21 mushroom recipes that capture the essence of fall (2024)

Oregon Wild

21 mushroom dishes that celebrate fall flavors: Best of Recipe Box

Fall mushroom season is one of the most-glorious times of the year for cooking. The foresty fungi are stars at the farmers’ market, and wild mushrooms a depth and umami to a wide range of seasonal dishes, including pastas and hearty soups. Here are 21 of our favorite dishes that make mushrooms the star of the show.

-- Grant Butler

gbutler@oregonian.com

503-221-8566; @grantbutler

Nathan Hostler, Special to The Oregonian/OregonLive

Mushroom Bourguignon

Sasha Davies, the chef at Cyril’s at Clay Pigeon Winery, came up with this elegant mushroom entrée earlier this year as a way to celebrate Valentine’s Day. But it’s a perfect dish for fall, with its baked pastry and combination of dried and fresh mushrooms.

Recipe: Mushroom Bourguignon.

Stephanie Yao Long

Orecchiette with mushrooms

Matthew Card came up with this filling pasta dish earlier this year, which features crimini mushrooms in a rich, creamy sauce. He recommends using Italian fontina for its superior taste, and says a mix of wild and farmed mushrooms makes it even more satisfying.

Recipe: Orecchiette With Fontina, Spinach and Mushrooms.

Stephanie Bogdanich, The Experiment

Portobello tacos

Earlier this year, we featured the fun cookbook “The Taco Cleanse,” which offered a hilarious riff on diet books while celebrating the culture of the taco. The beauties feature portobello mushrooms fried in a beer batter. Yum!

Recipe: Beer-Battered Portobello Tacos.

James Ransom, Ten Speed Press

Oyster mushroom tacos

One of our favorite recipe creators is Food52’s Gena Hamshaw, who came up with this terrific vegan taco plate. The spicy cauliflower is roasted until its crispy, and the sautéed mushrooms are chewy and tender, offering a dynamite contrast in textures.

Recipe: Cauliflower and Oyster Mushroom Tacos.

Grant Butler

Mushroom pate

The downtown Portland French restaurant Brasserie Monmartre is long gone, but its spirit lives on in this mushroom spread, which was a popular dish for more than two decades. It’s delicious spread on crostini, but is also good on sandwiches.

Recipe: Mushroom Pate.

Chris Miller, The Experiment

Portobello stew

You gotta love how writer Kristy Turner sets up this recipe: “Cold, rainy weather. Fire in the fireplace. Fuzzy slippers covering your toes. Blanket wrapped around your shoulders. This thick, hearty stew. Crusty French baguette. Enough said.”

Recipe: .

Erin Kunkle, Ten Speed Press

Wild rice and mushroom salad

Cookbook author Maria Speck came up with this great flavor combo for “Simply Ancient Grains.” The dish makes a great side dish to pot roast or steak, but can be served on its own as a vegetarian entrée.

Recipe: Warm Wild Rice Salad With Herb-roasted Mushrooms and Parmesan.

Matthew Mead, The Associated Press

Mushroom gougeres

Having a fall co*cktail party? Then you need these cheese puffs from Alison Ladman, which are studded with chopped mushrooms and crumbled blue cheese. They are delicious right from the oven or at room temperature. And as an entertaining bonus, they can be prepped ahead and frozen on the baking sheet.

Recipe: Blue Cheese and Mushroom Gougeres.

Matthew Mead, The Associated Press

Stuffed mushrooms

These bite-sized appetizers from Sara Moulton are perfect party snacks. They’re filled with spicy Spanish chorizo and Manchego cheese, bringing Iberian flavors to your kitchen.

Recipe: Spanish-style Stuffed Mushrooms.

Matthew Mead, The Associated Press

Hearty mushroom soup

This delicious soup comes from Los Angeles chef Tal Ronnen’s terrific cookbook “Crossroads.” It’s very frugal, using peels and scraps from the vegetables used in the soup to make the rich broth.

Recipe: Mushroom Farro Soup.

