Tasty Tuesdays: Fall Harvest Soup

This soup is absolutely wonderful. It is comforting, filling, and reminiscent of a fall harvest. We find ourselves craving it throughout the entire year, despite the season. While it does have a longer cooking time, the preparation is quite simple. Just get the ingredients into the pot and you can catch up on another project while your soup simmers away!

All of the delicious herbs and veggies in the soup!

Makes 4 to 6 servings
1 to 1 1/2 pounds fresh mushroom, chopped
1 onion, chopped
Fresh basil (about 5 leaves, depending on your preference)
Pinch of sugar
1-2 potatoes, chopped
1 or 2 medium carrots, chopped
6 to 8 cups vegetable stock or water
4-5 tablespoons rice (the original recipe calls for oats or barley)

Additional Seasoning (optional, but suggested!)
Handful of red pepper flakes
Handful of rosemary, fresh if possible
Pinch of cinnamon 

Garnish
Dill
Sour cream

Chop ingredients to a size of your liking; for thicker soup, chop everything into 1" pieces. In a large saucepan, saute the onion over low to medium heat until nearly clear. Add mushrooms and increase to high heat. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the mushrooms are reduced by half.
Add the stock (or water), potatoes and carrots. Bring to a gentle simmer and cook for about 30 minutes, until liquid has reduced about an inch and the potatoes and carrots are tender. Add the basil, rice, and other seasoning. Cook for 10-15 minutes or until rice is ready.

Serve with a dollop of sour cream and a sprinkling of dill. Enjoy!

Adapted from Sasha's Mushroom Soup on NPR.