Sauteed Mushrooms are an inexpensive way to add flavor, fiber, and texture to a meal.
My mom tells the story of taking two-year old me to a steak house with friends. They ordered a platter of sautéed mushrooms to go with their steaks, potatoes, and salads. While the adults were conversing, I ate all the mushrooms.
Yep, I’m a fan.
To this day, grilled steak and sautéed mushrooms ranks as one of my top favorites. Mushrooms won my heart early and have kept it all these years. They aren’t expensive, thank goodness, and a little goes a long way in terms of adding flavor, fiber, and texture to a meal. They are so simple to prepare, making the perfect addition to many a meal.
Are sauteed mushrooms good for you?
According to the Mushroom Council, mushrooms are “low in calories, fat-free, cholesterol-free, gluten-free, and very low in sodium, yet they provide important nutrients, including selenium, potassium (8%), riboflavin, niacin, vitamin D and more.”
How do you prepare sauteed mushrooms?
One of the easiest and tastiest ways to prepare mushrooms is to sauté them in a little butter or oil with garlic and herbs. Yum!
- In a large non-stick skillet over medium-high heat, heat the oil until shimmering. Add the mushrooms, garlic, herbes, salt and pepper to taste. Stir well to combine.
- Cook over medium heat until the mushrooms give up their liquid and the liquid starts to evaporate. Stir frequently to prevent burning. Once the mushrooms are golden brown, remove from heat. Adjust seasonings and serve.
Can you use saute canned mushrooms?
I use fresh mushrooms, but you can use canned mushrooms if you need to. Be sure to drain them, and run them under cool water before sauteeing.
How do you clean mushrooms?
If you are using whole mushrooms and slicing them yourself then you will need to give them a good cleaning before you do. You will notice there are still a bit dirty when you bring them home from the store.
There used to be a myth that you had to gently wipe each one clean with a damp paper cloth so they didn’t get soggy. But that has been disproven, and you can give them a quick rinse (a shower not a bath!) to get that dirt off quickly. As long as they are not soaking away in water they will be fine.
Tips for sauteeing mushrooms
- Whole mushrooms will always be a bit cheaper (unless sliced is on sale) then the sliced variety. So buy whole mushrooms and slice them yourselves to save a few pennies.
- The mushrooms will release quite a bit of liquid as they cook. As they do, they will begin to caramelize and develop that beautiful deep brown color.
- You can use button mushrooms or baby portobella mushrooms for these. Again, generally button mushrooms will be a bit on the cheaper side, so that’s we generally use.
What do you serve sauteed mushrooms with?
Serve sautéed mushrooms with
- eggs – like in this egg and sweet potato has recipe
- grilled meats like this Easy Mediterranean Grilled Steak Recipe
- chicken – maybe marinated in the The Best Dijon Mustard Marinade
- pasta – toss some into this Quick Meat Sauce for Pasta
- pizza – such as a topping on The BEST Homemade Supreme Pizza Recipe
They are delicious when prepped this way.
Or of course, you could eat them straight from the dish. That’s how I like them!
Sauteed Mushrooms
Ingredients
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 8 oz mushrooms (sliced)
- 1 tsp garlic minced
- 1/2 tsp herbes de Provence
- salt
- black pepper
Instructions
- In a large non-stick skillet over medium-high heat, heat the oil until shimmering. Add the mushrooms, garlic, herbes, salt and pepper to taste. Stir well to combine.
- Cook over medium heat until the mushrooms give up their liquid and the liquid starts to evaporate. Stir frequently to prevent burning. Once the mushrooms are golden brown, remove from heat. Adjust seasonings and serve.
Notes
- Whole mushrooms will always be a bit cheaper (unless sliced is on sale) then the sliced variety. So buy whole mushrooms and slice them yourselves to save a few pennies.
- The mushrooms will release quite a bit of liquid as they cook. As they do, they will begin to caramelize and develop that beautiful deep brown color.
- You can use button mushrooms or baby portabella mushrooms for these. Again, generally button mushrooms will be a bit on the cheaper side, so that's we generally use.
Sam P
I am always looking for great mushroom recipes and this is my favorite way to cook them! Delicious!
I have learned if you cook/grill them just right, the mushrooms will take on a “Grilled Meat” flavor, maybe better than meat itself.
