8 Best Mushroom Recipes to Make at Home

Cleaning mushrooms can be an uncomplicated process. In addition to using as little running water as necessary, here are a few other considerations to keep in mind:

1. 1. Determine the type. Most mushrooms require the same cleaning process, but some, like morel mushrooms, require more care. Slice morels in half and rinse them off briefly in cool water. Pat them dry with paper towels once they’re free of all debris.
2. 2. Use a paper towel. You can wipe off the dirt with a damp paper towel or damp cloth if you find a lot of heavy residue on your mushrooms. Don’t go too heavy with the water or the pressure, as you don’t want to ruin your mushrooms.
3. 3. Try a quick rinse. You shouldn’t have to give your mushrooms a deep cleaning. Instead, try rinsing them briefly under the faucet if you must use water.
4. 4. Use a mushroom brush. There are specialty tools out there just for this task, and a mushroom brush is one of them. Use it to lightly brush off any excess dirt. If you don’t have one, a pastry brush works just as well.
5. 5. Use as little water as necessary. Mushrooms are porous, so they function as sponges, soaking up water so that it’s difficult to get them crispy later.
6. 6. Use proper storage. Opt to place your mushrooms in a paper bag. Although plastic bags can be more convenient, condensation can give the mushrooms an unsavory texture. If you have to use a plastic bag, don’t seal it up tight, so that air can circulate throughout the bag. Keep mushrooms in your refrigerator.

The best way to store your mushrooms depends on how you prepared them or plan to prepare them. Before you cook them, check your mushrooms for signs that they are going bad—like dark spots, slime, odor, or wrinkles. Throw out any mushrooms that have gone bad. You can easily store mushrooms in the original packaging you bought them in, but changing their container can extend their shelf life. Here is a quick breakdown of how to store mushrooms to prevent quick spoilage.

1. 1. Store your mushrooms unwashed. Washing or soaking your mushrooms before you store them can cause them to absorb too much water, leading to faster expiration. Instead, wipe down the mushrooms with a damp paper towel to remove any lingering dirt or grime.
2. 2. Prepare your mushrooms. Decide whether you’re going to store your mushrooms whole or in pieces, which will impact how long they can last. You can also choose to blanch or sauté your mushrooms if you want to freeze them.
3. 3. Select your container. You should store fresh mushrooms in a porous container to promote air circulation and with paper towels to absorb excess moisture since fungi often thrive in damp, sealed environments. You can wrap raw mushrooms loosely in a paper towel, then store them in an open plastic or brown paper bag. Store cooked mushrooms in an airtight container like you would any other cooked food.

Every type of mushroom—including shiitake mushrooms, button mushrooms, chanterelle mushrooms, portobello mushrooms, and cremini mushrooms—has a finite shelf life, which can vary depending on how you prepare them.

• Cooked mushrooms: Sautéed mushrooms have a slightly longer shelf life than sliced raw mushrooms and can last in the fridge for seven to ten days. However, it’s also important to note that mushrooms can expire sooner if you include them in a dish with ingredients that go bad quickly.
• Dried mushrooms: If you store them properly, dried mushrooms can last for up to three years. Rather than keeping them in the fridge, store them at room temperature on the countertop or in the pantry.
• Frozen mushrooms: While you can freeze raw mushrooms, many of them will lose their structure and become mushy when you thaw them. Before freezing your mushrooms, cook, blanch, sauté, poach, or steam them to help lock in their texture and flavor. Then freeze them for a few hours on a parchment paper-lined baking sheet until each one is solidly frozen. Store the frozen, loose mushrooms in an airtight, vacuum-sealed plastic bag to prevent freezer burn.
• Marinated mushrooms: You can submerge mushrooms in olive oil (usually with lemon juice and other spices) and then seal them in a glass jar before refrigerating them. Most marinated mushrooms can last between ten and fourteen days.
• Sliced mushrooms: You should consume pre-sliced mushrooms from the grocery store within a week, but some batches can go bad within five days.
• Whole mushrooms: Most whole mushrooms from the grocery store can last in the refrigerator for up to two weeks. However, it is advisable to consume them within seven to ten days of purchasing them.

