“Simplicity is the ultimate sophistication.”
Leonardo da Vinci
When I peeked inside Week 7’s CSA box, I was delighted to see not one but two packages of lovely mushrooms – Portobellos and Baby Bellas. Last time I received mushrooms from my Lancaster Farm Fresh CSA, I turned them into a delicious soup; the time before that I made Mushroom Bolognese.
Organic goodness
This time I took a more utilitarian approach in order to enjoy their full flavor. And what could be simpler than roasting mushrooms with garlic and butter? Easy peasy.
Yet elevated.
Because the mushrooms are so rich and satisfying, for a split second I felt like I was eating something indulgent and bad for me. Until I remembered that mushrooms are not only low in calorie, but also full of potassium and antioxidants.
The butter, oil, and garlic in this dish create a delicious “sauce.” Serve these simple and sophisticated mushrooms as an appetizer with some good crusty bread. Or toss with your favorite pasta for dinner. Or do what I did and eat them all immediately after taking them out of the oven while standing at the kitchen counter.
Simple and Sophisticated Roasted Mushrooms
8 ounces (1 package) baby bella (or white) mushrooms, halved
1 portobello cap, sliced into 1/2 inch pieces
2 cloves garlic, minced (or run through a garlic press)
1 tablespoon olive oil
1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
1 tablespoon unsalted butter
Juice of half a lemon (optional)
Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Combine mushrooms, olive oil, salt, and garlic in a baking dish. Stir, then dot with the 1 tablespoon of butter.
Dressed and ready for the oven
Bake for 15 minutes. Stir once about half way through cooking time. Remove from oven and douse with the lemon juice. Give everything a good stir. Enjoy!
These mushrooms are SAUCY
I also made a simple pizza with spinach (another yummy CSA item) mushrooms and ricotta
Rachel's Table 
Whoa. WHOA. That pizza looks awesomesaucy to the max.
Peppermeister is always yelling at me for ‘counter dining.’ Or worse: Open Door Fridge Diving. But come on. Sometimes ya GOT to. Just don’t tell da Vinci.
Jules you always have the best comments. I’m USUALLY opposed to counter dining, too, but these were THAT good. I was willing to give up the more sophisticated option of table and chair. Or couch. Next we meet – homemade pizzas.
When I first starting attempting to like mushrooms, roasting them was the recipe that sealed the deal for me! So delicious.
I usually saute them but roasting them was like a revelation! They can’t get any better.
What a treat! I am just learning that they’re high in vitamin D – which is something I need more of.
We ALL need vitamin D right now, don’t we?? Where’s Spring?
I knew the Davinci quote at the top of this post should have warned me for the level of sophistication I would encounter as read on. I felt inadequate and under-dressed, much like the inadequacy you will feel this summer when you fall to the Peppermeister!
P.S. that pizza DOES look pretty amazing.
You better dress in your big boy clothes for our meeting this summer, because, as always, I am up to the task.
I want that pizza Ra….Daddio…good bloooooooooooooooooooooooooooog!
Thanks for that enthusiastic comment! I’ll make you one, Dad.
OK, now you’re talkin’! I’m not a fan of peppers, but mushrooms? Oh yeah! That recipe looks good and easy to do. And then you make a spinach pizza? I could have spinach in anything. Love it. Can you make me a pizza and ship it up here? I’ll pay you extra….
I will gladly ship a pizza to you. Or you can make your own! Roast some mushrooms, saute some spinach, and throw it all on a Boboli (or make your own dough which I obviously do, seeing as this is a blog about LOCAL food) with some tomato sauce, mozzarella, Pecorino Romano and ricotta. So, so good. And easy. Either way you MUST make these mushrooms. You will eat the whole pan by yourself.
Mushrooms are the best when it comes to everything! When you can use one as a bun for your turkey burger, you know you got it going on 🙂 Nice post!
Thanks! I’ve got two portobello caps in my fridge right now dying to be used as sandwich “bread.” 🙂
“Or do what I did and eat them all immediately after taking them out of the oven while standing at the kitchen counter.” It’s the helpful serving suggestions that really add to the recipes. What wine would you recommend I swig direct from the bottle to go with this dish?
Bottle? Drink directly from the BOX. Any red will do.
You are blowing my mind! How is it that I’ve never roasted mushrooms? I think at one time I declared that nearly every vegetable in the world tastes better when it’s roasted. But why didn’t it occur to me to roast mushrooms? Maybe because they cook so quickly? Anyway, I’m definitely trying this. And by the by, I just made an awesome soup tonight with baby bella and (my favorite) shitake mushrooms. Gotta love fungus.
Make these and you head will explode. I have THREE packages of baby bellas that I plan to roast tonight. Eating them roasted is like an epiphany.
I make a great thai soup with shiitake. I love their flavor.
I love their texture. Like buttah.
I LOVE mushrooms! Great work!
If you love mushrooms you should make this recipe. So easy and so good!
I’m making some roasted mushrooms again right now. They are delicious this way; you should make some.
Pingback: A Tale of Three Vortexes | Rachel's Table