One other favorite recipe is sauteed Onions, Mushrooms and Peppers (I choose thinner, mild or medium hot variety peppers [Poblano, etc.], not bell peppers, which seem to have too much water and therefore take a longer time to cook)
The Tricks:
1: Do not try to cook to many in a pan at a time. Too much liquid!
2: Sautee the ingredients separately, Onions, Mushrooms then Peppers, using the pan juices from one to enhance the next (you have more control of them as they can cook quite differently), then combine them in the pan and blend them to a glazed perfection!
This is a great topper, stuffer or ingredient for many dishes!
Or, like Jessica, by itself!
Thanks Jessica for the Steakhouse story!
MaryAnn Coy
Have you ever had Mushrooms sautéed with a splash of sherry & thyme?. They make Mushrooms dance! Perhaps for a date night sometime. I love, love love Mushrooms! Any old way. I use canned in quick soups or sauces. They were all we got when I was growing up. Fresh were only available in Summer. Now the Baby Bella’s are standard on my shopping list, like Portobellos, the Shiitake fresh or dried. Woodears In Mooshi, the long thin Japanese Mushrooms In broth soups. I would love to try Morels and
other fresh wild mushrooms, but Boston isn’t big on them. I even like plain old white mushrooms. They are so flavorful & healthy!
They have more nutrition that some vegetables, because of the rich substrates they grow in. I like them well cleaned & raw too. Yum,Yum, Yum, anyway I can get them. Can’t wait to try this recipe! MA from Boston, MA?????
Melissa
As a kid I used to prefer canned mushrooms. The shame! I love sautéed mushrooms in anything I can think of to add them to.
Rhonda
My hubby likes canned mushrooms. One of the few canned foods we buy. I don’t get eating canned mushrooms, not my taste. Fresh though are yummy (as fresh as we can get in a supermarket here…)
Sandi
Huge mushroom fans here. In fact, I just bought some more the other day, pantry challenge or not. They do add flavor to other dishes, make a nice side dish, and definitely help boost beef dishes/quantities. Sometimes I use broth instead of oil/butter, and if I want a beefier flavor, I will add a splash of Worcestershire sauce to them.
When I was younger, any kind of mushroom was just fine with me. Nowadays, I am not at all enamored with canned mushrooms. The kid is even pickier: if we are out somewhere, he will often pass on mushrooms completely if he knows they will be the canned variety.
Heather M
This post took me back to a really important food memory I have. I was raised with no mushrooms in my diet because my dad really doesn’t like them (my mom does, but she would only eat them out). When I was 17 I spent a summer as an exchange student in Belgium. Needless to say, spending a summer in Europe was formative food-wise. My host family took me on a week’s vacation to the swiss alps. One morning we hiked to a hidden restaurant on a beautiful little mountain lake. It was there I ate the most memorable soup I have ever eaten in my life, a wild mushroom soup that was out of this world delicious. I fell in love with mushrooms right then and have loved them ever since. Once I left for college a year later, I started cooking with mushrooms and will until I die. 🙂
Asha
What a beautiful memory!
Rhonda
Thanks for sharing.
Sam P.
Mushroom Soup, made well, is an incredible experience!
Loved your story!
Stephanie M.
I love mushrooms too. I eat them in any form. My favorites are portabella and shitake. They add so much flavor to whatever they go in. Portabellas are great on the BBQ too.
AmyG
It took me over 40 years to like mushrooms, but now I love them cooked. I add them as a replacement for part of the beef in recipes. Sliced, so my teenaged daughter can remove them or diced tiny before sautéing so they blend in with ground beef, like in spaghetti sauce (she does not mind this). And they shine when puréed in homemade cream of mushroom soup. They add so much umami flavor! Fresh mushrooms make all the difference, as does cooking them in a hot pan until carmelized in butter or a combination of butter and olive oil; the texture of canned or poorly sautéed wet and slimy mushrooms were what made me dislike them when I was younger. A part of my fruit and vegetable budget each week is spent on mushrooms, if I have extra I make Omelets stuffed with sautéed mushrooms, carmelized onions and cheese.
Rhonda
Yum, it all sounds great!
Jessica Fisher
I have a gravy that I make with finely chopped mushrooms. My kids love it, but they don’t think they like mushrooms. Ha!
Debby
Love mushrooms….usually add a pinch of cayenne to kick up the flavor!
Jessica Fisher
Sounds like a great touch!
Stacy
Yum, I love mushrooms! Thanks for the recipe.