Steakhouse Style Mushroom Recipe for Big Burgers

Name: How to saute mushrooms for burgers
Prep time: 5 min
Cook time: 17 min
Total time: 22 min
Yield: 4
Ingredients: 1 lb of your favorite mushrooms in ¼ inch slices; ½ large onion thinly sliced; 2 cloves of garlic finely chopped; 2 tablespoons of olive oil; 1 tablespoon of unsalted butter; 2 tablespoons of balsamic vinegar; 1 teaspoon salt; 1 teaspoon pepper; 1 teaspoon chopped parsley

July 18, 2024
Chuck Sillari

Are you wondering what you should smother your burger in before you shove it down your throat? How about a ton of delicious mushrooms and onions?

I love a good burger once in a while. One of my favorite ways to make a burger is to load it up with sauteed mushrooms and sauteed onions. The earthy flavors of the mushrooms and the sweetness of the onions are a great combination for a burger topping.

In order to make a great mushroom burger you need to have delicious mushrooms. It only makes sense…right?

I look at cooking as if it’s an experiment where we are always trying to find the best way to make things. I’m not going to say that these are the best mushrooms ever, but I will say that they are really good and it might just be my favorite way to cook mushrooms for a burger.

I’m going to show you how to take some fresh mushrooms and cook them up with some good ingredients that will add lots of additional flavors.

When you make a batch of these mushrooms, it’s a good idea to cook extra because there are so many things you can do with the leftovers.

Let’s cook some mushrooms!

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The Ingredients You Need

Mushrooms: you’re going to need some fresh mushrooms for this recipe. You can choose your favorite type of mushrooms. You can even mix a few different types of mushrooms together. If you’re wondering which ones are a good choice, you can go with white mushrooms or white button mushrooms, baby bella mushrooms or cremini mushrooms. You can also go with portobello mushrooms, but they’d have to be sliced before you cook them.

Onions: I use yellow onions or Spanish onions. Whatever onions you choose, peel them and slice them nice and thin.

Garlic: you should get some fresh garlic cloves and chop them up really fine.

Olive Oil: I use olive oil when I saute. Most of the time I like using extra-virgin olive oil.

There are some people that may say avocado oil is better because it has a high smoke point. For this recipe we won’t be using high enough heat to worry about that.

Butter: use unsalted butter if you can find it. It gives you the ability to adjust the seasoning yourself and have more control over the recipe.

Balsamic Vinegar: this is the secret ingredient. Balsamic vinegar adds some great flavor to this dish. Since you’re going to be cooking it down, there is no need to use a really fancy variety of balsamic vinegar. Something off the supermarket shelf is perfect.

Seasoning: you need all of the usual suspects… Kosher salt, black pepper and some fresh or dried herbs. I suggest using fresh parsley in this recipe. Fresh herbs are always a great choice if you have them. If you want to try some other blends, check these two recipes:

How to Saute Your Mushrooms

An easy saute is the best way to cook mushrooms in my experience. Follow these simple steps and you’ll end up with perfect sauteed mushrooms. For the full recipe check out the recipe card below.

The first thing you need to do is clean your mushrooms. You can give them a quick rinse under the sink and dry them off. I think an easy way of cleaning mushrooms is to just wipe them with a damp paper towel.

Next you have to peel and slice your onions and garlic.

Now take a sharp knife and cut your mushrooms into quarter inch thick slices.

Add some olive oil to a large skillet and place it on medium high heat. When you saute mushrooms, or anything else, you need oil and a hot surface.

Also, the reason I like to use a large pan is because it’s easier to stir the mushrooms during the cooking process.

Add the onions to the pan and season them with salt and pepper. For best results, I add the onions first because they take longer to cook than the mushrooms.

When the onions start to soften up and become translucent, add your chopped garlic to the pan. Let the garlic cook with the onions for about 5 minutes. If you notice that the onions are starting to burn, turn the stove down to medium heat.

Add the sliced mushrooms to the pan and season again with salt and pepper. Add the butter and balsamic vinegar to the pan.

Allow the mushrooms to cook on medium high heat for an additional 5-10 minutes.

Give them a stir every so often with a wooden spoon and loosen up any browned bits on the bottom of pan.

You’ll notice that as the mushrooms cook, they will start to lose moisture and reduce in size. If the pan starts to have too much moisture in it from the mushrooms, turn up the heat slightly and let the moisture evaporate.

Sautèd Mushrooms FAQs

Q: If I want to add some other ingredients to the sautèd mushrooms while they cook, what can I use?
A: This recipe can be looked at as a base. It gives you the fundamentals on cooking mushrooms in a saute pan. From there you can experiment and add your favorite ingredients.

Depending on the flavor you’re going for, there are a lot of different options you can add to the frying pan. In the past I’ve sauteed mushrooms with teriyaki sauce, Worcestershire sauce, soy sauce, red wine, white wine and garlic butter. The mushrooms will soak up the flavors like a sponge, so get creative and add what you like.

Q: Do I have to add onions to the mushrooms when I saute them?
A: No. The addition of onions is totally optional. If you don’t like onions you can use shallots, leeks, peppers or just straight up mushrooms.

Q: Do I have to use oil when I saute mushrooms?
A: You don’t have to use oil, but a saute does require some type of fat. You could use just butter, a mix of butter and oil, or even bacon fat.

Q: What can I do with the leftover sauteed mushrooms?
A: If you have leftovers, store them in an airtight container and store them in the fridge or freezer. They will last up to three months in the freezer. Pull them out when you want to make a frittata or you need an easy side dish that is ready to go.

What to Serve with Your Sauteèd Mushrooms?

Burgers: just like I mentioned in the title of this article, these mushrooms and onions will turn any burger into a masterpiece with a lot of melted Swiss cheese.

If you like Western burgers throw on some bacon and BBQ sauce with your sauteed mushrooms and onions.

Pork: you can also reduce some Marsala wine in the pan with the mushrooms and serve them as the perfect side dish for pork chops and pork tenderloin.

Steak: like any great steak house, you need to serve good side dishes with a good cut of meat. Serve the sauteed mushrooms and onions with ribeye steaks and prime rib. Steak dinners are always better with some garlic mushrooms and caramelized onions on the side.

Stews and Casseroles: cook your mushrooms with some fresh herbs like thyme, parsley and rosemary. Add them to hearty comfort food like beef stews and shepherd’s pie.

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