Sauteed Mushrooms with Onion and Spice

Red Chile, Vegetable Sides
Sauteed Mushrooms with chile powder and paprika

These sauteed mushrooms makes a great side for just about anything.  You can serve it with another vegetable, pretty much any meat, or over rice or a creamy polenta. It’s also a very quick and easy dish to throw together. It takes longer to chop the vegetables than to cook the dish.  There are four basic ingredients – mushrooms, garlic, onion, and bell pepper – and then a little bit of spice.  The spices can be changed to better complement the other components of the meal.  These spicy sauteed mushrooms make a simple little dish with a burst of flavor in every bite!

Sauteed Mushrooms with onion and peppers
Sauteed Mushrooms with Onion and Red Chile Recipe
Prep
15 mins
Cook
15 mins
 
Course: Side Dish, vegetable side
Cuisine: New Mexico, Southwestern
Keyword: mushroms, red chile
Yields: 4 servings
Recipe Author: MJ of MJ’s Kitchen
Ingredients
  • 1 Tbsp. olive oil
  • ½ onion, sliced
  • ½ sweet bell pepper, sliced
  • 8 cloves garlic, sliced thin
  • 8 ounces large button mushrooms, sliced
  • 1/4 tsp. New Mexico red chile powder
  • 1/4 tsp. Hungarian paprika
  • Generous amount of cracked black pepper
  • Truffle oil or sea salt (optional)
  • Salt to taste
Instructions
  1. Heat olive oil in a large skillet over medium low heat.
  2. Once hot, add the onion, bell pepper and garlic. Saute until the onion is starting to soften, about 3 minutes.

  3. Add the mushrooms. Saute until soft and releasing liquids. (NOTE: Initially the mushrooms will soak up the oil and liquid in the pan and you’ll think you need more oil.  Be patient.  Just a wait a minute until the mushrooms start to release their liquid.)
  4. Add the chile powder, paprika, salt and pepper. Toss to combine and cook for another minute.
  5. Remove from heat and drizzle with the truffle oil or sprinkle with truffle sea salt.
  6. Serve

Kitchen Notes

Mushrooms – The best mushrooms for this dish are button mushrooms – white or cremini (baby bellas). You want a mushroom that imparts a lot of moisture when it cooks. Even though I love shiitakes, they don’t work very well for this dish because I end up having to add too much oil.

 

Bell pepper – Sweet bells add a contrasting sweet flavor, color and texture. Use a red, yellow, or orange pepper to give the dish color. When sauteing the onion and peppers, the onions will soften first. Don’t wait for the peppers to soften. They’ll cook a little more with the mushrooms and still provide a touch of crunch in the final dish.

 

Chile Powders – Of course I used New Mexico red chile powder, but you could use just about any red chile powder or even red pepper flakes. The 1/4 teaspoon was just enough to add a little heat without overpowering the flavor of the mushrooms. You can always add more if you choose. For the paprika, Hungarian paprika can add a little heat as well as flavor.

 

Truffle oil – I put this as optional, but I really love a touch of the truffle in this dish. You could use truffle oil, sea salt with truffle, or grate some truffle on top. Just be careful not to go overboard. If you don’t have any of these, not to worry – the dish is quite delicious without it!

 

Serving suggestions:

  • Serve over rice as a side to another vegetable dish or a meat such as roast chicken or grilled steak.
  • We like to serve it with leftover rice and a side of simple asparagus topped with a soft boiled egg.
  • Serve over smoky polenta.
  • For another complete vegetarian meal using this dish, serve the mushrooms over rice, pasta, or polenta and top with a soft-cooked egg (fried, boiled or steamed).

 

Sauteed mushrooms and onions with chile powder and paprika

What to do with any leftovers?  If you do happen to find yourself with a few leftover mushrooms, here’s a few ideas on how to use them.

  • Add them to a soup or casserole
  • Wrap them in an omelet with a little goat cheese
  • Add them to scrambled eggs.
  • Serve them over a piece of toast for lunch
  • Use them as the topping for a burger

No matter how you dish them up – you’re going to love these sauteed mushrooms!

If you love mushrooms as much as we do, you’ll love these other dishes.

65 Comments

  1. I can think of so many ways to serve this delicious dish! I could even eat it by itself over rice for a great vegetarian main dish. Love the combination of paprika and chili powder. I’ve pinned this to my Side Dishes Board on Pinterest. Thank you for sharing it with the Hearth and Soul hop.