Mary Mattern, Avery Books

Mushroom risotto

Cookbook author Mary Mattern came up with this wonderful risotto as a way to sneak in protein-packed chia seeds. She uses 2 cups of crimini mushrooms for the dish, but it’s a perfect way to showcase some of the great wild mushrooms found at the farmers’ market right now.

Recipe: Mushroom-Chia Risotto.

Matthew Mead, The Associated Press

Buffalo mushrooms

Here’s another mushroom appetizer from Melissa d’Arabian that would be a perfect addition to a tailgate party. It’s got a spicy flavor that’s inspired by that game-day classic Buffalo wings, but has a bit of kale, too, so you can try to convince yourself that they’re healthy.

Recipe: Buffalo Chicken and Kale Stuffed Mushrooms.

Alicia Ross, Kitchen Scoop

Beef and Mushroom Stew

Kitchen Scoop columnist Alicia Ross came up with this great yet easy fall stew, which is made with lean stew meat, canned tomatoes and baby portobello mushrooms (though you can use any mushroom you like). She recommends using a good-quality red wine, not that $3 stuff from Trader Joe’s that you know deep down you shouldn’t be drinking.

Recipe: Beef and Mushroom Stew.

Grant Butler

Tempeh and mushroom stew

Here’s a vegan mushroom stew from self-described “Veggie Queen” Jill Nussinow. The secret to the dish is steaming the tempeh, which opens it up to absorb the rich, foresty broth. Serve with your favorite whole grain – we had it with quinoa.

Recipe: Tempeh and Wild Mushroom Stew.

Nathan Hostler, Special to The Oregonian/OregonLive

Tuna-mushroom casserole

You know a version of this casserole from your childhood. Canned tuna. Cream of mushroom soup. Crushed potato chips. Joan Harvey brings the concept up to date in this 21st century version that uses a half pound of fresh mushrooms.

Recipe: 21st Century Tuna Noodle Casserole.

Matthew Mead, The Associated Press

Mushroom pasta

Asian miso paste and pasta aren’t ingredients that you normally see together, but they work in this terrific fall recipe from Melissa d’Arabian. The umami of the miso works well with the mushrooms. She uses a mix of mushrooms, so incorporate some wild varieties into the dish.

Recipe: Mushroom-Miso Pasta.

Noah f*cks, The Countryman Press

Barley-mushroom soup

The problem with a lot of soup recipes is that they make 8 servings, which is great if you’re serving a family, but not so good if you have a household of just one or two. Joanna Pruess solves the problem with this small-batch mushroom soup, which makes just enough for two meals.

Recipe: Nanny Annie's Barley-Mushroom Soup.

Tina Rupp

Portobello Steak-Frites

Melissa d’Arabian spent a good deal of time in Paris, where steak-frites became a favorite bistro dish. This healthier version uses sweet potatoes in place of the traditional fries, and meaty portobello mushrooms in place of the beef steak.

Recipe: Portobello Steak-Frites With Sweet Potatoes.

Anson Smart, Ten Speed Press

Mushroom Stroganoff

Tess Masters uses a variety of wild mushrooms to make this easy and creamy version of Stroganoff. The sauce is made in a high-speed blender, so it all comes together in under 30 minutes. Just the thing when you want pure comfort on a chilly fall weeknight.

Recipe: Creamy Mushroom Stroganoff.

Alicia Ross, Kitchen Scoop

Chicken Diane

Mushroom-covered Chicken Diane is a throw-back recipe to the era of three-martini expense account lunches – yes, Don Draper probably ate the original version of this dish. But columnist Alicia Ross brings it up to date by cutting the time it takes to make it to just 20 minutes. For extra flavor, use wild mushrooms in place of button mushrooms from the grocery store.

Recipe: Modern Chicken Diane.

Kathleen Finlay

Creamy mushroom soup

We saved the best for last: Cream of mushroom soup. Unlike that condensed soup from a can, this from-scratch recipe has leeks, garlic and a pound of wild mushrooms, along with coconut milk, which gives it its creaminess. It’s rich, filling and (believe it or not) healthy.

Recipe: Cream of Wild Mushroom Soup.