Mushrooms with Chestnuts

Mushrooms with chestnuts in a Madeira wine sauce is doing double duty as the perfect holiday side dish or a vegan main course. Perfect when you have vegan and meat eaters gathering around the same table. No need to make two dishes, we can all share!

Which is perfect because… I have been distracted! We have a foster pup staying with us until Christmas Eve. But I have been busy doting on him until he goes home, with Mr. Peel’s brother! Guess he is less foster pup and more my nephew?  Yippee!  Chewy the Chiweenie is the best nephew ever!

But he is also quite the distraction. We should save time somewhere, but you know we aren’t sacrificing fabulous food. That is where our mushrooms with chestnuts recipe come in.

It has all the things a holiday dish should be; one pot, make ahead, pulls double duty as main or a side and you can recycle it all winter long! It makes meat eaters and vegans both happy.

How to Make Mushrooms with Chestnuts

To start with I want to be clear that this recipe is not for chestnut mushrooms (which are delightful) but for mushrooms with chestnuts. You know those little roasting toasting things that Christmas carols are made of. OK, now that is out of the way let’s talk about what goes into our perfect holiday mushroom recipe.

The key ingredient is not the fresh mushrooms or the roasted chestnuts but dried porcini mushrooms. Typically, we rehydrate dried mushrooms for cooking.

But grinding up the porcini mushrooms into a powder allows them to become the thickener for the sauce. Avoiding the gumminess, a gluten -free starch or flour would give if you make the recipe ahead of time. Plus, they provide additional flavor without the wait time of rehydrating.

You can pulse the dried porcinis in a spice grinder, small food processor or mortar and pestle.  The key is to get a night light powder.

Using organic pre-roasted and peeled chestnuts is the way to go. Oh, you have loads of time on your hands? First, so jealous! Second, here is a fantastic roasted chestnut recipe to try. I picked up mine at Costco but I saw them at my local grocery store as well.

Missing Madeira wine?  You can substitute dry vermouth, sherry or port.  If you are avoiding alcohol, any stock will work but try vegetable stock with a splash of cider vinegar to keep it vegan. This dish does need a hint of acid so don’t skip on the cider vinegar.

After that a basic saute and this recipe comes together in no time. Just be sure to reduce the sauce until it is thick and creamy.

To reheat for servings I cover it and warm it up in the oven at 275 degrees.

Do you have a favorite vegan holiday dish? Share a link to the recipe in the comments!

If you try this recipe, be sure to post a photo on Instagram with #peelwithzeal! Follow Peel with Zeal on Pinterest, Instagram, Facebook for the latest recipes and posts.

Print Recipe

5 from 5 votes

Mushrooms with Chestnuts

Serve as a side dish or vegan main course. Makes a great addition to any holiday table.

Prep Time5 mins

Cook Time15 mins

Total Time20 mins

Course: Side Dish

Cuisine: American

Keyword: Chesnuts, Christmas, Holiday, Mushrooms, Thanksgiving, Vegan

Servings: 4 sides (2 as a main course)

Ingredients

• 1/4 oz dried porcini
• 2 tbsp ghee sub coconut oil for vegan
• 2 med shallots, minced
• 16 oz mushrooms, quartered (I used cremini)
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 6 sprigs thyme, leaves removed
• 5 oz chestnuts, peeled and halved
• 1/2 c madeira wine (or sub stock)
• 1/4 c almond milk

Instructions

• Place dried porcini mushrooms in a spice grinder and pulse until a powder forms, set aside
  
• Melt ghee in a large skillet, sauté shallots until they start to brown, about 6 minutes
  
• Add garlic, stirring 1minutes
  
• Add mushrooms, sauté for 10 minutes
  
• Add thyme leaves and porcini powder, stir to coat the mushrooms
  
• Add wine or stock, simmer until evaporated
  
• Season to taste with salt and pepper
  
• Add chestnuts and almond milk, cook until chestnuts are warmed through and sauces thickens
  
• Garnish with additional thyme leaves, if desired
  

Notes

1. To make ahead of time, follow directions without adding almond milk. Reheat on the stove top and add the almond milk at the end.
2. Not AIP elimination phase compliant.