Butternut Squash Soup with Chestnuts

My sister gave me this recipe several years ago. This squash soup is the bomb of butternut squash soups! The chestnuts add a great flavor. It is so smooth and creamy. Even if you don’t like squash soup you will love this soup.

1 carrot
1 medium onion
1 stalk celery
4 c. vegetable broth
2-1/2 lbs squash peeled into 1″ cubes (5 cups)
3/4 lb chestnuts (1-1/2 cups)
1/2 to 1 cup full fat coconut milk or half-n-half
salt
white pepper

Dice carrot, onion and celery and saute in butter or oil. Cut an X carefully in chestnuts & boil 10 minutes (or purchase pre-cooked chestnuts in a jar or pouch from your local grocery). Cool.
Add peeled nutmeats squash and broth to stockpot. Bring to a boil, reduce to simmer till soft, about 30-35 minutes. Puree with immersion blender. Adjust liquids and season if desired with salt and white pepper. Add coconut milk or half-n-half to pot, stir and serve.

I used an electronic pressure cooker and cooked the soup 8 minutes and allowed the pressure to come down on its own before opening the cooker.