Creamy Mushroom & Chicken Soup

[colleency]

Even though it's not even halfway through summer in Los Angeles, I've been feeling the pull of autumn lately. (It's probably all the great fall leaves and halloween pictures on Pinterest!) So tonight, I decided to make this decidedly fall-like soup. I made some changes to the Disney Family Fun recipe including knocking the number of servings from 15 to 5, so go check the link for the original.

This had a nice buttery, mushroom flavor, and the corn gave it little snaps of sweetness. The original called for mixing in the cream, but I found it had a nice flavor without the cream, so I used it as a garnish to give me more choice in my leftovers. And I left the yellow squash out of my recipe here. I used it, but I thought it was a little odd in the soup, so I won't use it next time.

Creamy Mushroom & Chicken Soup
2 tablespoons butter
1 small onion, chopped
1 tablespoon flour
2/3 teaspoons salt
1/3 teaspoon pepper
2 cups chicken broth
8 ounces mushrooms, sliced
1/4 cup sliced celery
1/4 cup chopped carrots
2/3 cups quartered baby red potatoes
1/2 cups fresh or frozen corn kernels
2/3 teaspoons thyme
1/4 cup grated Parmesan, plus more for garnish if desired
2/3 cups chopped cooked chicken
garnish with creamInstructions

1. 
   In a large pot, melt the butter over medium heat. Add the onion and sauté until tender, about 6 minutes. Stir in the flour, salt, and pepper and mix until smooth. Gradually add the broth, then turn the heat up to medium-high and bring the soup to a boil. Add the mushrooms, celery, carrots, potatoes, corn, and thyme. Reduce the heat and simmer the soup, covered, until the vegetables are tender, about 30 minutes.
   
2. 
   Add the Parmesan, and chicken. Heat the soup for an additional 10 minutes, but do not let it boil.
   
3. 
   To serve, ladle the soup into a bowl and sprinkle it with more Parmesan or swirl in a dallop of cream. Makes about 5 cups.