A Really Great Mushroom Casserole

I easily made this vegan by subbing unsweetened almond yogurt (recommend Kite Hill brand), omitting the eggs, and using vegan parm crumbles (many recipes online for this) instead of the Parmesan. It was AMAZING!!! I also subbed half the rice for king bean noodles for more of a vermicelli style and loved that too. Great as a vegan, gluten-free thanksgiving dish! Thanks, Heidi!

Made this last night using millet. (It’s what I had in the house.) It was delicious. I will make again, for sure! I will use more mushrooms and less grains. I’m also imagining artichoke hearts in it. Thanks for the idea to process tofu to sub for the cottage cheese.

I made this last night and it was delicious. I subbed low fat versions of sour cream and cottage cheese. I also added chopped rosemary to the mushrooms. For a topic I used chopped rosemary, grated parmesan cheese, and chopped toasted pine nuts.

When I make this again in the future, I think I’ll add more mushrooms and mix up the varieties. I also might add jalepeno or other chili to make it a bit spicy.

This looks great! Since having a baby, I’ve been ALL about the casseroles. Is there something that would be a good substitute for the egg? My baby is allergic. I don’t know if flax would quite do the trick, which is my go-to for baked goods. Savory substitutes are a different beast!

This looks phenomenal!! How do you think it would be with farro instead of rice? On a BIG farro kick lately.

Would love to see a vegan version of your favorite mushroom casserole . Sounds yummy. Wonder if ground flax/water could sub for eggs. Don’t know about sub for cottage cheese. I have a sub for parmesan…chopped walnuts/garlic powder/nutritional yeast ground up makes a decent replacement.

This looks delicious. Have you ever tried it with farro?

Oh this looks so good but i’m vegan. Could you possibly develop a similar recipe but that was vegan? Please? thanks for considering.

HaHa! I bought a bag of organic mixed mushroom grown here at Seacoast Mushrooms in Mystic Ct and went to my computer to see what to do with them, and here was your post! Thanks Heidi. Hope you are safe with all the tragic fires in CA.

This just looks awesome. I’m cooking this this weekend!

Delicious, I tried it today and it was simply delicious. Even my son tried a few bits.
I just found your blog about two weeks ago and already cooked some of your recipes. They always turned out really lovely. But next time: no tarragon for me, it was simply awful. Greets, Susan

Hi there! I have just made this and it wasn’t as creamy as I would have liked. I think that cup sizes are different in the US than they are in the UK. Anyway, still VERY tasty but the next time I will try with quinoa (never used that before) and stir in some bacon (sorry! I’m such a pleb!).
Continue to love your site, Heidi! Can’t wait till my daughter’s on solids!

This is very close to a recipe that I pulled together one time, except I never thought of adding cottage cheese. I will have to try your version sometime.
Betsy

Heidi, How delicious! Just one question… what kind of cheese did your mom’s original recipe have in it?
HS: I know there was cheddar involved in some capacity – not sure if there were other types though.

I made this last night after salivating over the pic for days! We loved it. I went to bed dreaming of having more for breakfast. I did use non-fat greek yogurt in place of the sour cream and added a bit of chopped kale. I’m adding this to my holiday recipe folder, it’s perfect. Thank Heidi!

mmmmade this for lunch for my BFF today.
he’s a food guy and watched every step, asking some questions. We enjoyed the casserole with a nice salad and sweet chats. It was our Thursdate and it was perfect.
thanks, Heidi.

Love the cookbook and the blog and have cooked many of your recipes. Just had to say that I made this right away after you posted it (my first casserole- my mom is mexican and we never ate them growing up!) and it was delicious! I threw in some kale from our garden and hubby and I ate it all up.

I made this the other night. It was SOOO yummy. I made some slight tweaks (just to fit what I had on hand). Everyone loved it! My 16month old son can’t get enough. Thanks!

After drooling over your amazing recipes for so long I’m ashamed it’s taken me this long to actually get round to making one – and what a one to start with, as it was really tasty.
As some others did, I used non-fat Greek yoghurt instead of sour cream and I threw in baby spinach, herbes de provence and some toasted pine nuts and it was DELICIOUS! Thank you Heidi!

this looks like a smiliar recipe my mom had with chicken and a little bit of cooking sherry (ah! comfort food!) as an adult, however, i can’t eat dairy, and was wondering if anyone had suggestions for substitutions? (i saw the note about pureed extra-firm tofu – great idea!)

