Dolly Parton’s Stampede Soup (Cream of Vegetable)

Dolly Parton’s Stampede Soup
(Cream of Vegetable)

🦋 Happy 80th Birthday Dolly! 🦋
Born January 19, 1946
Pittman Center, Tennessee

Dolly Parton’s Stampede Soup is best known as the creamy, comforting vegetable soup served at Dolly Parton’s Stampede Dinner Attraction in Pigeon Forge, Tennessee and Branson, Missouri. It’s one of those quietly nostalgic dishes that people remember just as much as the show.

The soup is a smooth but not overly fancy cream-style vegetable soup, traditionally made with a blend of canned vegetables cooked with onion and butter, thickened with flour, and finished with milk or cream. The flavor is mild, savory, and gently sweet from the vegetables—meant to be crowd-pleasing and soothing rather than bold or spicy.

Texture-wise, it’s typically partially blended: mostly smooth, but with a little body so it doesn’t feel thin or watery. It’s served hot at the beginning of the meal alongside a biscuit, setting a cozy, down-home tone before the rest of the Southern-style dinner arrives.

Like a lot of classic Southern restaurant soups, its appeal isn’t complexity—it’s familiarity. Stampede Soup is simple, comforting, and nostalgic, very much in keeping with Dolly Parton’s brand of warmth and accessibility.

In honor of her 80th birthday, I decided to make Stampede Soup—and to my delight, it exceeded all expectations. I briefly considered using fresh vegetables, but that wouldn’t be true Stampede Soup; it would just be a standard cream of vegetable. So I stuck with the canned mixed vegetables, and sure enough—it was delicious! Surprisingly easy to make, it’s a recipe I would happily recommend to anyone. Thanks, Dolly! 🦋

🐎 Stampede Soup Recipe 🐎

Ingredients

• 3 T. butter
• 1 medium shallot, minced
• 2 – 3 garlic cloves, minced
• 3 T. flour
• 2 c. low-sodium chicken broth
• 3 cans 15 oz. Libby’s mixed vegetables
• 1 c. cream
• 1 1/2 T. chopped parsley, plus sprigs for garnish
• sea salt and fresh ground pepper

Method

Melt butter in a medium soup pot over medium-low heat. Add shallot and cook until softened, about 3 minutes. Add garlic and cook another minute. Sprinkle flour over the mixture. Cook, stirring constantly, for 2–3 minutes to cook out the raw flour taste without browning it.

Slowly add chicken broth while stirring. Then add rinsed and drained vegetables. Raise the heat and bring to a boil then immediate turn down and simmer 3 minutes.

Remove pot from the heat, wait 60 seconds. Use an immersion blender, starting with short pulses, to blend the soup into a rustic-smooth consistency that still has some texture.

Return the pot to the heat, add cream, and simmer until hot, stirring occasionally. Do not let the soup boil after adding the cream.

When hot, remove from heat, add parsley and salt and pepper to taste.

To Serve

Ladle soup into warm bowls, garnish with parsley sprigs and a grind of pepper. Serve Tabasco sauce on the side for those wanting a zippier soup. And of course, serve with hot homemade biscuits and butter.

Dollywood

Coat of Many Colors

“Mama sewed the rags together.
Sewing every piece with love…”
Inspired by the biblical story of Joseph, Dolly’s Coat of Many Colors song tells a story from her childhood about a special coat sewn by her mother. This timeless song is a beloved and inspirational story that has become an anthem across the world for love and kindness. ❤️

Family Time

The Smoky Mountains are known as the home of the black bear. There are an estimated 1500 bears roaming throughout the Smokies. Black bear cubs are typically born in the winter and stay with their mom until they are about two years old. These three energetic, playful cubs are ready to explore, climb and have some fun. This black bear mom sure has her paws full! 🐻

Notes

My recipe is similar to the original with the following exceptions:

1. more vegetables
2. less cream
3. fresh onion and garlic (as opposed to powdered)
4. no added corn syrup

I chose Libby’s Mixed Vegetables (a colorful medley of freshly harvested carrots, potatoes, peas, corn, green beans, lima beans, and celery) because it is made simply with water, vegetables, and sea salt, with nothing else added.

🙏 Extending a huge thank you to my dear friend, FA, for his fabulous pics of Dollywood and the charming souvenirs: a Lodge spatula and cast iron guitar.

🌺 🎸🎶 Happy Birthday Dolly! 🎤 🌺 🎵