Sautéed Mushrooms

This post may contain affiliate links. Please read my disclosure policy.

This Sautéed Mushrooms recipe blends savory, sweet, and piquant ingredients with earthy, mild flavors for a mouthwatering dish! Add carrots, broccoli, and water chestnuts for extra crunch and kick so each bite is as satisfying an experience as the last! {Vegan + Paleo}

One of my least favorite foods in the history of foods is the mushroom. Like, what is even going on with that texture? And the flavor? Why are we doing this? Unless it’s hidden in a supreme pizza, just skip me, okay? That’s basically how I felt about mushrooms until a few years ago when The Old Fart (aka Dad) had to switch to a vegetarian diet. 

The king of the grill became the king of veggies, or fungi, as the case may be. Such a roaring description that is. But when he started eating more plant-based recipes, I decided to try alongside him. And sure enough, mushrooms were on the menu. A few bites later, my attitude changed. I do, in fact, like mushrooms, especially when they are prepared well with delicious ingredients and aren’t cooked to a mushy consistency. 

So when I saw a pre-mixed package of onions, mushrooms, and vegetables at Trader Joe’s, I thought, could I skip the prepackaged deal and make that from scratch myself? It turns out, yes, indeed I could. And so can you.

If you aren’t sure about mushrooms but have wanted to give them a try, then start with this recipe. It’s filling, savory and sweet, and makes enough for leftovers. If I can like and make it on the regular, then anyone can!

So, Spiriteds, let’s do this! Let’s get our ‘shrooms ON!

Sautéed Mushrooms are

• Vegan and paleo
• Gluten-free
• Sweet ’n savory
• Meaty
• Umami
• Earthy

Sautéed Mushrooms ingredients

• Carrots. We buy baby carrots and slice them into halves or quarters, depending on size. It’s a little time consuming but worth it because the steam passes through each carrot piece easier. This means you get the right consistency with each bite.
• Onion, garlic, and ginger. These flavorings complement the other earthier ingredients. Adjust amounts to your liking. You can slice the onions however you like. We typically slice them into strips or dice them. As for the ginger rounds, press them through a garlic press, mince them (prepare for some strong-flavored mushroom bites), or grate them. As for the garlic, we use two large cloves and press them.
• Broccoli. We slice these in half if the florets are large. And we add them later in the process so they don’t turn to mush.
• Water chestnuts. I go bonkers with these because they soak up all the flavors so each bite is the ultimate experience. And do I add two cans instead of one? Yes, yes I do. 
• Coconut aminos. This soy-free soy sauce stand-in is the proverbial cherry on the top of this savory dish. Add as much or as little as your heart desires.
• Coconut oil, tapioca flour, and sea salt. Coconut oil coats the vegetables well, holding in all the flavors. The tapioca flour is an excellent thickener, without altering the dish’s flavor, so you don’t have runny vegetables. And the sea salt enhances the flavors as everything cooks together.
• Mushrooms: Baby Bella “cremini,” white button, and Shiitake mushrooms. Depending on size, halve or slice into thirds the Baby Bella “cremini” and white button mushrooms. Remove the stems of the Shiitake mushrooms and leave the caps “as is.”

How to make Sautéed Mushrooms

We add the vegetables at different stages throughout the process because each one has its own ideal cook time. 

1. Sauté the carrots, onion, garlic, ginger, and a pinch or two of sea salt in the coconut oil on a LOW to MEDIUM heat for about 5-7 minutes. Then add the broccoli florets and water chestnuts, along with the coconut aminos, tapioca flour, and another pinch of sea salt. Stir briskly so the ingredients are evenly coated. Sauté for about 5-8 minutes, stirring regularly.
2. Next add the mushrooms and cook for another 10-12 minutes, or until the mushrooms are easily sliced with a turner or pierce with a fork. Remove from heat, taste test to adjust flavorings as desired, and serve immediately.
3. Refrigerate leftovers in an airtight container for about 1-2 days.