I never liked mushrooms at all growing up. I would painstakingly pick them out of every dish my mum cooked them into and put them in a little heap on the side of my plate.
About a year ago I decided that I should like mushrooms and began to order them everywhere.
Now I cannot get enough of them. Seriously. If a friend is chopping them for a dish, half are gone before she can put them in the pan.
Thanks for this recipe, I am off home to cook it for lunch!

I made this last night. The description reminded me of my childhood and after skiing gorging of Tuna lula as we called it. Or post winter lacrosse tournament Baked stuffed peppers. It was great! I used only egg whites, and all fat free add ins, but the brown rice and mushrooms were perfect and luxurious! It felt very unhealthy to eat, so good, but I’m thinking it is still ok for me?….Good recipe i will feed to my children some day!

This was fantastic. I added frozen peas just before putting it into the oven for a bit of green. Very successful and most delicious.

I made this as a side item for our dinner tonight and now I realize I should have just made it as a main dish as this is all we ended up eating because it was so good! I substituted pureed extra firm tofu for the cottage cheese. I do this for all recipes that call for cottage cheese or ricotta and nobody ever notices the difference.

Thank you! This was delicious! I love casseroles in the winter and my boys both loved this one. I think the tarragon was perfect. One of my favorite herbs, and it went so well with the mushrooms. I appreciate having new healthy recipes to try, and low fat cottage cheese and sour cream still tasted very rich and yummy. I’ll be making this often. Thank you again for such a great blog.

WOW! Loved this! I substituted the eggs and sour ream with Feta cheese and added spinach. We will be adding this to our winter weekly routine! With low fat cottage cheese, it’s a healthy winner!

Looks incredible -I’m guessing my vegetarian mushroom-loving 9 year old son will be in heaven when I make this tomorrow night!

s my familiy are all mushroom lovers, I just had to try this dish right away. My whole family loved it. Since I only had toffuti sour cream in the house, I substituted half the required quantity with sour cream, and half with low fat yogurtl it made no difference. I also added low fat mozzerella cheese to the top along with the parmesan.
Thank you so much Hedi for making my life easier and cooking more fun. I can’t wait to see what new recipes you will send us in the email.
I also tried the sweet potatoe pie, with coconut mild and flakes. Another great hit with the kids.

OMG this was fantastic! I used cremini mushrooms and subbed non-fat Greek yogurt for the sour cream. I added tons of chopped spinach to the mix right before I put it in the oven, and topped it with lots of chopped sage and thyme. My husband and mom both loved it, and for the meat-eaters out there, my husband commented that it would also be great with little pieces of spiral-cut ham thrown into the mix. Thanks Heidi!!!

That sounds like an awesome main course. Do you use button mushrooms, or what kind? (Are brown a kind?)

Just had to comment again. I loved this when I made it two nights ago (my husband and I have already devoured the whole thing, embarassingly). I used quinoa, which was fabulous, and used a low-fat Greek yogurt in place of BOTH the sour cream and cottage cheese (it’s what I had on hand, but also saved some calories, I’m sure). This is putting me into a casserole mood!

This sounds like a great healthy alternative, yet still in the comfort food category.
Thanks!

Tried this recipe last night. Came out great. Thanks.

Thank you for providing cost-effective healthful meals, Heidi.
I love how I can come to your site and find gourmet recipes that are realistic for my family that I feel just great about.
This was so delicious. Thank you for the quip on adding leafy greens.

OOoooo… I can’t wait to make this! I totally cracked up when I started reading this post because I too was loyal to the cream of mushroom soup/rice when I was a kid. I called it “Candied Rice.” Who knows why I called it that… because it tasted so good as to be like candy for me? Lol!? This sounds like a great way to have the old thrill back at hand without having to crack open a nasty old can of Campbells.

I was looking through the comments for a vegan idea. The pesto thing sounds great Heidi. Will give it a shot and let you know – a few roasted cashews always help up the taste too:) I think I will use ‘Kasuri Methi’ (dry fenugreek leaves) for the flavor instead of tarragon!

