Sauteed mushrooms have no right tasting this good. Pair these little brown orbs of delight with a perfectly cooked steak and we're in business. The beauty of this recipe is its simplicity. Four ingredients to mushroom nirvana. Let's check out how.
This sauteed mushrooms recipe is gluten free, paleo, low carb and full of flavor.
IT'S EASY TO MAKE SAUTEED MUSHROOMS.
At our house, we have an ongoing love affair with mushrooms. Everyone loves mushrooms around here. How can you not when they taste this good? When we add roasted garlic, thyme, mushrooms and bacon fat together it's like a symphony in the kitchen. Perfection for the senses: the smell is intoxicating, the sound of the fat cooking the mushrooms piques the curiosity and they just look delicious with their golden brown goodness.
The secret behind great sauteed mushrooms is allowing them to brown in a hot pan before adding anything else. No fat, no oil and definitely NO SALT! Get that pan nice and hot, hot, hot! Then add those little suckers right in there. It will sound like two pieces of styrofoam rubbing together as they start to brown. Adding in salt too early will make the mushrooms lose their liquid before they brown. They will still taste ok, but not as good as the dry heat method.
HOW TO SAUTE MUSHROOMS
So I just gave away the secret to awesome sauteed mushrooms above, but there is more than dry heating to make really good mushrooms. The second secret is to keep the recipe simple. Mushrooms are the epitome of earthy flavor that adds depth to just about any meal. One thing I have found over the years is when you try to add too much to an earthy ingredient you tend to end up with a disaster rather than the pure essence of the ingredient.
Ok, so we'll dry heat our mushrooms and keep it simple. I also like to add in some fresh herbs, whether it is thyme, parsley or even rosemary. The mushroom really absorbs the flavor of the herb like a sponge. Delicious. I've seen oregano-spiked mushrooms before too, but they aren't my favorite. If you're not sure how it will taste, after the mushrooms have released their liquid simply break off some of the mushrooms into another pan. Toss the herbs in and see how it tastes. Here's another recipe I have for Easy Sauteed Mushrooms with just salt, pepper and parsley. Yum.
CLEANING MUSHROOMS
I have seen so many different ways that people clean mushrooms at our cooking school. Some people brush them off with a toothbrush, others with a kitchen towel. I've seen them get wiped just with fingers to get the big pieces of soil off. Then there is the "wet" side of cleaning: either individually or in a colander. So what way is the right way? Really any of them work so long as all the grit is removed.
When I am working with more than 10oz of mushrooms (1 large package of uncut mushrooms) I typically rinse them in a colander with large holes. I find that the dirt disappears quickly and reduces my prep time. If you wash them in a colander, you will get water in the gills of the mushroom. It just means that they will need to sit on the counter to dry for a while after they are sliced... otherwise, the amount of liquid that gets released when the salt is added to the recipe will overwhelm the pan. Nobody wants a mushroom water swimming pool on their stove.
If you look at the picture right near the top of this post, that image is 20oz (2 large packages) of baby bella mushrooms cooked down. Mushrooms basically lose ¾ of their volume from the start of cooking to the end. Make sure you make enough for the amount of guests needing mushrooms!
QUICK COOKING TIP: When making sauteed mushrooms I always use a cast iron pan. It doesn't give any sass when I'm heating it dry (try to heat a thin aluminum saute pan dry sometime) and retains its heat when the mushrooms release their liquid, allowing for some immediate evaporation.
Ok. We've talked a lot about sauteed mushrooms. Let's get to this easy mushroom saute recipe!
Roasted Garlic Sauteed Mushrooms
Ingredients
- 2 10 OZ Baby Bella Mushrooms cleaned and quartered
- 2 tablespoon Rendered Bacon Fat
- 2 Sprigs Fresh Thyme
- 4-6 Cloves Roasted Garlic
- 2 Pinches of Kosher Salt
Instructions
- Heat a cast iron or other heavy bottom pan over HIGH heat until the pan is hot. Add in the mushrooms dry. Stir them for 4-5 minutes until browned and starting to release their liquid.
- Add in the bacon fat, thyme and salt. Stir well. When the mushrooms begin releasing their liquid, add in the roasted garlic. If you add it in too soon it might scorch in the pan.
- Continue to cook until the mushroom liquid has cooked off and the mushrooms are tender and delicious.
- Remove from the heat, serve hot and enjoy!
Notes
Nutrition
FINAL THOUGHTS ON THE EASY SAUTEED MUSHROOMS RECIPE:
So I just took a break from writing this post to eat some lunch. It was leftover Porterhouse Steak (the delicious tenderloin!) with these awesome mushrooms. Oh man, even reheated they were tender, juicy and full of flavor. It was like eating the last "perfect bite" on the plate for my entire lunch. Just awesome.
What to pair the sauteed mushrooms with? That's easy: meat. Try this Pan Seared Steak Recipe or these Perfect Pan Seared Pork Chops. Thinking that you want something a little different? How about trying these sauteed mushrooms on some Pork Burgers. Just delightful.
Nicoletta @sugarlovespices says
Such a simple recipe for a dish packed with flavor. We love sautéed mushrooms and we cook them a lot. I like parsley with mushrooms, but thyme works well too. And we always add a splash of white wine when sautéeing them 😉 . Yours look absolutely spectacular, juicy morsels of goodness.
Scott Groth says
Hi Nicoletta:
Thanks so much- I love adding wine to my mushrooms too... Provided there is enough left.
Have an awesome day-
Take care,
Scott
Mark says
Sauteed mushrooms are my favorite. I've never added in roasted garlic- what a nice flavor combination. Absolutely perfect with grilled steak!
Scott Groth says
Hi Mark:
My favorite pairing for these delicious mushrooms - a huge steak!
Thank you for writing.
Take care,
Scott
MelBG says
How many Net Carbs?