Hearty Dutch Oven Chestnut & Porcini Mushroom Soup: A Soul-Warming Recipe for Grill or Stovetop

Have you ever experienced the magic of making a rich, aromatic soup in a Dutch Oven, especially over a grill? If not, prepare to embark on a culinary journey with this truly exceptional chestnut soup recipe, elevated by the earthy depth of dried porcini mushrooms. This isn’t just any soup; it’s a gourmet experience that brings comfort and sophisticated flavors to your table, whether it’s a chilly autumn evening or a festive winter holiday.

This splendid soup offers an extraordinarily intense chestnut flavor, subtly caressed by the fresh, crisp notes of celery. The real showstopper, however, is the addition of perfectly roasted porcini mushrooms, which provide a divine, umami-rich finish that will tantalize your taste buds and leave you craving more. It’s a harmonious blend of sweet, savory, and earthy notes that sing together in every spoonful.

The Versatility of Porcini: Fresh or Dried

One of the beauties of this recipe is its adaptability. You can prepare this delicious chestnut soup with either fresh or dried porcini mushrooms. While fresh porcini offer a delicate, buttery texture, dried porcini bring an even more concentrated, intense umami flavor to the soup. The secret is in how you prepare them, as we’ll discuss in our top tip.

A Holiday Tradition and More

We first created and savored this delightful chestnut soup during last year’s Christmas holidays, and it quickly became a new tradition. It was the perfect starter to an unforgettable festive meal. We served it as part of a grand dinner, alongside a succulent bacon-wrapped venison tenderloin, elegant duchess potatoes, vibrant Brussels sprouts, and for a sweet finish, traditional Austrian Buchteln (light yeast pastries often filled with jam or chocolate), served with a luscious vanilla sauce. If you’re searching for inspiration for your next holiday gathering, these recipes can help you craft a truly fabulous and memorable Christmas dinner menu!

Grill Master or Stovetop Chef: Your Choice!

Just like with our duchess potatoes, my BBQ-loving husband couldn’t resist the opportunity to prepare this chestnut soup on the grill. Cooking soup in a Dutch Oven on a gas grill imparts a subtle, smoky depth that truly elevates the flavor profile, making it a unique outdoor culinary adventure. The consistent, even heat of a Dutch Oven is perfect for simmering, whether it’s over charcoal or propane.

But don’t worry if grilling isn’t your preferred method or if the weather isn’t cooperating. This excellent soup can be made just as easily and deliciously using your Dutch Oven on a conventional stovetop. The key is the Dutch Oven itself, which provides superior heat retention and distribution, ensuring your soup simmers perfectly and develops all its rich flavors.

Why Cook Soup in a Dutch Oven?

A Dutch Oven is an indispensable tool in any kitchen, especially for soups and stews. Its heavy construction, typically cast iron (enameled or bare), allows for incredibly even heat distribution and retention. This means fewer hot spots, preventing burning and ensuring your soup cooks consistently. The tight-fitting lid minimizes evaporation, keeping all those wonderful aromas and moisture locked inside, resulting in a more flavorful and tender outcome. Whether on the grill or stove, a Dutch Oven transforms simple ingredients into culinary masterpieces.

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🥘 Ingredients

Gathering your ingredients beforehand, often called “mise en place,” is a chef’s secret to a smooth cooking process. For this recipe, fresh, high-quality ingredients will truly make a difference in the final taste.

