Creamy Mushrooms on Toast
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I didn’t think toast could be luxurious, but this Creamy Mushrooms on Toast has proved me wrong! Seasoned with garlic, butter, fresh herbs, and a hint of lemon juice, this creamy mushroom sauce is outrageously delicious!
Table of Contents
In this season of parenting, most of my cooking energy goes into strategizing what I can make that’s 1. Fast and 2. Acceptable to everyone at the table, including one kid who picks around the meat and one kid who picks around the veggies.
Things like crock pot spaghetti, quesadillas, and easy pantry pasta are on the regular rotation.
But sometimes I get bored of the pasta and cheese heavy menu my kids love and need to cook something just for our grown up tastebuds: a tongue tingling Thai Basil Beef Stir Fry or Black and Blue Salad or something offensively mushroom-forward like this Creamy Mushroom Toast.
This is one of my favorite things to come out of my kitchen in recent memory, and it’s so incredibly simple.
Perfectly browned mushrooms are cooked down with butter, garlic, and cream into an intensely savory almost-gravy that’s positively divine spooned over a slice of crisp toast.
Side note: Someone should make a Mushrooms in Garlic Butter candle, because I’m convinced it’s the best cooking smell on earth.
If I were a single lady I would be eating this 2-3 times a week for dinner, and licking the pan clean. Alas, my kids are extremely anti-mushroom, so this has mostly become a lunch time obsession.
I love to make the toast in a grill pan (<<this is a great one!) to get those gorgeous grill marks, but it’s 100 percent acceptable to pop a few slices of bread in the toaster and be on your way.
I wish I could tell you this serves four, but it’s closer to two in our house. If you have a mushroom lover in your life, this Creamy Mushrooms on Toast is a must make!
Key Ingredients
- Bread– I used a French loaf for this, but other crusty white breads like sourdough or even a hearty wheat bread would work well here. The mushroom cream sauce is naturally gluten free, so just swap out your favorite gluten free bread for an awesome gf lunch or dinner option.
- Butter and olive oil– A combo of oil and salted butter gives the toast a shatteringly crisp exterior that gives way to a buttery chewy center.
- Mushrooms– I recommend using crimini (or baby bella) mushrooms for this, but you can substitute white mushrooms if you prefer. It would also be fun to experiment with shitake or enoki mushrooms.
- Garlic- Freshly minced garlic is awesome, but you can use the jarred stuff in a pinch.
- Heavy cream– Heavy cream is ideal for cooking into a thick, luxurious sauce without the need to add any thickener. Can you use half and half? Maybe, but I wouldn’t recommend it.
- Lemon juice- You only need a quick squeeze of lemon juice to brighten up the sauce. Use fresh lemon juice, not bottled.
- Herbs- Finish the creamy sauce with some fresh herbs. I have an oregano/thyme hybrid in my garden that was perfect in this, but you could also use thyme, rosemary, sage or any combination of the three. I like to sprinkle the finished dish with fresh chives.
How to Make Creamy Mushrooms on Toast
To make the toast:
Heat a grill pan over medium heat and add a tablespoon each of olive oil and butter. Swirl the two together as the butter melts, then add the bread slices. Grill for 2-3 minutes, or until grill marks appear. Remove the bread to a plate, add another tablespoon of olive oil and butter, then toast the other side. Remove to a plate.
To make the creamy mushrooms:
Step 1: Brown the mushrooms. Heat a large, heavy pan over medium high heat. Add the mushrooms, spreading them out over the pan. Cook without stirring for 2-3 minutes, or until the bottoms have browned. Toss the mushrooms and sprinkle with salt. Continue to cook another 4-5 minutes or until evenly browned, stirring occasionally.
Step 2: Add butter and garlic, cooking for about 1 minute.
Step 3: Add cream and thicken. Bring the mixture to a slow simmer. Cook, stirring occasionally, for 4-5 minutes, or until cream is thickened. If you run your spatula through the sauce, it should take a second or two to run back together.
