This meat-free bean and mushroom soup is hearty, healthy and packed with flavor. Even better you can make it on the stovetop, in a slow cooker, or using an Instant Pot and it’s even freezer friendly!
During the cooler months, my family loves comforting soups like healthy cauliflower soup and hearty minestrone soup!
A bowl of this bean mushroom soup marked my return in the kitchen after 2 weeks of conference travel. And you know that feeling of living off of restaurant food, even if it’s healthy – you get sick and tired of it. Better yet anything with mushrooms instantly feels so homey and comforting. Mushroom stroganoff, mushroom cauliflower risotto, lentil and mushroom casserole, and now this bean and mushroom soup!
This morning I put it as a freezer meal into my Instant Pot (if you haven’t heard yet I’m obsessed with healthy freezer meals) and we upgraded from there. So now you have so many cooking options for this bean soup – stovetop, slow cooker, Instant Pot and even a freezer meal. Whoa, am I awesome?! JK but really it’s a lot of work to test and write out all those options. So you enjoy!
And lastly, you can use dried white beans with Instant Pot version. Are you convinced yet that you need one?! You can use it to make more hearty bean-ish soup recipes: Instant Pot black bean soup, beef and bean soup, sausage barley soup and turkey taco soup.
How to Make Bean and Mushroom Soup Recipe
- To a large pot, add water and bring to a boil on high heat.
- In the meanwhile, preheat medium skillet on low – medium heat and add 1 tbsp olive oil. Add onion and sauté for 2 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add carrots, celery and garlic; sauté for a few more minutes, stirring occasionally. Add cream of mushroom soup, stir and cook for another minute. Transfer to a pot with boiling water.
- Return skillet to high heat, add mushrooms and cook until golden brown, stirring occasionally. Transfer to a pot along with beans, salt, pepper and bay leaves. Cover and cook for 30 minutes.
- Add 2 tbsp olive oil and dill (parsley), stir and serve hot.
How to Make a Freezer Meal
- Before freezing (slow cooker): Preheat medium skillet on low – medium heat and add 1 tbsp olive oil. Add onion and sauté for 2 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add carrots, celery and garlic; sauté for a few more minutes, stirring occasionally. Add mushrooms and cook until golden brown, stirring occasionally. Transfer to the bag with other ingredients to freeze.
- Instant Pot: In a gallon size Ziplock bag, add all ingredients, except water (stock). Let as much air out as possible, seal and freeze for up to 3 months. Cook from frozen with 8 cups water or low sodium broth on High pressure for 15 minutes. Quick release.
- Slow cooker: Cook from frozen with 8 cups of water (stock) for 4 hours on High or 6-8 hours on Low.
- After cooking: Add 2 tbsp olive oil or butter, and dill (parsley). Stir and serve hot.
Check out my full list of 20 freezer prep meals. I’m obsessed!
More Healthy Mushroom and Soup Recipes
- Russian cabbage shchi
- Spinach lentil soup
- Vegetable soup recipe
- Stuffed parmesan mushrooms
- Broccoli mushroom stir fry
- Spaghetti squash quiche with mushrooms
Bean and Mushroom Soup
Ingredients
- 8 cups water or low sodium broth
- 1 large onion finely chopped
- 2 medium carrots finely grated
- 3 large celery stalks diced
- 1.5 lbs white or brown mushrooms sliced
- 3 tbsp extra virgin olive oil divided
- 1 can 11 oz organic cream of mushroom soup (I used Pacific Foods)
- 3 x 14 oz cans white navy beans drained & rinsed
- 3 large garlic cloves crushed
- 1 1/4 tsp salt
- Ground black pepper to taste
- 3 bay leaves
- 1/3 cup dill or parsley chopped (for garnish)
Instructions
- Stovetop: To a large pot, add water and bring to a boil on high heat.
- In the meanwhile, preheat medium skillet on low – medium heat and add 1 tbsp olive oil. Add onion and sauté for 2 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add carrots, celery and garlic; sauté for a few more minutes, stirring occasionally. Add cream of mushroom soup, stir and cook for another minute. Transfer to a pot with boiling water.
- Return skillet to high heat, add mushrooms and cook until golden brown, stirring occasionally. Transfer to a pot along with beans, salt, pepper and bay leaves. Cover and cook for 30 minutes.
