Many people use mushrooms as an ingredient for a fresh salad, and yes, they are perfect to be used that way. However, there are many ways to cook with mushrooms. They can be used as a side dish, in sauces, both cream and tomato, soups, pre-dinner sandwiches, salads, late night snacks and much more. They are only limited by your imagination.
Mushrooms are considered a vegetable and have considerable nutritional value. The kind found in other vegetables, and with attributes commonly found in meats, grains and beans. They are low in calories, also free of cholesterol and fat, not to mention quite low in sodium. They also provide nutrients like potassium, niacin, selenium, vitamin D, and much more. A beneficial food product, don’t you think?
Boy, my kitchen smells good now. I just finished my favorite pasta sauce recipe. I love pasta, don’t you? With this recipe you have to like mushrooms, and if you don’t, you will, using this mushroom sauce recipe. I have kept it simple to save time. Since most people have limits on their time, this was taken into account.
This is what you need:
1. 1 pint fresh mushrooms, thinly sliced, including stem
2. 1 large onion, sliced
3. 2 gloves of minced garlic
4. 1 24 oz. jar of prepared tomato basil pasta sauce
5. 1/4 cup olive oil
6. salt and pepper to taste near the end
7. 1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley
8. Put pot to cook the pasta of your choice
Instructions: Place the olive oil in a large skillet and turn the heat to high. When the pan is hot (the olive oil will billow), place the onions, mushrooms, and garlic in the pan. Stirring often to prevent mushrooms from burning. When the ingredients start to cook, reduce the heat to medium high. Keep stirring. When the mushrooms have lightly browned and the onions are translucent, add the jar of sauce and the parsley. Cook for 10 to 15 minutes to incorporate all ingredients. Total cooking time is less than 30 minutes.
Serve over cooked pasta with a hearty glass of red wine and Italian bread. A good green salad will be a perfect accompaniment.
Note: Mushrooms have a very long history, thousands of years, and have been appreciated by many of the royal houses, and not by the common population. It wasn’t until the 19th century that these wonderful vegetables were introduced to our hemisphere and became more popular over time.