Recipe best practices

• Work with a large sauté pan, if you have one. Although the mushrooms and vegetables will shrink as they cook, your pan will, at various stages of the process, be quite full.
• Add the carrots first because they’ll need the longest amount of time to cook.
• Don’t overcook the mushrooms. They’ll go from big and bulky to mush rather quickly. Once I add them, I’m careful to stir them evenly and periodically check their consistency. My preference is they can be easily pierced with a fork but aren’t super-soft yet.
• Add coconut oil during any part of the process if you feel the vegetables are drying out or cooking too hot.
• The tapioca flour will thicken very quickly once it’s added to the sauté pan. So I add it at the same time as the coconut aminos and stir quickly. If clumps form, then press them to the side of the pan with the backside of a fork so they break down.
• I typically prepare this dish with the lid off. However, if I feel the larger vegetables and mushrooms aren’t cooking fast enough and the other ingredients are becoming over-cooked, I’ll give everything a good toss in the pan, keep the heat at a MEDIUM setting, and cover the pan for a few minutes to let the larger ingredients steam for a bit.
• Before serving, double check the taste. If desired, stir in more sea salt, coconut aminos, or ginger and garlic.

More vegetable-based dinner ideas!

Vegetables prepared correctly taste so, so, so, so good! Here are more vegetable-inspired dishes to tuck in your recipe tin!

• Creamy Avocado Cauliflower Rice
• Dairy-Free Creamy Avocado Pesto Zoodle Bowl
• Paleo Spaghetti Squash Noodles

Spiriteds, stay well and stay wild. Jump into the fun, and always know I’m glad you’re here. 🩷

Sautéed Mushrooms

Print Recipe

5 Stars 4 Stars 3 Stars 2 Stars 1 Star

No reviews

This Sautéed Mushrooms recipe blends savory, sweet, and piquant ingredients with earthy, mild flavors for a mouthwatering dish! Add carrots, broccoli, and water chestnuts for extra crunch and kick so each bite is as satisfying an experience as the last! {Vegan + Paleo}

• Author: Spirited and then Some
• Prep Time: 20 minutes
• Cook Time: 30 minutes
• Total Time: 50 minutes
• Yield: 4 servings 1x
• Category: Main Dishes
• Method: Sauté
• Diet: Gluten Free

Ingredients

Units USM Scale 1x2x3x

• 2 1/2 cups baby carrots, thinly sliced
• 1/2 medium onion, chopped or sliced
• 3 large cloves garlic, pressed
• 2 rounds of fresh ginger, pressed or thinly minced
• Sea salt, to taste
• Coconut oil (enough to cover the bottom of the pan)
• 4 cups broccoli florets (larger pieces sliced)
• 2 cans water chestnuts, drained
• 3–4 tablespoons coconut aminos
• 2 tablespoons tapioca flour
• 10 ounces white button mushrooms, rinsed, halved, or sliced into thirds
• 10 ounces Baby Bella “cremini” mushrooms, rinsed, halved, or sliced into thirds
• 4 ounces shiitake mushrooms, rinsed with stems removed

Cook Mode Prevent your screen from going dark

Instructions

1. Sauté the carrots, onion, garlic, ginger, and a pinch or two of sea salt in the coconut oil on a LOW to MEDIUM heat for about 5-7 minutes. Then add the broccoli florets and water chestnuts, along with the coconut aminos, tapioca flour, and another pinch of sea salt. Stir briskly so the ingredients are evenly coated. Sauté for about 5-8 minutes, stirring regularly.
2. Next add the mushrooms and cook for another 10-12 minutes, or until the mushrooms are easily sliced with a turner or pierce with a fork. Remove from heat, taste test to adjust flavorings as desired, and serve immediately.
3. Refrigerate leftovers in an airtight container for about 1-2 days.

Notes

• Work with a large sauté pan, if you have one. Although the mushrooms and vegetables will shrink as they cook, your pan will, at various stages of the process, be quite full.
• Add the carrots first because they’ll need the longest amount of time to cook.
• Don’t overcook the mushrooms. They’ll go from big and bulky to mush rather quickly. Once I add them, I’m careful to stir them evenly and periodically check their consistency. My preference is they can be easily pierced with a fork but aren’t super-soft yet.
• Add coconut oil during any part of the process if you feel the vegetables are drying out or cooking too hot.
• The tapioca flour will thicken very quickly once it’s added to the sauté pan. So I add it at the same time as the coconut aminos and stir quickly. If clumps form, then press them to the side of the pan with the backside of a fork so they break down.
• I typically prepare this dish with the lid off. However, if I feel the larger vegetables and mushrooms aren’t cooking fast enough and the other ingredients are becoming over-cooked, I’ll give everything a good toss in the pan, keep the heat at a MEDIUM setting, and cover the pan for a few minutes to let the larger ingredients steam for a bit.
• Before serving, double check the taste. If desired, stir in more sea salt, coconut aminos, or ginger and garlic.