• Onion: Finely chopped for a foundational aromatic base.
• Celery: Finely sliced to add a delicate, fresh counterpoint to the rich chestnuts.
• White Wine: Used for deglazing, it adds a layer of acidity and complexity. Can be replaced by vegetable broth or the soaking water from dried porcini if you prefer to avoid alcohol.
• Chestnut Purée: The star of the show, providing the creamy texture and distinctive sweet, earthy flavor. Look for unsweetened varieties.
• Vegetable or Chicken Broth: The liquid base for the soup. Homemade is always best, but a good quality store-bought broth works wonderfully.
• Whipped Cream: Added at the end for a luxurious, velvety texture and richness.
• Porcini Mushrooms: Dried or fresh, these mushrooms are essential for their deep, woody, umami flavor. (See our top tip for using dried porcini.)
• Parsley: Freshly chopped for garnish, adding a burst of color and a herbaceous note. Dried parsley can also be used.
• Cinnamon: A surprising yet delightful spice that complements the chestnuts beautifully, adding warmth and a hint of sweetness.
• Coconut Fat or Avocado Oil: For sautéing, chosen for their high smoke points and neutral flavors.
• Butter: For frying the porcini mushrooms, giving them a golden, rich flavor.
• Kosher Salt: To season and enhance all the flavors.
• Black Pepper: Freshly ground for a pungent kick.
• Nutmeg: A pinch of freshly grated nutmeg can elevate the creamy, earthy notes.

See the full recipe card below for exact quantities and detailed instructions.

🔪 Instructions

Whether you’re grilling outdoors or cooking indoors, the preparation of this soup is straightforward and rewarding. For those using a gas grill, the setup is similar to preparing dishes like duchess potatoes. We personally use a Napoleon Rogue grill with three burners and two grates at home, which works perfectly. However, feel free to use any grill setup you have; the principles remain the same. For stovetop cooking, simply place your Dutch Oven on a burner and adjust heat as needed.

Step 1: Preheat Your Dutch Oven and Grill (or Stove)

Begin by placing your Dutch Oven directly on the grill grates. There’s no need for special inserts, though they are available. If you’re using a grill, preheat it with the Dutch Oven inside to 190 °C (374 °F). This allows the Dutch Oven to heat evenly and thoroughly, creating the ideal cooking environment. If you’re cooking on a stovetop, place the Dutch Oven over medium-high heat until it’s hot enough to sauté.

Step 2: Master Your Mise en Place

While your grill or stovetop is preheating, take this opportunity to prepare all your remaining ingredients. This technique, known as “mise en place” (everything in its place), is crucial for a smooth and enjoyable cooking experience. I always recommend preparing small bowls and measuring cups with all the necessary ingredients pre-chopped, measured, and ready to go. This way, you have everything at your fingertips, eliminating frantic searching and ensuring a relaxed cooking process. Plus, for grilling, you can conveniently carry your prepared bowls out to the grill on a tray.

So, get your solid ingredients ready: Finely chop the onion and fresh parsley (if using a chopper). Slice the celery into small, uniform pieces. Place the pureed chestnuts in a small bowl. Measure out your liquid ingredients into separate cups. Finally, gather all your spices. With everything organized, you’re ready to cook with confidence.

Step 3: Sautéing Aromatics and Deglazing

Once your Dutch Oven and grill (or stovetop) have reached the correct temperature, carefully add the coconut oil or avocado oil to the hot Dutch Oven. Immediately add the finely chopped onion and sliced celery. Sauté them gently until they become translucent and fragrant, softening but not browning too much. This step is crucial for building the foundational flavor of your soup.

Next, carefully deglaze the pot with white wine. Pour the wine into the hot Dutch Oven and use a wooden spoon to scrape up any browned bits stuck to the bottom. These bits are packed with flavor! Allow the wine to simmer for a minute or two, letting the alcohol evaporate, leaving behind a concentrated, aromatic essence. If you’re avoiding alcohol, use vegetable broth or the reserved porcini soaking water for deglazing.

Step 4: Simmering the Soup to Perfection

Now, bring your soup to a gentle boil. Add the vegetable or chicken broth and the pureed chestnuts. Stir well to combine all the ingredients smoothly. If you’re cooking on a grill, now is the time to create indirect heat: move the Dutch Oven to one side of the grill and turn off the burners directly underneath it, leaving the burners on the opposite side to maintain heat. If you’re on a stovetop, simply reduce the heat to a low simmer.

