Do you like champignon mushrooms? I’m crazy about them! Although they are not as prized as other types of mushrooms, champignons lend themselves to many preparations! Among these, the most common is to sauté them in a pan with oil, garlic, lots of parsley, and chili pepper! However, in keeping with a healthier kitchen, I propose them to you in a lighter version, baked au gratin, but I assure you that even this way they make a really tasty side dish! Moreover, it’s also very simple and quick to prepare, because apart from a bit of patience in cleaning the mushrooms, but nothing too demanding honestly, you just need to put everything in a bowl, season, and transfer to a baking tray! This way, you will serve an economical, low-calorie, tasty, and especially versatile side dish that you can also use as a base condiment for any dish, pasta, pizzas, soups, savory pies, crepes, and even for crostini paired with aperitif. Try them yourself following this very easy recipe, and let me know what you think! You’ll see, they will win you over!
If you are a mushroom lover, you absolutely must not miss these other recipes:
- Difficulty: Very Easy
- Cost: Economical
- Preparation time: 25 Minutes
- Portions: 4 people
- Cooking methods: Electric Oven
- Cuisine: Italian
- Seasonality: Autumn
Ingredients:
- 1.1 lbs champignon mushrooms
- 2 sprigs chopped parsley
- 1 sprig rosemary
- to taste oregano (or fresh thyme)
- 2 cloves garlic
- 1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
- 3 tbsps breadcrumbs
- to taste salt
- to taste pepper
Tools:
- 1 Knife
- 1 Cloth
- 1 Bowl
- 2 Spoons
- 1 Baking tray
- 1 Parchment paper
Steps:
First of all, you need to clean the mushrooms by cutting the base of the stem, the one with the earthy residue, and removing the damaged parts with a small knife.
Gently rub them with a well-moistened cloth to remove any dirt. If the mushrooms are very dirty, you can briefly rinse them under running water and dry them immediately, as they are very porous and can absorb too much water.
Slice them to a thickness of about 1/8 to 3/16 inches.
Transfer the sliced mushrooms to a bowl along with the chopped parsley, the rosemary leaves, fresh oregano or thyme, a generous grind of pepper, and a pinch of salt, and mix well.
Drizzle with olive oil and mix again.
Finally, add the breadcrumbs and mix one last time.
Place the mushrooms on a fairly large baking tray lined with parchment paper, spreading them out so they are not too overlapped. Add the unpeeled garlic cloves and a final drizzle of oil on top. Bake in a preheated oven at 400°F for 18-20 minutes.
Adjust the salt, let it cool for about ten minutes before serving, and embellish with more chopped parsley if you like.
And voilà… your champignon mushrooms are ready to be enjoyed!
Bon Appétit from La Cucina di FeFè!
Storage
👉 You can store the baked au gratin champignon mushrooms in the fridge in suitable refrigeration containers for 2-3 days. They can also be frozen and kept for 3 months.
Tips, Notes, Variations, and Suggestions
🔵 For making these baked gratin mushrooms, I used champignons, which have an excellent yield, but any mushroom type that can be sliced, like porcini, will work.
You can substitute the herbs with others you prefer, such as basil, mint, marjoram, etc. For an even more delicious variant, you could also add some grated parmesan cheese to the breadcrumbs before baking, you’ll see how tasty!
It’s IMPORTANT that the thickness of the mushroom slices is respected and not too thin, to prevent them from drying too much during cooking, which could affect the final result.
