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Brightly colored fruits and vegetables are the first to catch my eye when I’m shopping for produce. Their dazzling colors quickly grab my attention. Not so for the mushrooms. Their beige and brown colors are less attractive, making them easy to ignore. But these little fungi deserve more than a passing glance. Despite their humble appearance, mushrooms have a lot to offer the healthy eater.
The most commonly consumed mushroom in the US is the white button mushroom. With approximately 100 calories per pound (yes, you read that right, per pound!), they’re filling and delicious. They’re also nutritious. White button mushrooms contain several vitamins and minerals including selenium, pantothenic acid, copper, niacin, Vitamin B6, potassium, and Vitamin D. Research presented at the 2006 Food Technologist Conference found that the antioxidant capacity of white button mushrooms was comparable to that of the more colorful vegetables such as carrots, green peppers, pumpkins, and tomatoes.
One complaint I often hear about button mushrooms is that they absorb so much cooking oil or butter when being prepared that they quickly go from figure friendly to forbidden food. But that can easily be remedied through the use of a non-stick skillet. Just lightly brush a non-stick skillet with a bit of olive oil and place it over medium high heat. Once the pan is hot, add a single layer of sliced white button mushrooms and cook until the mushrooms are golden on one side, about 3 minutes. Turn them over and cook until golden on the other side. The mushrooms may exude some juice during the cooking, but just keep cooking them and soon the liquid will evaporate. There is no need to add more oil to the pan. The mushrooms will be golden brown and ready to add to some hot scrambled eggs, a pile of caramelized onions, tossed in pasta, or served as a tasty side dish alongside grilled meat or fish.
Want to add more button mushrooms to your meals? Here are a few ideas:
• Toss raw, quartered button mushrooms into your lettuce and spinach salads.
• Add several cups of sautéed button mushrooms to your pasta sauces in place of all or a portion of the meat.
• Substitute chopped, sautéed mushrooms for the beef in your chili recipes.
• Double the amount of mushrooms called for in your favorite soup and stew recipes.
• Combine leftover strips of steak or chicken with warm grilled onions and mushrooms and wrap them in a soft tortilla for a quick lunch.
• Grill half inch slices of hearty whole grain bread and spread thinly with goat cheese. Top with piping hot sautéed sliced mushrooms and sprinkle with a bit of fresh thyme for an elegant appetizer.
• Need more ideas? CDKitchen has over 3800 recipes using mushrooms!
September is National Mushroom Month and Build a Better Breakfast Month. In celebration of both, the following recipe, courtesy of the Mushroom Council, is a perfect choice for a fun breakfast.
©2026 CDKitchen, Inc. No reproduction or distribution of any portion of this article is allowed without express permission from CDKitchen, Inc.
To share this article with others, you may link to this page:
https://www.cdkitchen.com/cooking-experts/victoria-wesseler/574-mushrooms/
Mighty Mushrooms
Brightly colored fruits and vegetables are the first to catch my eye when I’m shopping for produce. Their dazzling colors quickly grab my attention. Not so for the mushrooms. Their beige and brown colors are less attractive, making them easy to ignore. But these little fungi deserve more than a passing glance. Despite their humble appearance, mushrooms have a lot to offer the healthy eater.
The most commonly consumed mushroom in the US is the white button mushroom. With approximately 100 calories per pound (yes, you read that right, per pound!), they’re filling and delicious. They’re also nutritious. White button mushrooms contain several vitamins and minerals including selenium, pantothenic acid, copper, niacin, Vitamin B6, potassium, and Vitamin D. Research presented at the 2006 Food Technologist Conference found that the antioxidant capacity of white button mushrooms was comparable to that of the more colorful vegetables such as carrots, green peppers, pumpkins, and tomatoes.
One complaint I often hear about button mushrooms is that they absorb so much cooking oil or butter when being prepared that they quickly go from figure friendly to forbidden food. But that can easily be remedied through the use of a non-stick skillet. Just lightly brush a non-stick skillet with a bit of olive oil and place it over medium high heat. Once the pan is hot, add a single layer of sliced white button mushrooms and cook until the mushrooms are golden on one side, about 3 minutes. Turn them over and cook until golden on the other side. The mushrooms may exude some juice during the cooking, but just keep cooking them and soon the liquid will evaporate. There is no need to add more oil to the pan. The mushrooms will be golden brown and ready to add to some hot scrambled eggs, a pile of caramelized onions, tossed in pasta, or served as a tasty side dish alongside grilled meat or fish.
Want to add more button mushrooms to your meals? Here are a few ideas:
• Toss raw, quartered button mushrooms into your lettuce and spinach salads.
• Add several cups of sautéed button mushrooms to your pasta sauces in place of all or a portion of the meat.
• Substitute chopped, sautéed mushrooms for the beef in your chili recipes.
• Double the amount of mushrooms called for in your favorite soup and stew recipes.
• Combine leftover strips of steak or chicken with warm grilled onions and mushrooms and wrap them in a soft tortilla for a quick lunch.
• Grill half inch slices of hearty whole grain bread and spread thinly with goat cheese. Top with piping hot sautéed sliced mushrooms and sprinkle with a bit of fresh thyme for an elegant appetizer.
• Need more ideas? CDKitchen has over 3800 recipes using mushrooms!
September is National Mushroom Month and Build a Better Breakfast Month. In celebration of both, the following recipe, courtesy of the Mushroom Council, is a perfect choice for a fun breakfast.
Mushroom Breakfast Pizza
Made with Swiss cheese, black pepper, salt, pizza dough, bacon, mushrooms, onion, eggs, Dijon mustard
Made with Swiss cheese, black pepper, salt, pizza dough, bacon, mushrooms, onion, eggs, Dijon mustard
Serves/Makes: 4
- 1 pound pizza dough, thawed if frozen
- 4 slices bacon (may substitute turkey bacon)
- 1 pound fresh white mushrooms, sliced
- 1/2 cup chopped onion
- 3 eggs
- 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
- 3/4 teaspoon salt
- 1/8 teaspoon ground black pepper
- 1 cup shredded Swiss cheese (may use low fat cheese)
Preheat oven to 450 degrees F.
Spray a 12-inch pizza pan with vegetable cooking spray.
Roll or stretch dough into pan, forming a 1/4 to 1/2-inch rim around edge; prick surface of dough with fork.
Bake until crust just begins to brown, 10 to 12 minutes; set aside.
Meanwhile, in a large nonstick skillet, cook bacon until crisp; remove to paper towels. Cool then crumble; set aside.
Reduce oven to 375F; pour off bacon drippings from pan.
Add mushrooms and onion; cook, stirring frequently, until mushroom liquid evaporates, about 6 minutes. Spread over reserved pizza crust.
In a small bowl lightly beat eggs with mustard, salt and black pepper; drizzle over mushrooms; sprinkle with Swiss cheese and bacon.
Bake until eggs are set, about 15 minutes.
Cut in wedges and serve.
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©2026 CDKitchen, Inc. No reproduction or distribution of any portion of this article is allowed without express permission from CDKitchen, Inc.
To share this article with others, you may link to this page:
https://www.cdkitchen.com/cooking-experts/victoria-wesseler/574-mushrooms/