    • Thanks April! I had this again the other night and serve it over a piece of toast. It was surprising very good! Thanks for pinning it!

  2. Simple and effective. You can give the dish a splash of colour too by adding red and green peppers to it.

  3. Mushrooms and onions are two of my favorite foods…great dish. Thanks for sharing it on foodie friday.

  4. This looks yummy! Please share at Weekend Kitchen Creations, http://www.weekendkitchencreations.blogspot.com. Join us, share your delicious creation and get other scrumptious ideas.

  5. Wow, this sounds delicious! I loved the mushroom recipe.

  6. OMG that is my favorite, sauteed earth mushroom and onions great . Love the spices too, I can’t live without them.

  7. Hi MJ – I can seriously almost smell the mushrooms through my screen, haha. It might sound clichéd but that your wonderful photo really did evoke that sensation. It’s funny how that works, isn’t it? I love the smell of cooked mushrooms, and the texture and flavour! It looks really tasty – I was going to ask what sort of chile, but then I noticed you wrote about it further down. I don’t have a specific kind per se – I guess something like cayenne pepper would work?

  8. I would eat this as a main meal any day of the week. Mushrooms, onions and peppers are a trio that I love and use often. You’ve made me crave yours now MJ. 🙂

  9. Wow, must try this … it looks really delish! The recipe is SO well done, too! Thanks!

  10. You said the magic word, Mushrooms! I eat mushrooms in almost anything, especially on my pizza. This would be awesome on a pizza, the spice would make the pizza that much better! Looks delicious Hugs, Terra

  11. I love mushrooms and this spicy preparation sounds fantastic!!A great idea for my weeknight meals 🙂

  12. Oh my! I will have to add some butter to mine!

  13. You just made my day – my son has been asking me to make him something with mushrooms in it all week! They are his favorite!

  14. Ooh, I love the flavor of mushrooms and onions together. I’m sure it’ll be amazing with some creamy polenta. Thanks MJ! 🙂

  15. Great side – I’m always on the lookout for a quick dish to round out meals and find myself reverting to frozen veggies much too often. That little bit of truffle has to just take it over the top.

    • Thanks FJ! I’m with you – sides are hard sometimes. I usually cook up a one pot dish with a side salad. But when I can fresh vegetables, I love it and try to incorporate them into the meal.

  16. I onestly don’t know why I don’t eat mushrooms so much… maybe it’s because my mom is allergic to them?!! Too bad, I’d love this dish!

  17. This is a great combination. I would love this on top of mashed potatoes.

  18. The hubby isn’t a fan of mushrooms, but I will make myself a side dish on occasion…and I don’t even have to share 🙂 Love this recipe!

  19. Will need to try this with the girls. Might get them to change their minds about mushrooms. The flavours in this sound wonderful.

  20. I’m attracted to this simple yet flavorful dish, love the spices you’d used in them….

  21. I love the distinctive flavor the truffle oil gives to everything! Your mushrooms look perfect not only as a side dish but also as a light night meal!

  22. I love all kinds of mushrooms and I often think that I can become a vegetarian (maybe half-time vegetarian) because I can eat mushrooms everyday and a great amount for a meal. This is totally my kind of meal – probably lunch so that my husband won’t say “where’s meat/fish?”. I’ve seen Hungarian paprika in several recipes and I don’t own it. I should definitely get one so that I can make this recipe. Love the spice and flavor to cook mushrooms. I drool thinking about mushrooms… haha.

    • Thanks Nami! We both love mushrooms as well! Just this week, we’ve had this dish, mushroom risotto, then for lunch today, I took the leftovers from this dish and made a mushroom omelet. Yesterday I bought some beautiful baby bellas, So it looks like we’ll be having mushrooms again soon. 🙂

  23. Your mushrooms look wonderful! I wanted to make something like this for dinner today, but I got too lazy, so I microwaved a hot dog (blush). Now that I am reading this recipe, I am getting hungry again – all these spices must be wonderful with mushrooms, peppers and onions. Tomorrow will be a better day 🙂

    • Thanks Rookie! I have to admit that a hot dog is the last thing I would fix for supper. I’ve never bought one and have never made one. Obviously, not a fan of hot dogs. 🙂 I hope that today was a better day!