Love the sound of this, and cant wait to try it!
It’s been getting chilly around here lately and this sounds like just the thing to warm me up! Thank you for sharing it!

Wow, this looks so tasty. I’m going to try this one tonight. Maybe I’ll try adding some peppered salami in the mix for a bit of spice.

I made this, with a few tweaks, for supper last night and it was hearty and satisfying. I had some left over brown rice and combined that with some sauteed shimeji mushrooms, green garlic, diced spanish onion, thyme and rosemary. I didn’t have sour cream so I blitzed some silken tofu, lite cottage cheese and egg beaters together and tossed it with the rice/mushroom mix. Poured into a baking dish, grated some parmesan over the top and after 30 minutes, had a wonderful meal.
I’m such a sucker for baked dishes and ones made with whole grains like this make me really happy! Thanks.

This looks soooo good! I’m going to try it with farro

Heidi-I love everything about this dish. Looks delicious. Ok if egg substitute is used instead of the real thing?

Made this last night, was a HUGE HIT! Even my meat/cream/butter/fat loving boyfriend was swooning. Definitely will be on regular rotation in my house. Thanks!

Natalie – would you be willing to share your rice milk bechemel recipe??

This was divine! Tastes like a BETTER version of my mom’s old broccoli/mushroom casserole… that was full of velveeta. I think I’m going to try adding the chopped broccoli next time! Thanks, as always!

Thank you so much for the nice recipes you give us it is really all very interesting I am going to try the mushroom casserole it looks good. Keep it up. Thank you again.

Thanks for the clarification. It’s on the menu this week!

I’m not a vegan, but I was on a dairy free diet for a while. You can substitute a white sauce made with your choice of milk and butter substitutes (white wine and olive oil?) for the sour cream. I don’t know what you can do about the cheese though. The texture will be very different without it. I think Heidi’s on the right track – moving away from the dairy binders to something a little jazzier. More like a warm rice salad.

I can’t wait to make this! I love mushrooms. My husband always feels that he needs meat with his dinner, but I think this might satisfy him. Keep these delicious recipes coming Heidi!

It’s in the oven right now!
I wasn’t sure about the cottage cheese, but when I mixed it in, it smelled just right (my mom also made rice or egg noodle + condensed mushroom soup comfort food).
I threw in some chestnuts and kale because they were around, but perhaps simpler is better here – I’ll know in a few minutes when it’s done.
thanks, Heidi!

Saw this today and had to make it for dinner. I added some dijon mustard to the mix. Yummy! Husband loved it (he’s been asking me to make a casserole hehe). As always, wonderful work Heidi.

I love the meaty texture of a mushroom in a casserole like this one.

Man, I hardly ever eat mushrooms because I’m the only one in my household who likes them, and every week I pass them longingly at the farmer’s market. Well, no more. I’m going to make this, and my husband and kids can have cold cereal for dinner for all I care. Looks wonderful.

I would love to know your mothers other four dishes!!

Oh my word. I love love love love love love mushrooms and feel fortunate to live near the Mushroom Capital of the World (or so they say). I haven’t converted the rest of my family yet, but more for me, right? This might work, though…thanks for another perfect recipe!

Made this for dinner tonight: delightful!
I made it “straight”, but I definitely want to try variations on the theme next.
I’m also pointing every friend I have to this recipe — it’s that good!

Of course i bought waaay too many mushrooms this thanksgiving and was wondering last night what to do with all of them. deciding on another pasta sauce i came upon this recipe this afternoon. and i have everything in the fridge already! yay! this looks really tasty and it has everything my 4 kids love. thanks so much you’re a life saver!

I couldn’t agree more about the scent of mushrooms bringing back fond kitchen memories. And what a wonderful break from cream of mushroom soup in the mix! On my way to the store right now…

This looks divine!!!

So, unlike many of the other fans posting here…I hate mushrooms. I’ve often wondered what would be a good ‘meaty’ substitute for mushrooms, for recipes like this that look SO yummy. Any other hearty veg suggestions?

I’m not usually a mushroom person, but this recipe sounds intriguing. 101 Cookbooks has already given me the gift of so many other “new” favorites (quinoa chief among them), that I’ll give this a shot too.