Stirring constantly to prevent sticking, bring the entire mixture back to a boil, then reduce the heat to a gentle simmer. Allow the soup to simmer over indirect heat (or low heat on the stove) for 15-20 minutes. This simmering period allows the flavors to meld and deepen, creating a truly harmonious and rich soup.

Step 5: Preparing the Star Porcini Mushrooms

While your soup is simmering, you have the perfect window to prepare the porcini mushrooms. Head back into your kitchen and place a skillet on the stove over medium-high heat. Add a tablespoon of butter and let it melt until it’s slightly browned and fragrant. Add the porcini mushrooms (fresh or rehydrated dried ones) to the skillet and fry them until they are beautifully golden brown and slightly crispy. Season them generously with kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper. Once cooked, remove them from the heat and set them aside. These pan-fried porcini will add a wonderful texture and a burst of concentrated mushroom flavor to the finished soup.

Step 6: The Final Touch and Serving

Return to your grill (or stovetop). Now, gently stir in the whipped cream and a dash of cinnamon into the simmering soup. Bring it to a boil one last time, stirring gently to ensure everything is well combined and heated through. The cream will add a luxurious body, and the cinnamon will infuse a warm, inviting aroma.

After this final boil, your exquisite chestnut soup is ready to be served! Ladle it into warm bowls. Before serving, remember the crucial final step: generously add the roasted porcini mushrooms on top of each serving, and sprinkle with a vibrant scattering of freshly chopped parsley. This not only adds visual appeal but also enhances the texture and freshness.

Enjoy every comforting, flavorful spoonful!

More Delicious Recipes to Inspire You

If you’re looking to expand your culinary repertoire or seeking more warming, comforting meals, check out these fantastic recipes:

• Sweet Corn Soup: A delightful and creamy option for any season.
• 36 Soup Recipes for your Amazing Christmas Dinner: A comprehensive collection to spark your holiday menu planning.
• Potato and Leek Soup (created by dayswellspent.com): A classic comfort soup, rich and satisfying.
• Pastina Soup (created by the-bella-vita.com): A light, soothing, and incredibly simple Italian staple.

🥜 Substitutions & Dietary Adjustments

This recipe is wonderfully versatile, allowing for various substitutions to fit different dietary needs or preferences:

Can I make it vegan?

Absolutely! To transform this into a delightful vegan soup, simply replace the dairy whipped cream with a high-quality, unsweetened soy-based or cashew-based cream. Substitute the butter used for frying the porcini with coconut fat or avocado oil. Ensure your vegetable broth is vegan-friendly, and you’re good to go!

Other Mushroom Options: While porcini mushrooms offer a unique depth, you can experiment with other varieties. Cremini or shiitake mushrooms, when sautéed until deeply golden, can also add a wonderful earthy flavor, though the profile will be slightly different.

Broth Alternatives: If you don’t have vegetable or chicken broth on hand, mushroom broth can further enhance the umami notes, or simply use water with a good quality bouillon cube.

📖 Variations for Your Palate

The beauty of this chestnut and porcini mushroom soup lies in its fundamental deliciousness, which holds true across different preparations:

• Stovetop Preparation: As mentioned, preparing the soup on the stove is just as easy and yields fantastic results. Simply follow the instructions, adjusting heat levels on your burner instead of grill settings.
• No Dutch Oven? No Problem!: If you don’t have a Dutch Oven available, any large, heavy-bottomed soup pot will work perfectly. The goal is even heat distribution, which most good quality pots can achieve.
• Creamy vs. Chunky: For a silkier soup, you can use an immersion blender or transfer batches to a regular blender to purée the soup until perfectly smooth after simmering and before adding the cream. For a slightly more rustic texture, you can leave some small pieces of celery, onion, or chestnut unblended.
• Spice it Up: For an extra layer of warmth, consider adding a pinch of white pepper or a tiny hint of cayenne for a subtle kick that will complement the chestnuts beautifully.

