<p>Is there a way to create a blank solution, or some type of file-based project solution within Visual Studio so that I can point to a root folder, and have all of the sub-folders and files in that root, show up in my solution explorer? I realize I can create a blank solution and then add the individual items manually by add > existing item, however, this does not keep the folder structure intact, and, well, it would take forever if I have a lot of folders/files. </p>

You can also create the blank solution and then click the second-from-the-right icon at the top of the solution explorer (it looks like three files with one "cut out").  Once you click that button to show the files in the solution directory that are not in a project, you can select all the files (with shift-click) and then right-click on your selection and select "Include In Project."
Also note you can select multiple files in the "Add Existing..." file window with shift- or control-click.