Minnesota Wild Rice Soup
As a native Minnesotan, I have certainly had my share of comforting Minnesota Wild Rice Soup. And, like most dishes, a hearty soup that incorporates the bounty of the region is always open to interpretation. That just goes to say that there are about as many variations on wild rice soup as there are families in Minnesota.
Of course, one of the most important ingredients in Minnesota Wild Rice Soup is the wild rice you choose. While this might seem fairly straightforward at first, trust me, there’s a world of difference and knowing how to choose the best option for your soup is either learned through trial and error or you can read everything you need to know in this post on wild rice.
Would you like to create a new Christmas tradition for your family? In Minnesota, Wild Rice Soup is often served on Christmas Eve. There’s another Minnesota Christmas tradition, but you might want to skip it – lutefisk. Yep, many of us die-hard Minnesotans still eat this stuff, especially at Christmas.
The good news, you’re going to love this soup regardless of the season. Enjoy!
What You’ll Need for Wild Rice Soup
- butter
- yellow onion
- flour
- chicken broth
- wild rice
- carrot
- ham
- slivered almonds
- Kosher salt
- half-and-half
- dry sherry
- snipped parsley or chives for garnish
Helpful Tips:
- This recipe for wild rice soup calls for a few tablespoons of dry sherry. If you don’t want to use it for personal reasons, your soup will still be delicious. If you don’t want to use it because you don’t think you’ll like it — Please, just try it! I think you’ll find that it gives this soup that little something extra.
- The wild rice used in this recipe needs to be rinsed and cooked before adding it to the broth. You’ll need 2 cups of cooked wild rice, so you’ll want to start with about 1 cup of uncooked, maybe a smidge more. The typical conversion is 1 cup of uncooked wild rice will yield about 1-1/2 to 2 cups cooked.
- Typically, wild rice soup is not “chunky”. Sure, there’s the wild rice and slivered almonds that add plenty of texture, but the onion, carrot, and ham should not be in big chunks. Mince the onion (small), finely grate the carrot, and mince the ham into small pieces.
Double the Recipe and Enjoy
I don’t know about you, but I love having something in the fridge that I can warm up and enjoy in a hurry. If you want to make a double batch of this soup, no problem! Leftover Minnesota Wild Rice Soup is as delicious the second day as it is on the first. You can even keep this in the refrigerator for up to 3 days, if it lasts that long!
Ingredients
- 6 Tbsp. butter
- 1 Tbsp. yellow onion, minced
- 1/2 cup flour
- 3 cups chicken broth
- 2 cups wild rice, cooked
- 1/2 cup carrots, finely grated
- 1/3 cup ham, minced
- 3 Tbsp. almonds, slivered
- 1/2 tsp. salt, Kosher
- 1 cup half-and-half
- 3 Tbsp. dry sherry, optional
- 2 Tbsp. chives or parsley, snipped, optional
Directions
- In a Dutch oven or large saucepan, melt the butter over medium heat. Add onion and sauté until tender, about 3 – 5 minutes; do not brown.
- Gradually, blend in flour and cook for 1 minute. Slowly add chicken broth and bring to a boil; stirring constantly. Boil for 1 minute; continue stirring.
- Stir in the wild rice, minced ham, carrots, almonds, and salt. Simmer gently for about 5 minutes.
- Stir in the half-and-half, and dry sherry; heat until just below the boiling point.
- Serve with a garnish of snipped chives or parsley, if desired.
Some of Our Other Favorite Recipes:
