Classic creamy mushroom sauce is a great recipe to have on hand because it goes well with almost anything. Serve it with pasta, chicken, beef, potatoes, or gnocchi for a quick and tasty dinner! This recipe for mushroom sauce is easy to make and very flavorful.
Ingredients
Here’s what you need to make creamy mushroom sauce:
- mushrooms – any kind of mushrooms would work – I used here a combo of cremini (baby bella) mushrooms and porcini mushrooms, these kinds of mushrooms have more flavor than regular white mushrooms, if you have chanterelle mushrooms, I have a little bit simpler chanterelle mushroom sauce recipe on my website
- shallot – I prefer to use shallot and not regular onion because of their mild onion flavor, they are also softer so they cook quicker and you won’t notice hard chunks of onion in your sauce, feel free to use a regular onion though, you just have to cook it a little bit longer
- garlic – it’s important to chop it by hand and not using a garlic press – garlic pressed through a garlic press can have a harsh garlic taste, I prefer to use more garlic cloves and chop them with a knife – more garlic flavor that is not harsh
- thyme – or other herbs, Italian seasoning also works, fresh thyme is also wonderful
- white wine – adds flavor and acidity to the sauce, you can just omit it but you may need to add more lemon juice to the sauce so it’s not just heavy from the cream/butter/mushrooms, it’s important to use dry (= more sour) wine and not a sweet wine, you can use any cheap wine
- heavy cream or heavy whipping cream
- chicken broth – or vegetable broth, you can also use water + crushed bouillon cubes, you can also use a good-quality beef broth for a stronger flavor
- Dijon mustard
- Worcestershire sauce – you can omit it if you don’t have it on hand but it really gives a boost of flavor to the sauce, it’s good to have Worcestershire sauce in the fridge, it keeps well for long and you can add it to many sauces, stews, or soups, it boosts the flavor of even tomato sauce
- chopped parsley for garnish – goes perfectly with mushrooms sauce and adds a pop of color
For a cheesy sauce, you can add about 1/2 cup (45g) of grated parmesan cheese to the sauce.
You can use clarified butter for cooking the mushrooms and onions for even better flavor.
How to cook mushrooms
The best way to cook mushrooms:
The best way to cook mushrooms is unfortunately a little bit time-consuming. If you’re cooking a large amount of mushrooms, you will need to cook them in batches. You should spread your mushrooms apart in an even layer in a large frying pan, cook them until browned, then turn over each mushroom and cook until browned on the other side. Transfer the mushrooms to a plate and repeat with the remaining mushrooms. This is the best way to get the best possible flavor out of mushrooms. Browning the mushrooms makes them flavorful and crunchy, and not blanch and chewy.
Another way to cook a large amount of mushrooms:
If you’re short on time and don’t care that all of your mushrooms are uniformly browned, you can cook them this way: Add all of your mushrooms to a hot pan in an even layer (medium to high heat, depending on the stove). Don’t stir for the first 1-2 minutes, letting the mushrooms at the bottom brown. Then start stirring and you will see that the mushrooms have released lots of water. Cook them until all the water is evaporated. When the water is evaporated, stir the mushrooms only from time to time, letting them brown on all sides.
Tips:
- Don’t slice the mushrooms too thinly – they should be crunchy and have a bite to them! Mushrooms sliced too thinly will end up too soft. They should be uniformly sized so they cook evenly.
- Rinse them quickly under the tap – don’t submerge them in water – mushrooms absorb water like a sponge.
- Salt the mushrooms only at the end of cooking! Salt will extract moisture from the mushrooms and they will not brown properly.
- It’s better to use a heavy skillet than a thin-bottomed pan.
- Don’t overcrowd the mushrooms or they will steam and boil instead of getting brown.
- Make sure you’re mushrooms are being fried and not steamed and boiled. Steamed/boiled mushrooms have a slimy consistency and little flavor.
How to make creamy mushroom sauce step by step
STEP 1: Cut the mushrooms into thick slices (about 1/4 inch or 6mm). Cut shallot into small cubes, finely chop garlic (preferably with a knife and not using a garlic press). Roughly chop parsley.
STEP 2: Heat the oil in a large frying pan over medium-high heat. Add half of the mushrooms in an even layer, cook until browned at the bottom then turn over and cook until browned. Transfer to a plate and repeat with the remaining mushrooms.
STEP 3: Add butter and shallot to the pan. Cook over medium-low heat for 1-2 minutes, until softened. Add garlic and thyme and cook for 30 seconds, until fragrant.
Add flour and cook, whisking, for a minute.
STEP 4: Add wine and cook for 1-2 minutes, until mostly evaporated.
Scrape all the brown bits at the bottom of the pan.
STEP 5: Add cream, broth, Dijon mustard, Worcestershire sauce, and lemon juice. Bring to a boil and cook over low heat for about 1-3 minutes, until thickened. The sauce can be just a little bit runny at this point, it will thicken further while cooling.
STEP 6: Add the mushrooms back to the pan and stir to combine.
Season the sauce with salt and pepper. Garnish with chopped parsley.
Enjoy!
TIP: For a thicker sauce, simmer it a little bit longer.
What to serve it with
- pasta
- gnocchi (you can try these Ricotta gnocchi) – check out this recipe for mushroom gnocchi with spinach and bacon
- mashed potatoes (like these Cream Cheese Mashed Potatoes or Sour cream mashed potatoes with chives)
- pan-fried/baked chicken, steak, or pork tenderloins/pork chops, meatballs, roasted cauliflower
- German potato dumplings
- Polish dumplings: Leniwe (Polish Lazy Pierogi Dumplings), Kluski Śląskie (Silesian Dumplings), Kopytka (Polish mashed potato dumplings)
- Potato pancakes: German Potato Pancakes (Kartoffelpuffer) or Polish Potato Pancakes (placki ziemniaczane)
Storage
This sauce reheats really well. You can keep it in the fridge for up to 4 days. You may need to add a small amount of broth when reheating it (it will thicken in the fridge).
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Creamy Mushroom Sauce
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons frying oil
- 10 ounces (285g) cremini (baby bella) mushrooms
- 1 tablespoon butter
- 1 large shallot
- 4 cloves garlic
- 1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
- 2 teaspoons flour
- 1/3 cup dry white wine 80ml
- 1/2 cup heavy cream 120ml
- 1/2 cup chicken broth 120ml
- 1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
- 1/2 teaspoon Dijon mustard
- 1/2 teaspoon lemon juice
- salt and pepper to taste
- chopped parsley to garnish
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Instructions
- Cut the mushrooms into thick slices (about 1/4 inch or 6mm). Cut shallot into small cubes, finely chop garlic (preferably with a knife and not using a garlic press). Roughly chop parsley.
- Heat the oil in a large frying pan over medium-high heat. Add half of the mushrooms in an even layer, cook until browned at the bottom then turn over and cook until browned. Transfer to a plate and repeat with the remaining mushrooms.
- Add butter and shallot to the pan. Cook over medium-low heat for 1-2 minutes, until softened. Add garlic and thyme and cook for 30 seconds, until fragrant.
- Add flour and cook, whisking, for a minute.
- Add wine and cook for 1-2 minutes, until mostly evaporated. Scrape all the brown bits at the bottom of the pan.
- Add cream, broth, Dijon mustard, Worcestershire sauce, and lemon juice. Bring to a boil and cook over low heat for about 1-3 minutes, until thickened. The sauce can be just a little bit runny at this point, it will thicken further while cooling.
- Add the mushrooms back to the pan and stir to combine.
- Season the sauce with salt and pepper. Garnish with chopped parsley.
- Enjoy!
Notes
- You can use clarified butter for cooking the mushrooms and onions for even better flavor.
- For a cheesy sauce, you can add about 1/2 cup (45g) of grated parmesan cheese to the sauce.
- If you’re short on time and don’t care that all of your mushrooms are uniformly browned, you can cook them this way: Add all of your mushrooms to a hot pan in an even layer (medium to high heat, depending on the stove). Don’t stir for the first 1-2 minutes, letting the mushrooms at the bottom brown. Then start stirring and you will see that the mushrooms have released lots of water. Cook them until all the water is evaporated. When the water is evaporated, stir the mushrooms only from time to time, letting them brown on all sides.
- For a thicker sauce, just simmer it a little bit longer.
- Calories = 1 serving (1/4 of the recipe). This is only an estimate!
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