We all have those dishes: the simple ones that we started making on a whim but now turn to on the regular like this Pan Roasted Italian Mushrooms recipe. I started making it when I lived in Florence, and it has stuck with me because of how simple it is.
Why You’ll Love It
This Italian mushrooms recipe is super easy and goes very well as a side dish with anything, or even as a main dish if you absolutely love mushrooms.
In Tuscany, mushrooms are often served as a side dish or contorno, and they’re usually sautéed with broth or white wine and served without any color. Alternatively, they’re sautéed with mint and added to pasta.
This pan roasted mushrooms recipe varies slightly from the classic Italian mushrooms side dish because we like our mushrooms to have a bit of color and char, which adds more flavor and texture to us.
Recipe Ingredients
These are the ingredients you’ll need to make this Italian mushrooms recipe:
- Extra-Virgin Olive Oil: As is so common in Italian cuisine, the fat used in this dish is high-quality extra virgin olive oil.
- Cremini Mushrooms: These are one of the most common mushrooms found stateside but use Porcini instead if you can find them.
- Fresh Herbs and Garlic: Though it’s not super traditional, we like the addition of herbs and garlic for additional flavor.
- Breadcrumbs And Grated Pecorino: Further adding to the texture and flavor are the garnishes of toasted breadcrumbs and grated cheese.
How To Make This Recipe
These are the ingredients to make this Italian msuhrooms recipe:
- Heat The Pan: Warm the olive oil in a medium cast iron pan over medium-high heat.
- Sautée The Mushrooms: When the oil shimmers, add the mushrooms and garlic, stir to coat in the oil, season with salt and pepper and cook undisturbed at least 5 minutes.
- Toast The Breadcrumbs: Meanwhile, toast the breadcrumbs in a second small pan over medium heat until just golden, about 5 minutes.
Stir the mushrooms occasionally and continue to cook until the mushrooms have let off the excess water and they’re golden brown, about 5 to 10 minutes more. - Garnish The Dish: Remove from heat, add thyme leaves of one sprig, sprinkle with breadcrumbs and cheese, squeeze lemon over the top and serve.
What To Serve With These Italian Mushrooms
I serve it alongside tagliata, with Sostanza Brown Butter Chicken, or tossed with a bit of mint and tagliatelle for a simple traditional Tuscan pasta. Here are some additional mushrooms recipes that are a hit:
Frequently Asked Questions
First off, let's get on the same page. You'll see mushrooms listed on a menu either by their proper name or generically as funghi (pronounced "foon-geeh" ).
Italians are very particular about following seasonality as with all things food. So, in any market, farm stand, or restaurant worth its weight, you will only find mushrooms on the menu in the late summer into fall when they're available fresh. In towns where mushrooms are prized, you'll often see people on the main piazzas selling their freshly-foraged mushrooms.
The most common mushroom in Italy is the white button mushroom, which, in its larger form, is known as a portobello. These are commercially grown in the north of Italy and are often cooked with garlic and white wine. Oyster mushrooms and chanterelles are also found in northern Italy, and the region of Trentino prides itself on its many recipes using chanterelles.
Finally, the porcini is the king of mushrooms in central Italy as it grows extensively in the Apennine mountains, which run from Parma to Umbria. Be sure to check the origin of mushrooms to make sure they're from Italy if you're buying in the country.
You'll see mushrooms used a lot in recipes that are served in the Fall and from regions that are more about the land than the sea (think Umbria, Tuscany, the Alpine regions, and even the inland parts of Sicily).
A few classic recipes that use mushrooms in Italian cooking are risotto, with polenta, marinated, sott'olio (aka preserved as part of an antipasto platter), tossed in scallopine, tossed with tagliatelle pasta, and, with Italian American dishes, as part of a Marsala sauce.
Tips For Making These Italian Mushrooms
Use Any Type Of Mushroom
This recipe will work for most types of mushrooms you’ll encounter in an American or Italian market, be it button mushrooms, cremini, or porcini.
Clean The Mushrooms Well
There are myriad ways to clean mushrooms, but we like to use a damp kitchen towel and wipe off the mushroom caps. If you’re using a bigger mushroom with a more fibrous stem, you may want to trim the end or even peel the tougher part.
Don’t Move Them Too Much
The difference between great and not-so-great taste in mushrooms often comes down to technique. You want to cook them over medium-high heat and move them minimally so they can brown, which in turn maximizes flavor.
Add Some Wine If Desired
Many classic recipes for Tuscan-style mushrooms call for broth or wine to be added at the end of sautéeing to form a small sauce. If you want to do so, add enough of either to cover the bottom of the pan and stir to coat. Then cook it until it’s slightly reduced (there are still a few tablespoons in the pan), and the alcohol smell is cooked off if using the wine.
Make a Lot In The Oven
If you want to make a big batch of mushrooms, you can do so by roasting them in a single layer on a baking sheet. Follow the technique we use for this truffled mushroom pizza.
Don’t Use Pecorino Romano Cheese
FYI, we are not calling for Pecorino Romano cheese but rather for the more mild, less aged sheep’s milk cheese known simply as Pecorino. If you can’t find it, feel free to use Parmigiano-Reggiano.
Switch It Up
For a non traditional variation, add in red pepper flakes, fresh parsley, or even top it with pesto before serving.
Go stock up on all your cooking essentials, then head into the kitchen, make this, and share it with us by tagging @saltandwind and #swsociety on social!
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Pan Roasted Italian Mushrooms Recipe
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
- 12 ounces cremini mushrooms stemmed and halved or quartered
- 3 fresh thyme sprigs or fresh rosemary, plus one more sprig for garnish
- 3 medium garlic cloves peeled and smashed
- 3 tablespoons whole wheat breadcrumbs (optional)
- 3 tablespoons grated Pecorino cheese (optional)
- 1/2 lemon for serving (optional)
Instructions
- Head The Pan: Warm the olive oil in a medium cast iron pan (or other heavy-bottomed pan) over medium-hight heat. Sautée The Mushrooms: When the oil shimmers, add the mushrooms and garlic, stir to coat in the oil, season with salt and pepper and cook undisturbed at least 5 minutes. Meanwhile, toast the breadcrumbs in a second small pan over medium heat until just golden, about 5 minutes.
- Stir the mushrooms occasionally and continue to cook until the mushrooms have let off the excess water and they're golden brown, about 5 to 10 minutes more.Garnish The Dish: Remove from heat, add thyme leaves of one sprig, sprinkle with breadcrumbs and cheese, squeeze lemon over the top and serve.
