Cremini Cappuccino-Mushroom & Sausage Soup

It started, as many good soup stories do, with a chill in the air (relatively speaking, for this time of year) and a fridge that offered more mystery than direction. I had mushrooms. I had breakfast sausage (a guilty pleasure). I had just enough cream for coffee… or something better. Newt was curled up asleep in his bed and I felt like “nesting.”

It’s the kind of recipe that makes me feel like I’ve stumbled into one of my vacation fantasies - a rustic cabin—maybe even one of those fictional cottages where a storm traps you inside with nothing but a warm stove and your thoughts. Earthy mushrooms melt into the richness of browned sausage, while garlic, thyme, and a whisper of white wine bring everything into balance. But the twist—the part that makes people raise their eyebrows in that “Wait, what?” way—is the savory “cappuccino” foam.

 Do you still have milk frother you bought in quarantine? Born from a gently frothed mix of broth and cream, this silky topping adds a café flair that’s less about showing off and more about adding a surprising layer of elegance, like it got dressed up for the occasion.

INGREDIENTS

1 lb breakfast sausage

1 medium onion diced

a few fresh sage leaves

a couple sprigs of thyme

3 cloves garlic minced

4 tbsp butter

1 tbsp olive oil

24 oz. any mushrooms - I used Cremini

4 tbsp flour

1 cup white wine

32 oz. chicken broth (set 1 tablespoon aside)

1/2 cup heavy cream

For the Foam

1/3 cup milk

1 tablespoon broth from above

1 pinch salt

a few sprigs of thyme

METHOD

In a Dutch oven or other heavy-bottomed pot, heat to medium and add sausage. Break apart the sausage into small pieces with a wooden spatula. I actually used the links and cut them into small rounds.

Once it begins to brown, add the onion.

Cook for an additional 5 minutes or until onions are translucent and sausage is browned. Add sage, thyme, and garlic and cook for an additional minute. Set aside sausage mixture.

In the now-empty Dutch oven, melt 1 tbsp butter and add 1 tbsp olive oil. Brown mushrooms in three 8 oz batches, so as not to crowd the pan. Cook each batch for about 6 minutes, stirring every 2 minutes or so so they have time to get some brown coloring. Set each batch aside as they brown. Add 1 tbsp butter before adding each of the second and third batches.

Re-add mushrooms and sausage mixture and remaining 1 tbsp butter.

Sprinkle flour and the herbs over ingredients, and stir until everything is evenly coated. Cook for about a minute, stirring constantly so it doesn’t burn.

Add white wine and simmer until most of the liquid is evaporated.

Add chicken broth and whipping cream. Cook until warm and thickened.

If you don’t have a frother or an ISI gun, you can skip this step:

Warm the milk, broth, salt and thyme (don’t chop it up) on low, just long enough to infuse a bit of thyme flavor. Remove the thyme & froth.

Top the cups of soup with a little foam and if you like, a bit of thyme or sage.

Extra credit for anyone who sends me a photo of their savory thyme mustache.