Creamy Tuscan Mushrooms

Best Mushroom Recipe

There’s so much to get excited about with these Tuscan mushrooms. What do I list first? The creamy garlic sauce loaded with Parmesan? The tangy flavorful sun-dried tomatoes? The meaty, juicy mushrooms? The fresh basil? I don’t know, it’s all so good and when you wrap it all together in a single extravagant recipe, it’s just pure bliss!

I’m a mushroom lover from way back. I love simple sautéed mushrooms with garlic butter. They often have a place on my dinner plate. When I’m feeling a bit fancier, I like sautéed mushrooms with wine and garlic. Wine just makes everything a little better, doesn’t it? Roasted mushrooms are wonderful, too, and lately I’ve discovered how well air fryer mushrooms turn out (much like roasted). And then there’s dreamy homemade cream of mushroom soup!

And then there are stuffed mushrooms! A stuffed portobello makes a wonderful dinner. One of my favorites right now is this vegetarian stuffed portobello mushrooms with three cheeses and a crispy breadcrumb topping (and also starring sun dried tomatoes!). Grilled portobellos can be stuffed, too.

If you’re bored with your current mushroom situation, you have to try these Tuscan mushrooms. I can’t wait for you to tell me how good they are!

Creamy Tuscan Mushrooms

Ready to serve in less than a half hour. This recipe can be on the table in about twenty-five minutes, depending on how good your knife skills are. This creamy mushroom recipe is made in one skillet, so clean-up is easy, too.

Serve as a main dish or a side. If you serve this recipe as a meatless main meal, accompanied by whole wheat pasta, brown rice, or crusty bread, mushrooms can be a nutritious meal. Add a leafy green salad, like this refreshing classic arugula salad with lemon vinaigrette.

Rich but surprisingly healthy. Tuscan mushrooms are not low calorie with all that cream and cheese but mushrooms themselves are healthy. Mushrooms are fat-free, high in fiber, with lots of vitamins and minerals, particularly B vitamins (Healthline).

Ingredient Notes

• Mushrooms: You’ll need a pound of white mushrooms. White mushrooms are the typical button mushrooms commonly found in grocery stores. Baby bella mushrooms are a good substitute.
• Onion and Garlic: Mince them up finely so the flavor gets evenly dispersed.
• Heavy Cream: Yes, heavy cream! That’s one of the reasons these mushrooms are so good!
• Baby Spinach: Tender dark green spinach leaves add nutrition and color to the mushrooms. Chop them roughly if you don’t like long pieces of spinach.
• Sun Dried Tomatoes: Choose a jar of tomatoes packed in oil. You can usually find them by the pasta sauces in your grocery store. You’ll be using the tomatoes and the yummy tomato-infused oil that they’re packed in.
• Dried Oregano: Just a pinch adds Italian flavor to this dish. Fresh oregano is fine, too, but add a bit more (a teaspoon ).
• Shredded Parmesan Cheese: You’ll need a cup of shredded cheese. If you decide to use grated cheese instead, use half as much.
• Fresh Basil: This flavorful herb adds just the right touch as a fresh garnish. There’s really no substitute.

How to make Tuscan Mushrooms

Prep work. Begin by cleaning the mushrooms. Halve or quarter them if they’re really large so they are bite-sized. Some of those mushrooms can be gigantic! Mince the onion and garlic and prep the spinach.

Drain the sun dried tomatoes but make sure to reserve the oil. Why not use that tomato-infused oil to sauté the mushrooms? It will add lots of extra flavor. (If you forget, don’t worry, you can use olive oil instead.) Pat the excess oil off the tomatoes with a paper towel and chop into small pieces.

Shred a cupful of Parmesan cheese. It’s one of the last things to go in but it’s nice to have everything ready. Once you get going, this recipe goes pretty fast.

Cook mushrooms. Over high heat, heat the oil in a large skillet that has room for the mushrooms. A pound of mushrooms takes up quite a bit of real estate. They do shrink down as they cook so if the pan seems a bit over-full at first, don’t worry about it. However, you don’t want it too crowded or the mushrooms won’t brown at all and you’ll miss out on flavor!

Once you get the mushrooms in the pan, season them with salt and pepper, and let them sit for at least a couple of minutes. Don’t be tempted to keep stirring them. They need time to hang out there and turn a lovely golden brown on the bottom. They’ll begin to release liquid as they cook. Once they’re nice and browned, take them out of the pan and put them into a bowl; set it aside.

Make sauce. Add the onions and garlic to the same skillet you used for the mushrooms. Cook those over medium heat for a few minutes until they begin to soften.

Add the heavy cream, tomatoes, and the dried oregano. Cook and stir until the sauce begins to thicken a bit, just a few minutes. You can either add your mushrooms now or wait until the end, depending on how you like them cooked.

Spinach joins the party next. Stir the spinach into the sauce and cover the pan. The spinach will steam really quickly. Cook it just until the leaves wilt. It should be dark green yet.

Finish up. Stir in the cheese and return the mushrooms to the pan if they’re not there already. That’s it! Doesn’t it smell and look just heavenly? The first time I made these mushrooms, we couldn’t wait to eat them. We just scooped them right from the pan!

Don’t forget that fresh basil! Sprinkle it on right before serving the mushrooms.

Serve. Tuscan mushrooms can be served as a meatless main course for four people, with pasta (any type), crusty warm bread, or steamed rice. They make a stunning side dish, too, with chicken, steak, or pork.

How To Tell If A Mushroom Is Bad

Spoiled mushrooms may have dark soft spots and a slimy or sticky surface. If your mushrooms look like that or have an off smell, chances are they are too far gone. Throw them on your compost pile.
Wild mushrooms can be edible or poisonous. If you’re wondering which kinds of wild mushrooms are safe to eat, my advice is to never go foraging for mushrooms in the woods unless you’re an expert, or at least accompanied by one. Never eat a mushroom you’re unsure of.

Recipe Variations

• Tomato alternatives: Can’t find oil-packed sun dried tomatoes? Substitute dry or vacuum packed sun-dried tomatoes, or maybe you’ve dried your own tomatoes. Use olive oil to sauté the mushrooms.
• Add spicy heat. Stir in a ¼ teaspoon of dried red pepper flakes.
• Make it lighter. Substitute half-and-half for the heavy cream. Add a teaspoon of tomato paste to thicken the sauce, if necessary.
• Double or halve the recipe. This recipe can easily be doubled (use a larger pan) or halved, if necessary. I personally think doubling it would be a great choice.

Storage & Reheating

Refrigerate: Leftover Tuscan mushrooms can be stored in the fridge for up to three days.

Reheat: Heat the mushrooms in a skillet over low heat until the mushrooms are warmed through. Try not to overheat or boil the mushrooms. The creamy sauce may curdle at high heat. They can be reheated in the microwave as well.

Leftover Love

Make a delicious white pizza. Cover a flatbread or pre-baked pizza crust with leftover Tuscan mushrooms and sauce (you might want to give them a rough chop first). Sprinkle with shredded mozzarella cheese. Bake at 425°F until cheese is melted and golden. Serve with additional chopped fresh basil. You could also add thinly sliced cooked chicken breast to make it heartier.