If you are a fan of mushroom soup, we also highly recommend trying out Nena’s gluten-free cream of mushroom soup!

🍽 Essential Equipment

Having the right tools can make your cooking experience much more efficient and enjoyable. Here’s what you’ll need for this delicious soup:

• Dutch Oven: The star of this recipe, or a large, heavy-bottomed soup pot for even cooking.
• Electric Chopper: Great for quickly and finely dicing onions and parsley.
• Skillet: Essential for perfectly frying those flavorful porcini mushrooms.
• Wooden Spoon: Ideal for stirring without scratching your pots and for scraping up fond when deglazing.
• Bowls & Measuring Cups: For efficient mise en place, making the cooking process seamless.
• Gas Grill: For that unique smoky flavor, or your standard kitchen stove.

🌡️ Storage & Make-Ahead Tips

This chestnut and porcini mushroom soup is fantastic for meal prepping or enjoying over a few days. Proper storage ensures you can savor its flavors long after it’s made:

• Refrigeration: The soup will keep beautifully in an airtight container in the refrigerator for two to three days. Its flavors may even deepen overnight!
• Freezing: For longer storage, this soup freezes exceptionally well. Allow it to cool completely, then transfer it to freezer-safe containers or bags. It can be frozen for up to six months. Thaw overnight in the refrigerator and gently reheat on the stovetop, adding a splash of broth or cream if needed to restore its original consistency.
• Make-Ahead: You can prepare the base of the soup (up to the point of adding cream and cinnamon) in advance. When ready to serve, gently reheat and then proceed with adding the cream, cinnamon, and freshly fried porcini and parsley. This is especially helpful for entertaining.

If you create this heartwarming recipe, please let me know how much you enjoyed it by giving it a ★★★★★ star rating and leaving a comment below. Your feedback is invaluable and so appreciated! You can also sign up for our Newsletter to receive weekly delicious homemade recipes directly in your inbox. And don’t forget to follow me on Pinterest or Instagram and share your culinary creations with me. Just tag me @combinegoodflavors and use the hashtag #combinegoodflavors so I don’t miss seeing your amazing dishes!

📖 Recipe Card

Chestnut and Porcini Mushroom Soup {Dutch Oven} {Gas Grill}

Nora

This splendid soup features an extraordinarily intense chestnut flavor, complemented by celery and finished with rich, roasted porcini mushrooms. A truly divine dish, perfect for any occasion! You can easily prepare this soup using either fresh or dried porcini mushrooms.

5 from 49 votes

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Prep Time

20 minutes
mins

Grill Time

30 minutes
mins

Total Time

50 minutes
mins

Course
Soup

Cuisine
Austrian

Servings

6
Servings

Calories

286
kcal

Equipment

• Dutch Oven
  or large soup pot
• Electric chopper
• skillet
• Wooden spoon
• Mixing bowls
• Gas Grill
  or stove

Ingredients

 

 

• 1
  onion
  finely chopped
• 3
  stalks
  celery
  finely sliced
• 100
  ml
  white wine
  can be replaced by soup or porcini soaking water if no alcohol is desired
• 500
  g
  
  chestnut puree
  
• 1
  l
  vegetable or chicken broth
  – homemade or purchased
• 200
  ml
  
  whipped cream
  
• 100
  g
  Porcini mushrooms
  dried (rehydrated) or fresh
• 1
  tablespoon
  parsley – chopped
  fresh or dried
• 1
  dash
  
  cinnamon
  
• 1
  teaspoon
  coconut fat
  or avocado oil
• 1
  tablespoon
  butter
• kosher salt
• black pepper
• nutmeg

Instructions

 

