If you’re looking for a wild rice soup that pretty much screams autumn, this Butternut Squash, Thyme, Ham & Wild Rice Soup is it. With tender bite-size chunks of butternut squash, the nutty flavor of wild rice, and salty little bites of deli ham that make every spoonful feel like a treat, this soup is destined to become a family fall favorite. And with the generous addition of heavy cream, this soup is creamy, comforting, and pretty much tastes like autumn decided to stick around for dinner. This is the kind of soup you’ll want to enjoy year-round.

Many, many moons ago, when B.O.B. Bob and I first started to live with one another, I made a box of Uncle Ben’s, now Ben’s Original Long Grain & Wild Rice. At that point, I knew that neither of us was a big fan of rice, but I just assumed that if I liked wild rice, then B.O.B. Bob would too. I assumed wrong. He quite politely made it known that he would not like to ever be served wild rice again. And so I didn’t.

Until now. I figured that enough time had passed, and his likes and dislikes might have finally changed enough for him to appreciate it. Unfortunately, he took one look at this soup, made a massive ick face, and said, “Wild rice,” in the snottiest way possible. But then, to his credit, he ate the soup. And, dare I say, he actually enjoyed it. So get ready, y’all. Wild rice is back on the menu.

Ingredients:

• 2 Tablespoons Extra-Virgin Olive Oil
• 1 Medium Sweet Yellow Onion, Peeled & Finely Diced
• 2 Teaspoons Dried Thyme
• 2 Teaspoons Yellow Mustard Seeds
• 1 Teaspoon Finely Ground Black Pepper
• 1/2 Teaspoon Finely Ground Sea Salt
• 3/4 Cup Wild Rice Mix, Rinsed & Drained
• 1 (32-oz.) Carton Low-Sodium Chicken Broth
• 1 3/4 to 2 Pounds Butternut Squash
• 1/2 Pound Sliced Deli Ham, Roughly Chopped
• 1 Cup Heavy Whipping Cream
• Freshly Ground Black Pepper

Directions:

1. Place the olive oil in a large stockpot or Dutch oven over medium heat.
2. When the olive oil is hot, add the diced onion and sauté for 6 to 8 minutes, or until translucent. Stir occasionally.
3. Add the thyme, mustard seeds, pepper, salt, and wild rice. Sauté for 2 minutes, stirring constantly.
4. Add the broth and increase the heat to high.
5. When the soup reaches a rolling boil, reduce the heat to low, cover, and cook for 20 minutes.
6. Peel, deseed, and dice the butternut squash into bite-size pieces. Add the diced butternut squash and roughly chopped ham to the soup. Increase the heat to high and bring to a rolling boil uncovered.
7. Once the soup comes to a rolling boil, reduce the heat to medium and cook for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally.
8. Add the heavy cream and cook for 3 minutes, stirring occasionally.
9. Serve garnished with freshly ground black pepper.

Suggestions:

• Wild rice mix comes in many different varieties, and each has a different cooking time. I used a wild rice mix with basmati rice and wild rice, which took 30 to 35 minutes to cook, per the package instructions. If your wild rice mix requires more or less time, you may need to adjust when you add the butternut squash and ham. Just make sure not to add the heavy whipping cream until the wild rice mix is cooked through and tender.
• For this recipe, I used a medium butternut squash, weighing between 1 3/4 and 2 pounds. That should equal approximately 4 cups of butternut squash, peeled, deseeded, and diced into bite-size pieces.
• This soup will be thick and will thicken up even more as it rests. If you refrigerate the soup, you may need to add additional broth or water to thin it out.
• You can make this soup ahead of time, allow it to thicken overnight in the fridge, and serve it as a thick, creamy rice side dish if you prefer.

Improvements:

• Replace the butternut squash with acorn squash, pumpkin, or zucchini. You will need to peel the acorn squash and pumpkin. You can leave the zucchini unpeeled.
• Fold 1/2 cup to 1 cup of freshly shredded mild or sharp cheddar into the wild rice soup before serving.
• Garnish the soup with chopped scallions.
• CLICK HERE to see all of our other amazing soup, chili, stew, and chowder recipes. Make sure to check out all of our other Rice Soup Recipes.

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Yum

Butternut Squash, Thyme, Ham, & Wild Rice Soup

Ingredients:

• 2 Tablespoons Extra-Virgin Olive Oil
• 1 Medium Sweet Yellow Onion, Peeled & Finely Diced
• 2 Teaspoons Dried Thyme
• 2 Teaspoons Yellow Mustard Seeds
• 1 Teaspoon Finely Ground Black Pepper
• 1/2 Teaspoon Finely Ground Sea Salt
• 3/4 Cup Wild Rice Mix, Rinsed & Drained
• 1 (32-oz.) Carton Low-Sodium Chicken Broth
• 1 3/4 to 2 Pounds Butternut Squash
• 1/2 Pound Sliced Deli Ham, Roughly Chopped
• 1 Cup Heavy Whipping Cream
• Freshly Ground Black Pepper

Directions:

1. Place the olive oil in a large stockpot or Dutch oven over medium heat.
2. When the olive oil is hot, add the diced onion and sauté for 6 to 8 minutes, or until translucent. Stir occasionally.
3. Add the thyme, mustard seeds, pepper, salt, and wild rice. Sauté for 2 minutes, stirring constantly.
4. Add the broth and increase the heat to high.
5. When the soup reaches a rolling boil, reduce the heat to low, cover, and cook for 20 minutes.
6. Peel, deseed, and dice the butternut squash into bite-size pieces. Add the diced butternut squash and roughly chopped ham to the soup. Increase the heat to high and bring to a rolling boil uncovered.
7. Once the soup comes to a rolling boil, reduce the heat to medium and cook for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally.
8. Add the heavy cream and cook for 3 minutes, stirring occasionally.
9. Serve garnished with freshly ground black pepper.

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