A Really Great Mushroom Casserole
A remix of the mushroom casserole I loved as a kid. Brown rice, mushrooms, garlic, onions along side a bit of cottage cheese and sour cream and Parmesan for texture and creaminess.
I had one favorite thing to eat when I was a kid - mushroom casserole. It was the one dish I was loyal to above all else. I would request it when I was recovering from the flu, pneumonia, or strep throat. I would request it weeknights, weekends, and holidays. It was a simple dish, and one of four (maybe five) recipes my mom had in her culinary arsenal. She combined rice, mushrooms (or creamy mushroom soup), and cheese in a casserole dish, and baked it until it was creamy, melty, and golden at the edges. Simple enough.
My Version of Mushroom Casserole
I made a healthier, from-scratch remix of my mom's classic the other night using brown rice, sautéed mushrooms, garlic, and onions -all made creamy with a blend of cottage cheese and a bit of yogurt or sour cream.
Variations on Mushroom Casserole
You can certainly use whatever cooked grains you like. I suspect this would be delicious with barley, wheat berries, quinoa, whole grain rices - or even a mix of grains. I love it made with wild rice.
Add-ins: My mom used to hide all sorts of things in this casserole (pre-cooked chicken breast or pork chops), but because we don't roll like that anymore (vegetarian), I sometimes play around with other ingredients. Anything from chopped leafy greens, toasted nuts, sun-dried tomatoes, or pre-cooked lentils are great as add-ins. But, honestly, the simple version is really good - just like I've written down below.
A Make Ahead Recipe
This is a great recipe to make ahead of time! You can prepare the rice and mushroom mixture up to a few days in advance, and then simply bake it off when you're ready.
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A Really Great Mushroom Casserole
Use any cooked grain you like. Feel free to use low-fat cottage cheese, sour cream, or yogurt if you prefer.
- 1/2 pound (8 ounces) brown mushrooms, cleaned and chopped
- 1 large onion, well chopped
- 3 cloves garlic, finely chopped
- 3 cups cooked brown rice, room temperature
- 2 large eggs
- 1 cup cottage cheese
- 1/2 cup yogurt or sour cream
- 1/2 teaspoon fine grain sea salt
- 1/3 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese
- toppings: toasted almonds, or a bit of fresh tarragon, chopped
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Preheat oven to 350F degrees. Rub a medium-large baking dish with a bit of olive oil or butter and set aside. The pan I use is slightly smaller than a classic 9x13 baking dish - just grab for something in this ballpark.
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In a large skillet over medium-high heat saute the mushrooms in a glug of olive oil sprinkled with a couple pinches of salt. Stir every minute or so until the mushrooms have released their liquid and have browned a bit. Add the onions and cook for another 4 or 5 minutes or until they are translucent. Stir in the garlic, cook for another minute and remove from heat. Add the rice to the skillet and stir until combined.
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In a medium bowl whisk together the eggs, cottage cheese, sour cream, and salt.
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Combine the rice mixture and cottage cheese mixture in a large bowl, stir until well combined and then turn out into your prepared baking dish. Sprinkle with 2/3 of the Parmesan cheese, cover with foil and place in oven for 30 minutes. Remove foil and bake for another 20 or 30 minutes more or hot throughout and golden along the edges. Sprinkle with the remaining Parmesan, and toasted almonds (and/or tarragon) and enjoy.
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Comments
Oh, that sounds divine. I have a thing for mushrooms anyway, but mushrooms in a casserole? Comfort food at its best.
I think that I might have to make this tonight!!!!!!!!!!! Blonde Appetit hearts mushrooms of all shapes and size. Love the healthy take on a 70s staple.
My mom made this growing up, adding tuna. It was my all time favorite...she still makes it for me for my birthday. Mmmmm...I can't wait to make it with fresh mushrooms!
hurrah! i was just wondering what to do with the mushrooms i bought the other day and have not managed to use! that, combined with the first snow means it's casserole time, thank you! i really enjoy your site.
Just last night, we were clearing out the cupboards when I spied a clear baking dish - reminded me of mom's chicken and rice casserole with cream of mushroom soup (blech) - I would just keep eating the rice and pretty soon, there were just mounds of chicken left with little rice hairs sticking - ha! What awesome timing - making it tonight. Thanks!
Julie Russo (Great Good Food/Silver Palette) has a recipe for low-fat blend that is half cottage cheese and half yogurt (blended but not in a food processor), equal parts, low- or fat-free. She uses it in place of sour cream, and I'm thinking perhaps it would work here? And somehow Mexican cheese blend sounds better than Parmesan to me for this...
This sounds wonderful, but I second those on the vegan/dairy-free end. Does anyone have ideas? I'm not good at converting the recipes myself yet.
My family and I love mushrooms, so I'm really looking forward to making this dish. I got them all to eat brown rice some months ago, and this is a fine recipe for reinforcing their good behavior. Thanks for another wonderful addition to my recipe folder.
bravo, heidi! these cold days call for a comfort-oriented dish like this! i used a host of wild mushrooms in my stuffing over the holiday, so i have a quart of strained mushroom liquid with which to infuse the rice while cooking. just in time, like always. xo
how weird, last night we made the Mushroom & Walnut Kugel from Joy of Cooking, which is similar -- substitute egg noodles for the rice, add walnuts, and it's almost the same recipe! This one sounds much, much better though. I think our kugel needed tarragon or something, maybe thyme.
I am loving this! I love anything with mushrooms and this casserole will make a perfect meal as the weather is getting cooler (well cool by Cairo standards) :) Thanks for sharing this recipe, Heidi!
Although I'm still shaking off my Thanksgiving food coma, this looks really, really tasty.
Just reading the recipe makes me feel warm and cozy. My mom did the rice with mushroom soup routine too and it was a favorite comfort food when I was small (though now I shudder.) I will give your grown-up, well cooked version a try!
This looks yummy. I'm making it for sure! I'm getting into different grains, loving them these days. and mushrooms - my favourite. You could even use a mushroom medley in it - all sorts of different funky mushrooms would be excellent. thanks
Fabulous - anything that goes so beautifully golden at the edges has to be worth trying! I'm always on the look out for healthy recipes that can make creative use of leftovers - I bet you could cook extra rice the day before and this would be in the oven in no time. I've been using cottage cheese in french toast recently and am impressed by how well it works. Not the slightest hint of wateriness.
Warm comfort food involving mushrooms? I fully approve, and can't wait to try this. How do you think mascarpone would work instead of cottage cheese? That's what I've got in the fridge right now, and I'd like to put it to good use.
I was given the gift of a head cold on Thanksgiving. (Babies are fabulous incubators.) This mushroom casserole is exactly what I need to help me feel better. Thank you for sharing your comfort foods with us. Ciao Bella!
H Looks good. A couple of questions: At what temp is the over? When you cover with foil for the first 30 min is that in the oven or out? Thanks. HS: Hi Terry. It's at 350F and I tweaked the instructions so they are more clear re: the foil.
Thanks Heidi - I'm having one of those days where I could really use some comfort food - and even though I'm a vegan, I'll try a variant of this casserole tonight, maybe with a rice milk bechamel and some thyme ... Cheers!
As always this looks simple, elegant, and delicious, not to mention comforting! Certainly a great recipe for the end of the New England mushroom hunting season and the onset of chilly nights. P.S. My entire Thanksgiving dinner consisted of recipes from your site, so thank you! Keep up the great posts! :)