A tender, golden-edged pan of mushrooms is a beautiful thing. Except that far too often, I get impatient and rush the mushrooms along before they hit perfection. Pioneer Woman's suggestion: let the oven do the work.
I've roasted a great many things, but somehow, it never occurred to me to apply that same logic to mushrooms. The concept is brilliant. You spread all the mushrooms in a single layer on a baking sheet and they all roast together at an even rate. And leaving you free to take care of other tasks on the stove-top.
You can do this with any mushroom your heart desires, from basic white buttons to creminis and shiitakes. The cooking time will vary with the moisture content and size of the mushrooms, but the process is the same. This is also a brilliant way to roast a whole mess of mushrooms for a fantastic fall side dish or for a big pot of mushroom soup.
Ree Drummond of Pioneer Woman sneaked this clever little tip into her recipe for Pasta with Whiskey, Wine, and Mushrooms, which is a perfect storm of irresistibility if you ask me. Both this recipe and its mushroom-roasting technique will be making frequent appearances on my table this fall.
• Get The Recipe: Pasta with Whiskey, Wine, and Mushrooms from Pioneer Woman
Related: Portobello Mushrooms: The Steak of the Vegetarian World
(Image: Ree Drummond of Pioneer Woman)
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Could these be cooked ahead in large batches and frozen like caramelized onions?
I like this idea and would be curious to hear if anyone has ever tried roasting and then freezing for use later.
Oh my stars that recipe looks amazing.
Re: freezing mushrooms - I've frozen them before although they weren't prepared this way. They came out of the freezer ok but were a little chewy.
I'm generally a lazy cook but sauteing mushrooms is just way easy. Personally, I'd rather have them freshly cooked when I need them.
I feel really meh about Pioneer Woman, but I do this all the time with mushrooms. It's an amazing transformation - they become caramelized and comforting. No need to fuss them up with pasta, this can be a great gluten-free/ vegan side or main dish. We recently did it with a pan of white mushrooms sauced with roasted tomatoes from the garden. Awesome.
I've found that mushrooms don't freeze well unless they're in a sauce or soup, in which case I don't notice the resultant sponginess.
I always let the oven do the work of adding more flavor (with less fat than saute). I roast my mushrooms in a hotter oven 425 and I don't add salt until almost the end. Salt encourages them to release a lot of moisture and then they kinda stew rather than caramelize.
Sometimes things are too obvious I guess! I will have to try this when i next make several mushroom lasagnas with red and white sauce. I will make one or two for myself and some others as gifts for relatives that ask for them and it will literally take HOURS for me to saute the mushrooms as Julia suggests without crowding them in the pan. This would save me so much aggravation it's not even funny.