GREAT casserole!!

Yummm. I haven’t had a casserole in ages, but I hear they’re back in style. And mushrooms class it way up. This looks SO SO good!!

Mine is baking as we speak, and smells so good. I snuck a spoonful when I removed the tinfoil, and let’s just say there was a whole lot of promise in that bite. Thank you!

For those of you who are interested in a non-dairy or vegan options – I’ve been giving this a bit of thought today. Instead opting for soy-based non-dairy products (which I tend to avoid), I think I might take this in a totally different direction. What about tossing the brown rice with some crushed tomatoes and garlic, or a tomato/saffron sauce? Then turning the rice into the baking dish and topping it with olive oil toasted breadcrumbs, some chopped olives? A drizzle of pesto before serving…might be tasty.
I’ll let you know if I think of any other ideas. -h

This recipe reminds me of my own childhood, as one of ten children, where a meal would at times be rice with chile beef soup and cheese, with veggies on the side. The mushroom part of this recipe with creamy cottage cheese, and sour cream sounds much better than the can of mushroom soup I was cooking with in the 70’s. The MSG in it doesn’t suit me anymore. Thanks again for a great recipe, the creative writing and photo.

How deliciously simple! I think my dad made the same casserole when I was a kid. Your version sounds like a wonderful metamorphasis.

My mom made a mushroom casserole as well. It was made with brown rice,cream of mushroom soup, steamed broccoli and cheddar cheese.

I would be interested in any “bread” recipes you recommend for gluten intolerant folks like me! The leeks, dill and green beans were wonderful!!!

I wonder why I don’t make more casseroles as this looks satisfying and elegantly simple. I think I’ll have to try it with quinoa, though. It’s my favorite go-to grain right now since I’m a little brown-riced-out these days. Thanks for the recipe!

This looks absolutely perfect for the weather that’s approaching…
Thank You!!

Heidi, I have been a long-time reader of your blog…so much so that when I saw Super Natural Cooking at my local bookstore, I felt star-struck and in the company of an old friend…simultaneously! This is yet another great looking recipe that I can’t wait to try. The care and joy you invest in your cooking and writing is wonderful and very inspiring!

Wow, does that look good. I am thinking it would be great with the mushroom -thyme soup base I made up for Thanksgiving, and I love your suggestion of greens in it. Greta dish for this time of year.
Also–I tried making some risotto with barley the other day, a la Super Natural Cooking…it was fantastic! Thanks!

I made this tonight and it was awesome!!! I added a bunch of chopped spinach that I had in the fridge. My boyfriend had thirds, which doesn’t happen a lot! thanks, Heidi!

Mushrooms are one of my favorites, and this recipe looks so comforting. For a vegan twist, maybe substitute the eggs, cheese and cream for some cooked oatmeal, and a little rice milk. Top with a margarine breadcrumb sprinkle and bake until crispy…

Well…jump back!! This is the very recipe that your Mom and Dad served at their rehearsal dinner before their wedding 42 years ago in your grandmothers back yard. How do I remember you ask?….because I helped make the casseroles. (a little chicken as an addition). The dish was a hit. I can hardly wait to try your “health-up” version.
HS: I had no idea! What a great story. I love that they had their rehearsal dinner in Grandma’s backyard 🙂 xoxo -h

This reminds me of one of the best paella’s I’ve ever had at a restaurant called Calle Ocho in NYC. It’s listed on the menu as simply mushroom paella and it is absolutely delicious yet so simple. This looks like a wonderful recreation!

Even though I love mushrooms, I don’t use them enough in my cooking and this looks like a great recipe to try to start.
Thanks for sharing.

This looks like an awesome simple comfort food dish. I love mushrooms and can’t wait to try this out! Thanks for sharing it!

Well, I made this last night, or a vegan version, and it was perfect!
For anyone interested in vegan subbing, I used Toffutti better than cream cheese, and a bechamel made from walnut oil and oat milk. The bechamel helps it hold together so you can omit the eggs completely. It’s probably a different ‘beast’ to Heidi’ version, but it’s still yummy 🙂

I made this today with zucchini and sage and ate it with some fresh tomatoes. It is delicious!

