That it’s vegetarian and gluten free will enable you to satisfy a lot of your holiday guests no matter what their dietary needs. It’s an easy and fun way to make a dish that requires no modifications for special dieters, and that anyone who enjoys mushrooms will adore—no matter what else they do or don’t eat. You can even make this soup dairy-free by omitting the cream before serving. Made with cremini mushrooms, packaged chestnuts, thyme, stock, onion, garlic, and just a touch of cream, the taste is reminiscent of cream of mushroom soup but is sweeter and less filling. Chestnuts are underused in savory dishes and this soup highlights them perfectly. Their texture is sweet and nutty, so they pair particularly well with cremini mushrooms, which have a slightly stronger and more earthy flavor than button mushrooms. Prepped fully on the stovetop, this soup is quick to prepare. It serves up to eight as a side dish, keeps nicely for leftovers, is ok to freeze and easy to reheat. Are you sold yet?
Recipe Tips for Chestnut Mushroom Soup
Follow these tips for a chestnut mushroom soup everyone will enjoy.
Because only part of the soup is blended, it’s wise to cut your mushrooms, onions, and chestnuts into even-sized pieces, as some will be visible when you ladle it into the bowls. Due to the sweetness of the chestnuts, a yellow or white onion works best for this recipe. If you don’t cook with mushrooms often, here is a guide on how to clean and prep mushrooms, plus a few hacks for even quicker prep. You can blend the soup as soon as it finished cooking if you use an immersion blender, but if your using a stand blender you’ll want to let it cool slightly. Five minutes should be plenty.
Ingredient Swaps and Substitutions
If you don’t have everything available for this soup, try one or more of these swaps or subs.
If you don’t have cremini mushrooms available, regular button mushrooms will work just fine. You could also make this even more flavorful and multi-textured with the addition of shiitake, maitake, morel, or other wild mushrooms. Remove any tough stems when prepping.You can also use chicken or beef stock for this recipe. It will result in a richer soup.Love to roast your own chestnuts? This is an excellent use for them after they’ve been roasted and peeled! Keep the cooked chestnuts on hand until ready to make the soup, then proceed as you would for the packaged ones.Use roasted garlic instead of fresh for added caramelized flavor. If you roast it, double the amount added to the soup.If you don’t have white pepper on hand, standard black pepper will work well.For a different herbal quality, try sage or rosemary instead of thyme. Follow the same process of simmering the soup with the fresh sprigs, then discarding them before blending.You can use raw hazelnuts or cashews instead of chestnuts. Make sure to cut the nuts smaller, as it will take them longer to cook otherwise. I’d recommend about 1/4-inch pieces.
Chestnut Mushroom Soup Variations
Try one of the below variations for a new spin on this chestnut soup.
To make this a main dish soup, add 2-4 ounces of cubed and sautéed tofu or shredded cooked chicken to each bowl.If you prefer a completely creamy soup that doesn’t have any chunkiness at all, you can blend it completely. Passing it through a sieve, or food mill, after blending will yield a thinner, delicate texture.
Serving Suggestions
Serve this soup with a side salad and crusty bread for a light meal, in a cup or bowl as a side dish at Thanksgiving or Christmas dinner, or in a sourdough bread bowl as a main dish.
Storage Instructions
This Chestnut Mushroom Soup keeps well for days, and it freezes well too. Store any unused portions in a tightly sealed container in the refrigerator. To freeze, store the soup in a tightly sealed container in the fridge until cold, then transfer to the freezer for up to three months. Thaw in the fridge, or on the counter until pliable. Once thawed, heat on the stovetop until gently simmering. If you’re looking for more tips for freezing soups this guide on How to Freeze Soup, Beans, and Broth is a great resource.
More Marvelous Mushroom Soup Recipes
Cream of Wild Mushroom Soup Vegan Mushroom Barley Soup Chicken Soup with Ginger and Shiitake Mushrooms Farro, Mushroom, and Spinach Soup
Add the garlic, mushrooms, and chestnuts, and sauté for an additional 2 minutes. The vegetables will all appear softened, and the mushrooms will have shrunk considerably. Remove half the soup with a ladle or a glass liquid measuring cup and carefully pour it into a blender carafe. If the soup still feels very hot when you place it in the blender, remove the center cap of the blender’s lid and place a clean dish towel over it, so steam can escape as you blend the soup. If using a low-power blender, blend on medium, about 15 seconds or if using a high-speed blender, about five seconds, until the soup is creamy. The half batch of soup should fit in a standard sized blender well below the “fill to” line. If you have a small blender, though, you may wish to do this in two batches.