  24. You have made these look so appetising. I hope you are having a great week.

  25. I love Hungarian paprika on my mushrooms! What a fabulously easy recipe!

  26. Such a light but satisfying dish, this looks like it’ll fit into my midweek list very nicely!

  27. I love mushrooms and this sounds delicious!!

  28. I love mushrooms and it’s true they really do make a wonderful side-dish. These look wonderful xx

  29. I love your simple and perfect side for any entree. 🙂 My kids love mushrooms and onions (I’m so glad). So, this would be perfect to make any time.

  30. I’d need nothing else besides these! I’ve been craving veggies lately and I cannot wait to make these!

  31. What’s not to love about this side dish! Mushrooms, onions, and bell pepper are three of my favorite ingredients. Add a little spice and I know it’s delicious. Great recipe!!

  32. The caramelization of onion must have created a wonderful and balanced sweetness to the mushroom. I love the combination of those two veggies. I think you are brilliant by adding some heat on this, MJ! It is really making me hungry with rice or I can just eat it by itself.

    Have a good week, MJ! 🙂

    • Thanks Ray! You can always count on me to add a little heat to a dish! Growing up with a bottle of Tabasco and a jar of pickled jalapenos on the dinner table every night makes hot food the norm, not the exception. 🙂

  33. I am in love with mushrooms, and would definitely love to try your flavourful version…:)

  34. This dish looks so yummy! We love mushrooms at our house and it would be a big hit with my family!

  35. I have a bit of an obsession with mushrooms–I just can’t get enough of them. These would be great on top of a veggie burger. 🙂 I’m going to have to make them soon!

  36. This is what I love about mushrooms: if you treat them well, spice them up a bit and serve them in such a delightful way as you did, they become a flavoursome, complex dish, appreciated even by carnivores. (Of course Hungarian paprika is an excellent taste enhancer!).

    • Thanks Sissi! Amen on the Hungarian paprika! That and red chile powder are two of my favorites and they are SO good when combined!

  37. Nice earthy flavours! I would love them on my dinner plate now

  38. Lovely photos MJ! Sauteed mushrooms is one of my favorite side dishes. Looks and sounds delicious!

  39. This reminds me so much of a wild mushroom ragu over polenta that I ate at our fave restaurant. I hadn’t really thought about replicating it until now!

  40. I love the suggestion of polenta too, that sounds like a great meal!!

  41. This is a great side, MJ, and would “go” with just about anything. Love your suggestion for serving it over polenta and we make something very similar but add Italian sausages to the pan. I bet leftovers would make a great frittata, too. 🙂

    • Thanks John! Oh I love Italian sausage and polenta! I make a kale and Italian sausage dish over polenta – so good! You just gave me an idea for lunch. I have some crepes in the fridge and some leftover mushrooms – YUM! Thanks!

  42. Peach lady I would love this dish, I LOVE mushrooms, but then you could make anything look appetizing. You are a real artist not only in the kitchen, but with that camera of yours.

    • Thanks Zsuzsa! When I added the paprika, I thought of you! 🙂 You are the first to ever call me an “artist” in reference to a camera!!! If you only knew how I struggle!

  43. Nice photos – you have some great light. And this is a great recipe! Mushrooms are so good, aren’t they? And you’re right that these would combine with any meat, although I’m really drawn to your polenta idea. I always enjoy adding sweet bell peppers both for flavor and the color they add to a dish. Good stuff – thanks.

    • Thanks John! I’m loving the location of my photo table! It’s in the summer so I get great winter light. It will be interesting to see what type of light it yields in the summer. Glad you liked the recipe!

  44. I agree, it’s hard not to love a combination like this. Onion and garlic bring so much flavor (and antioxidants! ;-)) to every dish and your shrooms are simply glistening here MJ. It reminds me, I received a mushroom olive oil as a gift for Christmas and I’ve been enjoying its subtle but distinct flavour in similar tosses – that earthy, grounding taste is so wonderful. Great recipe.

    • Thanks Kelly! Gotta love those Christmas presents. My sister Nadalyn gave me a couple of little truffles. Can’t wait to crack open the jar!

  45. Yes, this is my healthy and delicious kind of lunch!

  46. Mushrooms have never looked so appetising 😀

    Cheers
    CCU

  47. Love to have this with hot steaming rice….you made this simple dish so flavorful.

  48. Simple ingredients.. spectacular flavor!! Looks wonderful!! I want mine with some Creamy polenta like you suggested. 🙂 Have a wonderful weekend my friend. 🙂

  49. I would eat it like that. Perfect!

  50. I love mushrooms and will cook up a batch all doctored up and toss it into pasta. Your version sounds delicious and full of flavor.

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