Oh, that sounds divine. I have a thing for mushrooms anyway, but mushrooms in a casserole? Comfort food at its best.

I think that I might have to make this tonight!!!!!!!!!!! Blonde Appetit hearts mushrooms of all shapes and size. Love the healthy take on a 70s staple.

My mom made this growing up, adding tuna. It was my all time favorite…she still makes it for me for my birthday. Mmmmm…I can’t wait to make it with fresh mushrooms!

hurrah! i was just wondering what to do with the mushrooms i bought the other day and have not managed to use! that, combined with the first snow means it’s casserole time, thank you! i really enjoy your site.

Just last night, we were clearing out the cupboards when I spied a clear baking dish – reminded me of mom’s chicken and rice casserole with cream of mushroom soup (blech) – I would just keep eating the rice and pretty soon, there were just mounds of chicken left with little rice hairs sticking – ha! What awesome timing – making it tonight. Thanks!

Julie Russo (Great Good Food/Silver Palette) has a recipe for low-fat blend that is half cottage cheese and half yogurt (blended but not in a food processor), equal parts, low- or fat-free. She uses it in place of sour cream, and I’m thinking perhaps it would work here? And somehow Mexican cheese blend sounds better than Parmesan to me for this…

This sounds wonderful, but I second those on the vegan/dairy-free end. Does anyone have ideas? I’m not good at converting the recipes myself yet.

My family and I love mushrooms, so I’m really looking forward to making this dish. I got them all to eat brown rice some months ago, and this is a fine recipe for reinforcing their good behavior. Thanks for another wonderful addition to my recipe folder.

bravo, heidi! these cold days call for a comfort-oriented dish like this! i used a host of wild mushrooms in my stuffing over the holiday, so i have a quart of strained mushroom liquid with which to infuse the rice while cooking. just in time, like always. xo

how weird, last night we made the Mushroom & Walnut Kugel from Joy of Cooking, which is similar — substitute egg noodles for the rice, add walnuts, and it’s almost the same recipe! This one sounds much, much better though. I think our kugel needed tarragon or something, maybe thyme.

I am loving this! I love anything with mushrooms and this casserole will make a perfect meal as the weather is getting cooler (well cool by Cairo standards) 🙂 Thanks for sharing this recipe, Heidi!

Although I’m still shaking off my Thanksgiving food coma, this looks really, really tasty.

Just reading the recipe makes me feel warm and cozy. My mom did the rice with mushroom soup routine too and it was a favorite comfort food when I was small (though now I shudder.) I will give your grown-up, well cooked version a try!

This looks yummy. I’m making it for sure! I’m getting into different grains, loving them these days. and mushrooms – my favourite.
You could even use a mushroom medley in it – all sorts of different funky mushrooms would be excellent.
thanks

Fabulous – anything that goes so beautifully golden at the edges has to be worth trying!
I’m always on the look out for healthy recipes that can make creative use of leftovers – I bet you could cook extra rice the day before and this would be in the oven in no time.
I’ve been using cottage cheese in french toast recently and am impressed by how well it works. Not the slightest hint of wateriness.

Warm comfort food involving mushrooms? I fully approve, and can’t wait to try this.
How do you think mascarpone would work instead of cottage cheese? That’s what I’ve got in the fridge right now, and I’d like to put it to good use.

I was given the gift of a head cold on Thanksgiving. (Babies are fabulous incubators.) This mushroom casserole is exactly what I need to help me feel better. Thank you for sharing your comfort foods with us. Ciao Bella!

H
Looks good. A couple of questions: At what temp is the over? When you cover with foil for the first 30 min is that in the oven or out? Thanks.
HS: Hi Terry. It’s at 350F and I tweaked the instructions so they are more clear re: the foil.

Thanks Heidi – I’m having one of those days where I could really use some comfort food – and even though I’m a vegan, I’ll try a variant of this casserole tonight, maybe with a rice milk bechamel and some thyme … Cheers!

As always this looks simple, elegant, and delicious, not to mention comforting! Certainly a great recipe for the end of the New England mushroom hunting season and the onset of chilly nights.
P.S. My entire Thanksgiving dinner consisted of recipes from your site, so thank you! Keep up the great posts! 🙂