Name: Cremini Mushroom and Roasted Garlic Rice Soup
Ingredients: 1/3 cup butter; 1 pound cremini mushrooms, sliced; 1 large sweet mild onion, finely chopped; 3 cups cooked brown rice, divided; 1 (6 1/2-ounce) container Garlic and Herbs Spreadable Cheese; 2 (14-ounce) cans roasted garlic seasoned chicken broth, divided; 2 cups water, additional if desired; 8 slices pre-cooked ready-to-serve smoked bacon; Salt and pepper to taste

Why it works: Onion and garlic match in chemistry and in kitchens. They rank in the top 1% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 29,058 recipes. Both carry furaneol, which smells caramel, strawberry. The science ↓

Cremini Mushroom and Roasted Garlic Rice Soup

Timeabout 10 minutes

Ingredients

1/3 cup butter
1 pound cremini mushrooms, sliced
1 large sweet mild onion, finely chopped
3 cups cooked brown rice, divided
1 (6 1/2-ounce) container Garlic and Herbs Spreadable Cheese
2 (14-ounce) cans roasted garlic seasoned chicken broth, divided
2 cups water, additional if desired
8 slices pre-cooked ready-to-serve smoked bacon
Salt and pepper to taste

Directions

Make the mushroom base

Melt butter in a large non-stick stockpot over medium-high heat.
Add mushrooms and onion; cook about 10 minutes, stirring periodically.
Let mixture cool slightly.

Blend and simmer

In a food processor or blender, combine mushroom mixture, 1-1/2 cups rice, cheese and 1 cup broth.
Pulse mixture until mushrooms are finely chopped but not pureed and mixture is thoroughly combined.
Return mixture to stockpot; stir in remaining rice, broth and water.
Bring to a boil; cook uncovered over medium heat 5 minutes.

Prepare the bacon and serve

Heat bacon slices between paper towels in microwave according to package directions.
Chop bacon and set aside.
Add salt and pepper to soup to taste.
To serve, ladle soup into bowls; sprinkle with bacon.

Nutrition, whole recipe (rough)

698Calories

49 gProtein

29 gFat

60 gCarbs

Counts 10 of 11 ingredients. The other 1 aren't in our nutrition table and add nothing above, so the real totals are higher.

What these numbers assume: 10 portions

Ingredient	Portion assumed	kcal
Rice	1 cup cooked (158g) white	206
Chicken	100g cooked	165
Cheese	1 oz (28g) cheddar	113
Butter	1 tbsp (14g)	102
Onion	1 medium (110g)	44
Bacon	1 slice cooked (8g)	43
Mushroom	1/2 cup sliced (35g)	15
Black Pepper	1 tsp ground (2.3g)	6
Garlic	1 clove (3g)	4
Salt	1 tsp (6g)	0
Water	not in our table	0

One typical portion per ingredient; the recipe's quantities are not counted. A rough guide only, not for medical or dietary planning.

Recipe from the Recipes Wiki (Fandom).

Steps grouped into stages for easier reading; the method is the source's own.

Explore the science

The flavor team

The pairs that carry this dish. Each one is judged two ways: how much their aromas overlap, and how often cooks already put them together.

Onion + garlictop 1% of all pairs

Smell alikestrong

Cooked together29,058 recipes

Shared aroma: furaneol (caramel, strawberry).
Mushroom + chickentop 4% of all pairs

Smell alikemoderate

Cooked together4,172 recipes

Shared aroma: 1-butyl acetate (fruity, banana).
Rice + chickentop 5% of all pairs

Smell alikemoderate

Cooked together4,769 recipes

Shared aroma: (e,e)-2,4-decadienal (fatty, deep fried).
Mushroom + garlictop 6% of all pairs

Smell alikemoderate

Cooked together4,700 recipes

Shared aroma: linalool (floral, citrus).
Butter + mushroomtop 7% of all pairs

Smell alikemoderate

Cooked together12,525 recipes

Shared aroma: trans-2-decenal (waxy, orange).

Ranks compare each pair with 20,000 random ingredient pairs on CompKitchen. How we score pairs

What each ingredient does

Cremini mushrooms: Provide the main earthy flavor and body once finely chopped into the soup.
Brown rice: Thickens the soup and adds a hearty, chewy texture.
Spreadable cheese: Adds creaminess and richness, helping the soup feel smooth and full.
Butter: Carries flavor and helps the mushrooms and onion brown as they cook.
Chicken broth: Forms the liquid base and adds savory, seasoned flavor.

The step that matters

Pulse, do not puree. Pulsing keeps the mushrooms finely chopped and textured, while over-processing can turn them into a gummy, pasty mixture and change the soup's intended body.

Swap the garlic

How well each one fits the dish's main ingredients (butter, mushroom, onion, rice, cheese, chicken, pepper):

Garlicthe original
Thymefits about as well
Celeryfits less well
Parsleyfits less well

Fit is the average pairing score against butter, mushroom, onion, rice, cheese, chicken, pepper. Candidates are from the same food group and used in at least 100 recipes.

“What each ingredient does” and “The step that matters” were written by Claude from this recipe’s own method and reviewed in samples by CompKitchen.

Indian Spiced Potato Soup with Tofu and Spinach448 recipes

Clear Carrot and Bottle Gourd Soup65 recipes

Mock Bisque Soup51 recipes

Cream of Asparagus Soup42 recipes

Like knowing why a recipe works?

The free Flavor Lab newsletter: one surprising pairing a week and the molecular reason it works, in 60 seconds. No spam, unsubscribe anytime.

Prefer an account? Create a free account to save pairings and unlock the full chemistry.

Cremini Mushroom and Roasted Garlic Rice Soup