- Slow Cooker: Follow steps above and add all ingredients to a large slow cooker. Cover and cook on Low for 6-8 hours or on High for 4 hours.
- Instant Pot: Add all ingredients in the order listed above (no sauteing necessary – the beauty of pressure cooking), cover and cook on High pressure for 15 minutes (if using dried beans cook for 30 minutes).
- Add 2 tbsp olive oil and dill (parsley), stir and serve hot.
Notes
- Store: Refrigerate in an airtight container for up to 5 days.
- Freeze: Fully cook, cool completely and freeze in an airtight container for up to 3 months. Thaw on a stovetop covered on low.
- You can use 2 cups of dried beans with Instant Pot – cook for 30 minutes.
- If you can’t find organic cream of mushroom soup, look for a brand with no preservatives and artificial flavours.
- Butter is also great for adding a depth of flavour at the end instead of olive oil.
- I also like to add more garlic after cooking.
- Before freezing (slow cooker): Preheat medium skillet on low – medium heat and add 1 tbsp olive oil. Add onion and sauté for 2 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add carrots, celery and garlic; sauté for a few more minutes, stirring occasionally. Add mushrooms and cook until golden brown, stirring occasionally. Transfer to the bag with other ingredients to freeze.
- Instant Pot: In a gallon size Ziplock bag, add all ingredients, except water (stock). Let as much air out as possible, seal and freeze for up to 3 months. Cook from frozen with 8 cups water or low sodium broth on High pressure for 15 minutes. Quick release.
- Slow cooker: Cook from frozen with 8 cups of water (stock) for 4 hours on High or 6-8 hours on Low.
- After cooking: Add 2 tbsp olive oil or butter, and dill (parsley). Stir and serve hot.
This is one of the most tastiest soups ever. I shared some with a friend and she asked for the recipe! Thank you so much for all you do! You helped me learn the Instant Pot method!
Awe, you are so welcome! So happy to hear you are enjoying my recipes! Please don’t be shy to leave me a comment with a star review once you make any recipe. Have a great week!
Excellent soup!
I’m so happy to read this, Mary! Thanks for your positive feedback!
One of your best soups ever! I couldn’t find canned navy beans, but used white beans and it is so tasty! Thank you for sharing this soup!
So glad you enjoyed it!
Hi Olena! Quick question. Would the cooking time in IP changes if I soak dry beans prior to cooking them? Should it be the time you recommend for canned beans or still 30 min like for dry beans? (I like to soak my beans for health reasons). Thank you!
Yes for same as canned beans. Usually soaked beans cook in half the time. Recipe hasn’t been tested as such though. Let us know how it goes!
Hi
What can you substitute if you have no cream of mushroom soup
You could try sour cream or Greek yogurt or maybe even a small amount of cream cheese, they will change the taste of the soup though. I would start with a small amount and taste.
Love your site! Could you comment on how to add chicken to this recipe?
You could stir in cooked chicken at the end for any of the the methods and although I have not tested it, I imagine for the stovetop you could brown chicken breast with the mushrooms, add it to the pot, cover and cook 30 minutes then remove, shred and add back to the pot. Instant Pot just add the chicken breast with the ingredients and when done, remove shred and add back in.
This soup is delicious and filling! I followed the recipe exactly. I made it to use throughout the week for lunch but my family loved it so much they ate it all in 2 days!
Yay! So happy to hear!
Delicious soup!! I used vegetable broth & omitted the carrots, loved it!
DELICIOUS soup! I used dried beans (13 bean soup mix) and also added a couple of items from my fridge: 1 diced parsnip, and a 10 small quartered golden beets. This recipe will be in our regular rotation.
So happy to hear this!
Wow wow wow, this soup is absolutely delicious. Just made it today and had a big bowl for lunch. Highly recommend! 🙂
Thanks Cynthia 🙂
Oh..my..goodness…..I would rate this recipe 10 stars if I could!!! I used 2 cups of mixed dried bean mix (and tossed the nasty spice mixture included in the bean pkg) and followed the recipe exactly as written. Don’t skip the grated garlic and herbs at the end, makes a world of difference!!! Virtual hugs to you Olena, you rock!!!
Awe, thank you Eva!
Can I skip canned soup in this recipe? Thank you!
Definitely! Enjoy!