Pan Vegetarian Tacos
- Easy Roasted Cherry Tomato Sauce
- Easy Teriyaki Salmon
Did you make this recipe? Please leave a star rating and review in the form below. I appreciate your feedback, and it helps others, too!
Mushroom Gnocchi Soup with Wild Rice
Equipment
Ingredients
- 2 TBSP unsalted butter
- ¾ cup yellow onion diced
- ¾ cup celery 2-3 stalks, diced
- ¾ cup carrots 2 medium whole carrots, diced or round sliced
- 1 ¼ tsp kosher salt divided
- Pinch of red pepper flakes optional, but recommended
- ¼ tsp black pepper
- 3 garlic cloves minced
- 8 oz. Baby Bella or white mushrooms sliced or quartered depending on size
- ¼ tsp dried basil
- ¼ tsp dried thyme
- ½ tsp dried parsley
- 1 cup wild rice blend see note
- 32 oz. vegetable broth
- 1 ½ to 2 cups water
- 16 oz. dried gnocchi affiliate link
- ¼ cup half and half room temperature
Instructions
- In a large stockpot melt butter over medium-high heat. Add diced onion, carrot, and celery, cooking for 3-4 minutes. Add in a bit of the salt to begin layering the flavor. Add the red pepper flake and black pepper, too.
- Add in the garlic, mushrooms, and a bit more salt, stirring to mix together. Cook for 6-8 minutes until mushrooms are brown and a lot of the liquid has evaporated from them.
- Stir in the dried herbs and a little more salt. Slowly stir in the vegetable broth and 1 cup water. Add the wild rice blend and bring the pot to a boil. Cook the wild rice 2-3 minutes shy of al dente - this will vary depending on the wild rice you use; check the package directions for exact cook time (usually around 15-25 minutes). Taste test and adjust salt levels as needed.
- Add the package of gnocchi and boil for 2-3 minutes, or according to package directions. If needed, add additional water/stock depending on how much has been absorbed and your desired consistency. Remove from heat and stir in half-and-half. Garnish with fresh parsley as desired and serve.
Megan Owen
This one is making it into our winter soup rotation. SO GOOD. We added some Italian sausage to our leftovers the next day and that was great as well if you want to add some protein.
Told our friends about it and three of them made it this week and loved it!
Becca
That is so awesome to hear! I’m glad you loved it. Thanks, Megan!
Lara
I am a meat-eater but like to eat vegetarian several times a week. This recipe is so hearty and satisfying and the perfect vegetarian meal for a cold winter day. I didn’t have wild rice on hand so I ended up using regular jasmine rice, but it was still tasty. I think that’s why mine turned out a slightly lighter color. I also ended up adding more water than what was called for since the soup got quite thick after adding the rice and gnocchi. The other change I made was to use fresh thyme, because I LOVE thyme. I probably put in a few tablespoons of fresh thyme instead of the dried.
So delicious! I would definitely make it again. Even my meat-loving partner loved the dish.
Becca
This is so awesome to hear! Extra fresh thyme sounds amazing. Thanks so much, Lara!
Cassie
This soup hit the spot, especially since with being pregnant many foods are not tasting good at the moment. I made a gluten free version by using Trader Joe’s cauliflower gnocchi, and it held up as leftovers for a few days. Next time I’d like to try it using regular gluten free gnocchi. My pregnancy brain forgot to add the half & half at the end, and the soup still tasted amazing!
Becca
Thanks so much, Cassie! I’m glad you (and baby!) enjoyed!