Chestnut Mushroom Soup, Food Healthy Food recipes and inspirations Blog

Chestnut-Mushroom Soup with Pancetta

As a tradition we organize a Christmas dinner every year the weekend before Christmas with five girlfriends including their partners. This year we decided to prepare the dinner ourselves instead of going out to a restaurant. That was a perfect decision; we all prepared the perfect Christmas dinner with six tasty courses!! Many restaurants would have been jealous of the high quality that was served on that lovely Christmas table. I made the soup and my friends wanted to have the recipe, so here it is!! Of course too late to prepare for this Christmas but you can make it anytime of course, it is a real winter dish. And keep it in mind for your next Christmas dinner; you really make a good show serving this soup!! Check this Soup food blog and others for more information and inspirations!

“Christmas Soup”: What ingredients do you need for 6 persons ?

  • Frying pan
  • Big Steal pan
  • Blender
  • Kitchen paper
  • Bowls or deep plates: 6 for serving
  • Chestnut mushrooms: 500 gr
  • Shiitake: 200 gr
  • Cooked chestnuts: 250 gr (vacuum packed), roughly chopped
  • Sweet union: 1 pieces cut in pieces
  • Herb stock: 1 liter
  • Sour cream: 125 ml (Dutch: Crème fraîche)
  • Pancetta: 100 gr
  • Olive oil: 2 tablespoons
  • Thyme: 4 fresh strings, only the leave
  •  Salt & Pepper
  • Optional but I really recommend it: truffle paste (get it a deli), 1 teaspoon per serving

I never cooked with chestnuts before, so that was new to me. You can get the chestnuts cooked and packed vacuum in a serving of 500 gr. Because I made this soup for 12 persons, I could use the whole packing! 

Ingredients for a Chestnut Mushroom Soup, Food Healthy Food recipes and inspirations BlogHow to make this Chestnut-Mushroom Soup?

Clean the mushrooms and shiitake with a piece of kitchen paper. Cut all in slices. Keep 1/5 of the mushrooms and shiitake aside to garnish. Heat up the frying pan and use 1 tablespoon of oil and fry the  union for about 4-5 minutes. Add the mushrooms and shiitake and fry all for about 3-4 minutes; keep stirring. Take the big steal pan and put it up the heater, put the content of the frying pan into the big steal pan and add the thyme and chopped chestnuts. Stir well and add the herb stock to the all the ingredients. Bring it slowly to boil and leave it for another 15 min cooking on a low fire.

During the cooking the soup; clean the frying pan with more kitchen paper and bake the pancetta for a several minutes till gold brown and crispy. Take the pancetta out of the pan and let it dry and soak on more kitchen paper. Fry the remainder of the mushrooms and shiitake with the last olive oil till the water comes out for about 3-4 minutes; season with salt and pepper. Cut the fried pancetta in small slices.

If you are vegetarian you can skip the pancetta of course, but then use the truffle to add a more salty taste to the soup. 

Use the blender to puree the soup and when ready stir the sour cream (crème fraîche) through the soup till all is absorbed. Season the soup with salt and pepper. Divide the soup in the bowls or deep plates and finish with the fried mushrooms and shiitake, pancetta and some thyme. And optional which is really nice the truffle paste!!!

I prepared this soup couple of hours before I left for my dinner, I took everything with me in boxes and the big frying pan which I hold tight with a belt around it; this way it didn’t leak!! When it was my turn I only had heat up the soup and fry the mushrooms and shiitake and start plating. Preparing is everything!!

How delicious is this “Christmas” soup?!?! 

Ready for more recipes, check my blogs here!

More about Lunch

Easy Vegetable Tortilla

Easy Vegetable Tortilla

I don't make that much lunch dishes. I lunch at work were they offer a broad range of healthy options, so no need to bring my own salad. In the weekend I like to make a vegetable tortilla. This tortilla is without the traditional potatoes but with sweet potatoes! I...

Veggie Style Gado Gado

Veggie Style Gado Gado

I love Gado Gado!! This Indonesian vegetable dish is inspired by my Balinese cooking class; which I did when I was there on holiday. I love Indonesian food soooo much!! Back home I made the Bumbu Bali paste recipe and used it for many dishes (check here). I used the...

Healthy Salmon or Tuna Poke Bowl!

Healthy Salmon or Tuna Poke Bowl!

I love Poke Bowls!! Poke is pronounced poh-keh and the word means to cut in Hawaiian. All the ingredients are cut in eatable portions and include raw fish marinated in soy sauce. I order a Poke Bowl now and then for lunch, but now it was time again to prepare one...

Fruity French Toast

Fruity French Toast

Sunday morning again!! I'm into something new, healthy, fresh and filling. I looked in my fridge and found bread, eggs, milk and some red fruit. Oatmeal? No, something new French Toast; or in Holland we call them Wentelteefjes. This meal is actually not new at all;...

Nori Omelet Wrap with Salmon

Nori Omelet Wrap with Salmon

I don't make lunches too often. During the week I have a salad for lunch at work, so pretty easy. In the weekends I normally go out with friends for a coffee and lunch at our local lunchrooms and cafeterias. But during the Christmas and New Year's I had to make myself...

Pumpkin Soup with Chicken and Goat Cheese

Pumpkin Soup with Chicken and Goat Cheese

It's autumn and for me that means: Pumpkin Soup! I love to make soups, it's so easy to make, healthy and you have food for a couple of days. One hour in the kitchen and you have six meals; that is what I call efficient. You know I'm Dutch, but love the orange color of...

Creamy Avocado Bowl

Creamy Avocado Bowl

Sunday morning; after a late great sunset surf session I woke up hungry! I used my creative mind to make myself a good and filling breakfast. I can tell you, with this avocado bowl you can endure for a couple of hours. You probably think avocado for breakfast, it must...

Simple Spring Rolls

Simple Spring Rolls

In the summer you don't want to stand in the kitchen too long to prepare your food. This recipe for spring rolls is super easy, fresh and healthy at the same time. You can have the simple spring rolls for lunch or a light dinner. And you can prepare and take it with...

Lunch recipe: Hummus with grilled vegetables

Lunch recipe: Hummus with grilled vegetables

I already made hummus before I even left to Tel Aviv, I love hummus!!!! This time I used the herbs that I bought at the Carmel Market to make this hummus with grilled vegetable. It is so easy but so tasty and healthy. I use spelt bread as a basis, but you can use any...

Follow me on Instagram!

Let Me Inspire You Mirja; Lifestyle tips and inspirations Blog

More food inspiration

Orange Moroccan Chicken Tajine

Orange Moroccan Chicken Tajine

You probably already know when you read my blogs I prepare my diners ahead for the week. Normally Sunday is my cooking evening. Depending on what I have in store and what I am up to I start preparing. This is Orange Moroccan Chicken Tajine is of my favorites too;...

South African Bobotie with Green Beans

South African Bobotie with Green Beans

After a detoxing period, read my blog on Sport Fasting, I normally get inspired to make make new recipes. This Bobotie is originally from South Africa, where I ate it a couple of times. The origin of the Bobotie comes from the Dutch who brought the spices from...

Flammkuchen with Figs, Serrano Ham and Goat Cheese

Flammkuchen with Figs, Serrano Ham and Goat Cheese

Flammkuchen is a delicious and fast dish which you can easily make by yourself. I use the prefabricated dough for the flammkuchen. This basis is perfect to serve a nice looking meal in ±30 minutes. Flammkuchen is a specialty of the historic regions around the...