Step 4: Add lemon juice and herbs. Add fresh lemon juice and thyme leaves and stir. Taste, then add additional lemon juice, salt, or pepper as desired. Spoon the mixture over the toast and top with the chives. Serve immediately.
How to Wash and Saute Mushrooms
- Rinse the mushrooms under cold running water. You might’ve heard you shouldn’t wash mushrooms, but instead wipe them with a damp paper towel. While this works, it takes forever, and, we’ve found, is unnecessary. Instead, place the mushrooms in a colander and give them a quick shower, agitating them with your hands to get any dirt off.
- Pat the mushrooms dry. Less moisture=better browning, so be sure to give the mushrooms a good pat before putting them in the pan.
- Did you know you can brown mushrooms in a dry skillet? I tried it for this recipe, and I found starting with a dry skillet resulted in better browning in less time. Don’t worry, we still add butter, but it comes towards the end instead of the beginning!
- Give your mushrooms some breathing room! The mushrooms should have enough room to sit in a single layer, so they brown instead of steam. If your pan is on the smaller side, you might want to brown them in two batches.
- Cook without stirring. To give the mushrooms a gorgeous golden color, cook them undisturbed for at least 2-3 minutes to start, then stir only occasionally until browned on all sides.
Storage and Make Ahead Instructions
Leftover mushroom gravy keeps well in the fridge for about 5 days. Reheat in the microwave before serving.
The toast is best made fresh. If you’d like to shorten the time to make the toast, feel free to just pop a few slices in the toaster and spread with butter before serving.
More Recipes for Mushroom Lovers
- Creamy Mushroom Chicken and Rice
- Mushroom and Leek Pasta
- Portobello Mushroom Sandwich
- Easy Crock Pot Round Steak with Mushrooms
- Red Wine Mushrooms
Creamy Mushrooms on Toast
Ingredients
- For the toast:
- 2 Tablespoons salted butter
- 2 Tablespoons olive oil
- 6 slices French bread (or other bread of your choice (see notes))
For the creamy mushroom sauce:
- 16 ounces crimini mushrooms (quartered)
- ¾ teaspoon Kosher salt (plus more to taste)
- 2 Tablespoons unsalted butter
- 2 cloves garlic (minced)
- 1 cup heavy cream
- Squeeze of lemon juice (to taste)
- 1 Tablespoon fresh thyme leaves
- 1 Tablespoon fresh chopped chives
Instructions
For the toast:
- In a griddle pan over medium heat, melt 1 Tablespoon of the butter along with 1 Tablespoon of olive oil. Place the toast in the pan and grill for 2-3 minutes, or until griddle lines show up. Remove the bread from the skillet. Melt the remaining butter and olive oil in the skillet, then toast the other side. Remove to a plate.
For the mushrooms:
- Meanwhile, heat a large non stick skillet over medium high heat. Add the mushrooms and spread them evenly over the pan in a single layer. Cook, undisturbed, for about 3 minutes, or until the bottoms have browned. Toss the mushrooms and sprinkle with salt. Continue to cook another 4-5 minutes or until evenly browned, stirring occasionally.
- Add the butter to the skillet, followed by the garlic. Stir until butter is melted and garlic is fragrant, about 1 minute. Add the cream, and bring the mixture to a boil, then lower the heat to maintain a gentle simmer. Cook, stirring occasionally, for 4-5 minutes, or until cream is thickened. If you run your spatula through the sauce, it should take a second or two to run back together.
- Add the lemon juice and thyme leaves and stir. Taste, then add additional lemon juice, salt, or pepper as desired. Spoon the mixture over the toast and top with the chives. Serve immediately.
Notes
- You can use all kinds of different breads for the toast. Sourdough is fabulous, and I also sometimes enjoy a hearty wheat. If you need the recipe to be gluten free, just substitute your favorite gluten free bread.
- The mushrooms need to be quartered, not sliced, for the dry saute method to work. Sliced mushrooms burn too easily. If you only have sliced mushrooms, add butter to the skillet before sauteeing instead of after.