There are various recipes you can make with mushrooms, ranging from creamy mushroom dishes to mushroom soups and mushroom burgers. You can also roast mushrooms to eat as an appetizer or add them to your favorite comfort foods, like ramen, lasagna, or many pasta recipes and soup recipes. Some easy recipes for home cooks use a creamy mushroom sauce or mushrooms paired with carbohydrates like quinoa or proteins like pork chops. Here are eight mushroom-forward recipes that you can try:

1. 1. Mushroom bisque: A thick soup consisting of fresh mushrooms and aromatics, mushroom bisque simmers in broth and cream. Traditional French bisque recipes feature seafood like lobster, crayfish, shrimp, or crab as the main ingredient. Still, modern bisques may use puréed vegetables or aromatics in place of shellfish and rely on rice or other starches to thicken the base. One popular theory for the name “bisque” is that it comes from the French words “bis” and “cuite,” which roughly translates to “twice-cooked,” a reference to the soup’s two-stage cooking process. Try this recipe for mushroom bisque.
2. 2. Mushroom pasta: You can describe multiple pasta dishes that incorporate mushrooms and pasta as a mushroom pasta, but the terminology usually describes a traditionally Italian dish with a long noodle, like linguine or fettuccine, in a creamy sauce with sautéed mushrooms, such as shiitake, cremini, or oyster mushrooms. You can garnish mushroom pastas with fresh thyme and other fresh herbs. Check out this mushroom pasta recipe.
3. 3. Mushroom pie: A comforting and versatile dish, mushroom pie consists of a flaky, buttery crust and a mix of wild and white mushrooms. You can make this dish with homemade pie dough or speed things up with store-bought puff pastry. While savory pies are typical pub dinner fare, you can serve mushroom pie as part of a brunch spread as well. Make this dish vegan by using vegan puff pastry, swapping out olive oil for butter, and using a mashed potato in place of cream. Try making this recipe for mushroom pie.
4. 4. Mushroom pizza: Pizza is an Italian dish consisting of yeasted dough covered in toppings and baked in a very hot oven until golden brown. Mushrooms are one of the most popular pizza toppings, and you can serve mushrooms on pizzas with tomato-based sauce or on pizza bianca (white pizza). Earthy mushrooms go well with a variety of pizza toppings or shine on their own. Follow this recipe for mushroom pizza with goat cheese and garlic.
5. 5. Mushroom quiche: Quiche recipes include eggs, an indulgent amount of dairy, and any number of filling combinations, from ham and cheddar cheese to garlicky mushrooms and sautéed spinach—all nestled in a basic pastry crust. Although there are crustless quiches, most have a flaky, deep-dish pie crust. The trick to a flaky, crispy crust is to blind bake it before adding the filling. Learn how to make a mushroom quiche.
6. 6. Mushroom rice: Mushroom rice is a pilaf-style, one-pot side dish with enough satisfying flavor to stand alone as the main course. While white rice (long grain or short grain) will cook the fastest, brown rice will work nicely as well. This rice dish gets its flavor from a hefty pile of sliced mushrooms and broth. Chicken stock, or beef broth, or even a bouillon dissolved in water will add a nice depth of flavor to the mushroom rice. You can also use vegetable broth to make this dish vegan. Try this recipe for mushroom rice.
7. 7. Mushroom risotto: Risotto is an Italian rice dish that you traditionally cook with broth, butter, Parmesan cheese, white wine, and seasonal vegetables. Traditional risotto uses arborio rice, a rounded short-grain white rice with a high starch content that gives risotto its signature creamy consistency. Learn how to make Wolfgang Puck’s easy mushroom risotto.
8. 8. Mushroom stew: A savory, one-pot dish consisting of mushrooms and aromatics, mushroom stew is like a thick, creamy vegan gravy. Cooks achieve this thickness by using starch rather than dairy, making the dish a hearty vegan recipe. Like its non-vegan counterpart, beef stew, mushroom stew incorporates veggies like diced sweet potato, green beans, or carrots, and legumes like lentils, chickpeas, or white beans to create a more substantial main course. Try this vegan mushroom stew recipe.

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