This Polish Mushroom Soup features Yukon Gold Idaho® Potatoes and a mix of mushrooms—White Button, Baby Bella and dried Porcini. You can serve it chunky with a splash of cream, partially blended for a creamy texture with a few vegetable pieces, or fully blended into a smooth cream of mushroom soup. The texture is up to you.
What is Polish Mushroom Soup
In Poland, mushroom picking is a long-standing fall tradition. Families head into forests to find wild mushrooms, often guided by someone experienced in identifying safe varieties. Many households dry their harvest—stringing and drying mushrooms over heat—so they can use them through the winter. Dried Porcini are commonly used for Zupa Grzybowa (Mushroom Soup), especially at Christmas Eve in some homes, though mushroom soup is enjoyed throughout the colder months, not only at the holidays.
Another common version is Zupa Pieczarkowa, or White Button Mushroom Soup, which grew popular when white button mushrooms were the easiest to buy. For this recipe I combined fresh White Button and Baby Bella mushrooms with dried Porcini for deeper flavor. With so many varieties available now, feel free to mix and match mushrooms according to taste.
Polish soups are typically served chunky rather than purely creamy. Still, you can blend the soup wholly or partially depending on your household’s preference. In our family we serve it in different textures: chunky for me, partially blended for my husband, and fully smooth for the kids. Adjust as you like.
Why Idaho Potatoes and Which Ones Work Best
I use Idaho® Potatoes frequently in my cooking. For this soup I chose Yukon Gold Idaho® Potatoes for their buttery flavor and creamy yellow flesh, which hold up nicely in soups. Other Idaho® Potato varieties would also work, but Yukon Gold are especially well suited to give the soup a silky, satisfying texture.
Ingredients Needed
Below is a quick grocery list. For exact amounts, refer to the recipe card further down.
- Fresh mushrooms (White Button and Baby Bella) – mixed and sliced;
- Dried Porcini mushrooms – rehydrated before use (soak at least an hour or overnight);
- Leeks – use the white parts, washed and chopped;
- Carrots – peeled and chopped;
- Celery – stalks chopped (celeriac can be used if available);
- Yukon Gold Idaho® Potatoes – medium, cut into ½-inch cubes;
- Parsnip – peeled (optional, used to boost broth flavor);
- Onion – sweet Vidalia or yellow onion, chopped;
- Mushroom broth – or vegetable/chicken broth; mushroom bouillon cubes can intensify flavor;
- Heavy cream – for richness and smoothness;
- Clarified butter or olive oil – for sautéing;
- Fresh parsley – chopped, to garnish;
- Salt and pepper – to taste.
How to Make Polish Mushroom Soup
This soup has a few straightforward steps. Using dried Porcini requires some extra time to rehydrate and cook them, so plan ahead if you include them.
Step 1: Prepare dried Porcini (optional)
- Place dried Porcini in a pot with water and let them soak at least an hour or overnight.
- Bring to a gentle boil and simmer until tender, about an hour.
- When finished, reserve the cooking liquid (carefully strain before using) and roughly chop the rehydrated mushrooms.
Step 2: Build the broth
To deepen the flavor, sauté the vegetables briefly before adding liquid.
- Heat 2 tablespoons clarified butter or oil in a large soup pot or Dutch oven.
- Add chopped leeks and sauté 2–3 minutes, then add carrots, celery and cubed potatoes. Sauté another 2–3 minutes.
- Add mushroom or other broth and the parsnip, cover and simmer for about 20 minutes until vegetables are tender.
Step 3: Sauté fresh mushrooms
- In a skillet, heat the remaining clarified butter or oil.
- Sauté chopped onions until translucent, about 5 minutes.
- Add sliced mushrooms and let them cook undisturbed for 10 minutes to brown, then stir, season with salt and pepper and cook another 5 minutes.
Step 4: Combine and finish
- Add the sautéed mushrooms and onions to the broth.
- If using rehydrated Porcini, remove them gently from their soaking liquid, chop, and add to the pot. If you want to use some of the Porcini liquid, strain it carefully through a fine sieve to remove any sediment.
- Remove and discard the parsnip if you used it for extra flavor. Cover and simmer another 10 minutes.
- Stir in heavy cream, adjust seasoning, and choose your desired texture: chunky, partially blended, or fully blended.
- Garnish with chopped fresh parsley and serve hot.
Notes and Tips
To intensify mushroom flavor, you can add some of the strained liquid from cooking dried Porcini—just avoid any cloudy sediment. If you find mushroom bouillon cubes labeled specifically for mushroom flavor, they can boost the soup’s depth when dissolved in water.
Here are a few serving ideas: serve with crusty bread, a dollop of sour cream instead of heavy cream for a tangy finish, or sprinkle with extra fresh herbs for brightness.
Polish Mushroom Soup with Yukon Gold Idaho® Potatoes
Ingredients
- 24 oz fresh mushrooms (mix of White Button and Baby Bella), cleaned and sliced
- ½ Vidalia or Spanish onion, chopped
- 0.7 oz dried Porcini mushrooms (optional), rehydrated
- 1 leek (white part only), washed and chopped
- 2 carrots, peeled and chopped
- 2 celery stalks, washed and chopped
- 4 medium Yukon Gold Idaho® Potatoes, cut into ½-inch cubes
- 1 parsnip, peeled (optional)
- 5 cups mushroom broth (or vegetable/chicken broth)
- ½ cup heavy cream
- 4 tablespoons clarified butter or olive oil
- Salt and pepper, to taste
- 2 tablespoons fresh parsley, chopped
Instructions
- If using dried Porcini, soak them in water for at least an hour or overnight. Simmer until tender, about an hour, then reserve and strain the liquid and roughly chop the mushrooms.
- In a Dutch oven, heat 2 tablespoons clarified butter or oil. Add chopped leeks and sauté 2–3 minutes.
- Add carrots, celery and potatoes and cook 2–3 more minutes.
- Add broth and parsnip, cover and simmer 20 minutes over medium heat.
- Meanwhile, heat the remaining 2 tablespoons butter or oil in a skillet. Add onions and cook 5 minutes until translucent.
- Add sliced fresh mushrooms and cook undisturbed for 10 minutes, then stir, season with salt and pepper and cook 5 more minutes.
- Add sautéed mushrooms and onions to the broth. If using rehydrated Porcini, add the chopped mushrooms as well. If you want some Porcini liquid, strain it through a fine sieve before adding.
- Remove and discard the parsnip (if used). Cover and simmer another 10 minutes.
- Stir in heavy cream, adjust seasoning, and serve chunky, partially blended, or fully blended. Garnish with fresh parsley.
Notes
Tip: Use strained liquid from rehydrated Porcini to boost flavor, but filter carefully to avoid any sediment. Mushroom bouillon cubes labeled for mushroom flavor can intensify the soup if you prefer a bolder taste.
Nutrition (per serving)
Calories: 287 | Carbs: 29 g | Protein: 7 g | Fat: 18 g | Fiber: 6 g
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