Slow Cooker (or not) White Bean and Wild Rice Soup
with spinach and pear salad
This classic soup was last featured in 2021. A roux stirred in at the end of cooking gives it a rich, creamy feel, and a fresh salad on the side balances the flavors.
Smarts: If you're short on time, skip the roux and stir in evaporated milk (as we did in an earlier version) or regular milk. It just won't be quite as creamy.
Cooking methods: This recipe includes instructions for using the Instant Pot, Slow Cooker, or stovetop. Select your preferred method.
Ingredients
- Mustard, Dijon - 1 tsp
- Honey - 1 tsp
- Vinegar, apple cider - 1 Tbsp
- Oil, olive - 2 1/2 Tbsp
- Pears - 1 , chopped
- Baby spinach - 5 oz (sub any salad greens)
- Sunflower seeds - 2 Tbsp (sub pepitas or chopped pecans)
- Butter - 3 Tbsp
- Flour, all-purpose - 3 Tbsp
- Milk - 1 1/2 cup
- Onions, medium - 1 , chopped
- Carrots - 8 oz , diced
- Bell peppers, green - 1 , diced
- Celery - 2 ribs , diced
- Garlic - 4 cloves , chopped
- Thyme, dried - 1 tsp
- Salt - 1 tsp
- Black pepper - 1/2 tsp
- Stock, any type - 5 cups
- Wild rice, uncooked - 1/2 cup
- Green onions - 1 Tbsp , chopped
- Beans, any white (14 oz / 397 g) - 1 can , drained and rinsed
Choose Cooking Method
Prep
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Onions / Carrots / Bell peppers / Celery / Garlic - Prep as directed and combine. (Can be done up to 5 days ahead)
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Make vinaigrette - Whisk together mustard, honey, and apple cider vinegar. Add olive oil while whisking. (Can be done up to 5 days ahead)
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Slow cook soup - Combine onions, carrots, bell peppers, celery, garlic, dried thyme, salt, black pepper, stock, and wild rice in the bowl of a slow cooker. Cook on low for 6 to 7 hours or high for 3 to 4 hours.
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Pears / Green onions - Prep as directed.
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Beans - Drain and rinse.
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Make
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When soup is nearly finished, make the roux. Heat small saucepan with butter over medium heat. When butter is melted, whisk in flour. Simmer, stirring frequently, until the mixture is golden brown, 5 to 6 minutes. Slowly pour in milk while whisking. Bring to a simmer and simmer until slightly thickened, ~2 minutes.
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Meanwhile, if soup is not simmering, increase heat to a gentle simmer. Stir roux and beans into simmering soup. Simmer until creamy and thick, ~5 minutes more. Taste and season with some salt and pepper.
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Leave soup in slow cooker on the warm setting until ready to serve.
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Toss spinach, pears, and sunflower seeds in vinaigrette until dressed to your liking.
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Serve soup with green onions on top. Enjoy salad on the side.
Prep
-
Onions / Carrots / Bell peppers / Celery / Garlic - Prep as directed and combine. (Can be done up to 5 days ahead)
-
Make vinaigrette - Whisk together mustard, honey, and apple cider vinegar. Add olive oil while whisking. (Can be done up to 5 days ahead)
-
Pears / Green onions - Prep as directed.
-
Beans - Drain and rinse.
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Make
-
Heat a Dutch oven with some oil (not in ingredients list) over medium-high heat. Add onions, carrots, bell peppers, celery, and garlic. Saute until vegetables are starting to soften, 3 to 4 minutes. Stir in dried thyme, salt, and black pepper for 1 minute.
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Stir in stock and wild rice. Bring to a boil and then reduce heat to very low. Cover with a lid. Simmer, covered, until wild rice is tender, 45 to 60 minutes. (Start checking the rice on the low end of the cooking time. Be sure to keep the soup at a low simmer to avoid having too much of the liquid evaporate.)
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When soup is nearly finished, make the roux. Heat small saucepan with butter over medium heat. When butter is melted, whisk in flour. Simmer, stirring frequently, until the mixture is golden brown, 5 to 6 minutes. Slowly pour in milk while whisking. Bring to a simmer and simmer until slightly thickened, ~2 minutes.
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Meanwhile, if soup is not simmering, increase heat to a gentle simmer. Stir roux and beans into simmering soup. Simmer until creamy and thick, ~5 minutes more. Taste and season with some salt and pepper.
-
Toss spinach, pears, and sunflower seeds in vinaigrette until dressed to your liking.
-
Serve soup with green onions on top. Enjoy salad on the side.
Prep
-
Onions / Carrots / Bell peppers / Celery / Garlic - Prep as directed and combine. (Can be done up to 5 days ahead)
-
Make vinaigrette - Whisk together mustard, honey, and apple cider vinegar. Add olive oil while whisking. (Can be done up to 5 days ahead)
-
Pears / Green onions - Prep as directed.
-
Beans - Drain and rinse.
Unlock this meal along with hundreds of smart meal plans and never stress about "What's for dinner?" again
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Make
-
In the bowl of an Instant Pot combine onions, carrots, bell peppers, celery, garlic, dried thyme, salt, black pepper, stock (reduce liquid by 10-20% to account for lack of evaporation in the Instant Pot), and wild rice.
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Close and lock the lid. Set the pressure valve to 'Sealing'. Cook on manual / high pressure for 15 minutes. Let pressure release naturally for 10 minutes and then manually release any remaining pressure.
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When soup is nearly finished, make the roux. Heat small saucepan with butter over medium heat. When butter is melted, whisk in flour. Simmer, stirring frequently, until the mixture is golden brown, 5 to 6 minutes. Slowly pour in milk while whisking. Bring to a simmer and simmer until slightly thickened, ~2 minutes.
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Turn on the Saute function of the Instant Pot so the soup comes to a gentle simmer. Stir roux and beans into simmering soup. Simmer until creamy and thick, ~5 minutes more. Taste and season with some salt and pepper.
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Toss spinach, pears, and sunflower seeds in vinaigrette until dressed to your liking.
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Serve soup with green onions on top. Enjoy salad on the side.
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