Dolly Parton's Stampede Soup Is the Fall Recipe I've Been Waiting For

Dolly Parton’s Stampede in Branson, Missouri is a dinner show attraction that features horses, trick riders, and music, though it's the 4-course dinner served alongside that’s often the main attraction. The meal is an experience in and of itself (you get a whole rotisserie chicken and a smoked pork loin), but the creamy vegetable soup gets all of the rave reviews. How can you make this popular soup at home? I set off to the internet to find out.

What Is Dolly Parton’s Stampede Soup?

It’s exactly what it sounds like, a creamy soup with vegetables in it. The soup is served as the first course during the stampede and from what I could tell, it’s a surprisingly simple dish. There are plenty of copycat versions of it on the internet, but I didn’t have any luck finding a published recipe from Parton (or her team) for the dish. You can buy a bag of “creamy soup mix” online or at the show, but I guess you have to know someone to get your hands on the actual recipe.

How to Make This Creamy Vegetable Soup

After reviewing many online recipes, I finally came up with a game plan. Most of the online recipes began with making a simple roux, so that’s where I started too. I melted the butter, added the flour, and whisked and cooked it for at least 4 or 5 minutes before continuing with the recipe. Next, I added seasonings (powdered versions of onion and garlic), chopped, cooked vegetables, and broth. I then simmered everything for a bit before finishing with cream.

Stampede Soup Taste Test

It was creamy and tasty, but definitely lacked richness and depth. This was likely a result of the short cooking time and the absence of aromatics, like whole onion and garlic. I felt like it was fine, but definitely needed some adjustments to make it great. I wanted to make Dolly proud!

How I Adjusted the Recipe

Step 1: Make the roux, but better. Many of the recipes call for margarine, but I know that butter tastes better, so I went with butter to make my roux. I also cooked my roux for at least 4 or 5 minutes to fully cook the flour and to build flavor. I also increased the amount of roux a bit for a creamier end product.

Step 2: Skip the water. To boost the flavor, I opted to use chicken broth in place of water. I chose low-sodium so that I could control the salt when seasoning at the end.

Step 3: Cut back on the cream. Several versions of this recipe call for 1 1/2 to 2 cups of heavy cream. I found that to be too much. That’s why I added a bit more chicken broth and decreased the cream to 1 cup.

Step 4: Simmer longer. For a soup to develop flavor, it needs to simmer for a bit of time. I found that simmering for at least 30 minutes after adding the broth helped give this soup an extra pop of flavor.

Step 5: Add a bay leaf. It’s a simple addition that really helps give the soup that cozy, comforting vibe. If you have dried thyme, that would be another great addition.

Step 6: Add lemon juice to finish. Creamy soups can often feel “flat.” This soup felt that way to me. A quick solution was the addition of a squeeze of lemon juice just before finishing.

Dolly Parton's Stampede Soup Recipe

Prep time: 5 minutes

Cook time: 15 minutes

Total time: 20 minutes

Yield: 4 servings

Ingredients:

• 1 1/4 cups frozen mixed vegetables
• 1/4 cup unsalted butter
• 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
• 1/2 teaspoon onion powder
• 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1/4 teaspoon white pepper
• 2 1/2 cups low-sodium chicken broth
• 1 cup heavy cream
• kosher salt, to taste
• 1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley
• lemon wedges, for serving

Instructions:

1. Cook vegetables following package directions. Drain and finely chop. 
2. Meanwhile, melt butter in a large pot set over medium heat. Whisk in flour; stir until smooth and combined. Continuing cooking and whisking until deep golden in color, about 4 or 5 minutes. Add onion powder, garlic powder, and white pepper and whisk until combined. 
3. Whisk stock into mixture then bring to a boil over medium-high heat, whisking slowly and constantly. Reduce heat to medium to maintain a simmer; cook, whisking occasionally, until slightly thickened, about 10 minutes. Stir in cooked vegetables and heavy cream. Season to taste with salt.
4. Portion into bowls, garnish with parsley, and serve with a lemon wedge.

Tip: If you want even more flavor, consider swapping 1/2 cup finely chopped onion for onion powder and 1 or 2 cloves minced garlic for garlic powder. Cook them in the butter before making the roux.