• Preheat your grill, with the Dutch Oven placed inside, to 190 °C (374 °F). For stovetop cooking, place your Dutch Oven on a burner over medium-high heat.
• While the Dutch Oven is heating, prepare all your solid ingredients.
• Finely chop the onion and fresh parsley using a chopper or sharp knife, then set them aside in separate bowls.
• Cut the celery into small, uniform slices and place them in a separate bowl.
• Place the chestnut purée into a small, ready-to-use bowl.
• Measure your liquid ingredients (white wine/broth, vegetable/chicken broth, whipped cream) into individual measuring cups for easy access.
• Finally, gather all your spices (cinnamon, salt, pepper, nutmeg) and have them ready. With everything prepared, you are set for a smooth cooking experience.
• Once the Dutch Oven (and grill, if applicable) reaches the desired temperature, add the coconut oil or avocado oil to the hot pot.
• Add the chopped onion and sliced celery to the Dutch Oven and sauté until translucent and aromatic, about 5-7 minutes.
• Carefully deglaze the pot by pouring in the white wine (or vegetable broth/porcini soaking water). Scrape any browned bits from the bottom of the Dutch Oven with a wooden spoon, allowing the liquid to reduce slightly.
• Bring the mixture to a boil, then add the vegetable or chicken broth and the pureed chestnuts. Stir thoroughly to combine all ingredients.
• If cooking on the grill, establish indirect heat by moving the Dutch Oven to a section with burners turned off, maintaining heat from adjacent burners. On a stovetop, reduce heat to low. Stirring occasionally, let the soup simmer for 15-20 minutes, allowing flavors to deepen and meld.
• While the soup simmers, prepare the porcini mushrooms. Heat a separate pan on the stove with butter over medium-high heat. Fry the porcini mushrooms until they are golden brown and slightly crispy. Season them with salt and pepper, then set them aside.
• Return to your soup. Stir in the whipped cream and the dash of cinnamon. Bring the soup to a boil again, stirring continuously, then remove from heat.
• Your luxurious chestnut soup is now perfectly cooked and ready to be served.
• Before serving, garnish each bowl generously with the roasted porcini mushrooms and a sprinkle of fresh, chopped parsley for an inviting presentation and added flavor. Enjoy this soul-warming dish!

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Keyword
chestnut and porcini mushroom soup, Chestnut Soup, Chestnut soup with porcini mushroom, porcini mushroom, soup recipe, Dutch Oven soup

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Nutrition values are estimates only, using online calculators. Please verify using your own data.

Serving:
1
Serving

|

Calories:
286
kcal

|

Carbohydrates:
54
g

|

Protein:
5
g

|

Fat:
5
g

|

Saturated Fat:
3
g

|

Polyunsaturated Fat:
1
g

|

Monounsaturated Fat:
1
g

|

Trans Fat:
1
g

|

Cholesterol:
15
mg

|

Sodium:
652
mg

|

Potassium:
797
mg

|

Fiber:
3
g

|

Sugar:
3
g

|

Vitamin A:
288
IU

|

Vitamin C:
37
mg

|

Calcium:
50
mg

|

Iron:
1
mg

⛑️ Food Safety First

Ensuring food safety is paramount when cooking. Please follow these guidelines to prepare and enjoy your meal responsibly:

• Minimum Cooking Temperature: Always cook soup to a minimum internal temperature of 165 °F (74 °C) to ensure all ingredients are safely heated.
• Cross-Contamination: Avoid using the same utensils on cooked food that previously touched raw ingredients (like uncooked meats or unwashed vegetables) without proper cleaning.
• Handwashing: Always wash your hands thoroughly with soap and warm water after handling raw ingredients.
• Temperature Danger Zone: Do not leave perishable food sitting out at room temperature for extended periods (generally no more than two hours). Promptly refrigerate leftovers.
• Unattended Cooking: Never leave cooking food unattended, especially when using a grill or a hot stovetop.
• Cooking Oils: Use oils with a high smoking point (like coconut oil or avocado oil) to avoid producing harmful compounds.
• Ventilation for Gas Stoves: Always ensure you have good ventilation when using a gas stove to disperse combustion byproducts.

For more detailed food safety guidelines, refer to USDA.gov.