Easy dinner recipes: Hearty mushroom ideas for Meatless Monday

When you’re looking for something to lend a little heft to the meal, you can’t go wrong with mushrooms. Rich and earthy in flavor, they lend a nice depth and great texture to many a dish. And they make a great substitute for meat when you’re looking for hearty vegetarian ideas.

Wild mushroom soup: Christopher Czarnecki, chef-owner of the Joel Palmer House in Dayton, Ore., shares his recipe for a wild mushroom soup that is rich with flavor yet simple to make. It’s not surprising that the soup is so good. His father and restaurant founder Jack Czarnecki is a legendary mushroom hunter and cook.

Wild mushroom frittata: Thinly sliced wild mushrooms with tangy creme fraiche, Pecorino Romano, sliced garlic and shallot, and fresh thyme and chives pair well in this tempting frittata.

QUICK & EASY: Terrific recipes in under an hour

Craft’s mushrooms: A blend of mushrooms -- crimini, shiitake, oyster, trumpet royale and maitake -- is sauteed in a garlic-shallot butter and tossed with chopped fresh herbs in this dish, which works well either as a substantial side or light main course.

You can find the recipes below.

And for more ideas, click through our easy dinner recipes gallery and check out our Dinner Tonight page, devoted to recipes that can be made in an hour or less. Looking for a particular type of recipe? Comment below or email me at noelle.carter@latimes.com.

RECIPES: 99 easy dinner ideas in about an hour or less

JOE’S WILD MUSHROOM SOUP

35 minutes. Serves 2 to 4

1 ounce dried porcini mushrooms

1 quart water

2 teaspoons onion powder

1 teaspoon salt

4 tablespoons melted butter

1/2 teaspoon sugar

2 tablespoons soy sauce

Creme fraiche, for garnish

1. Combine the porcini and water in a saucepan and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat and cook at a very gentle simmer for 20 minutes; the liquid will reduce by about one-fourth. Remove from heat and set aside to cool for 10 minutes.

2. Puree the mushrooms and liquid in a blender, then return the puree to the saucepan and stir in the onion powder, salt, butter, sugar and soy sauce. Simmer gently for 5 minutes.

3. Ladle the soup into bowls and garnish with creme fraiche.

Each of 4 servings: 139 calories; 3 grams protein; 5 grams carbohydrates; 2 grams fiber; 12 grams fat;
7 grams saturated fat; 31 mg cholesterol; 1 gram sugar; 1,023 mg sodium.

Note: Adapted from the Joel Palmer House in Dayton, Ore.

WILD MUSHROOM FRITTATA

Total time: 30 minutes

Servings: 6

Note: From David Lentz at the Hungry Cat

12 eggs

3/4 cup creme fraiche, divided

1 cup grated Pecorino Romano cheese

1 tablespoon olive oil

1 tablespoon butter

2 cups thinly sliced shallots (about 5 to 6)

6 large cloves garlic, thinly sliced

2 cups cleaned, sliced mushrooms, wild if available, such as chanterelles or morels (cultivated types such as cremini may be combined or substituted)

2 teaspoons fresh thyme leaves

Salt and pepper

1 tablespoon chopped chives

Sea salt

1. Whisk together the eggs, one-fourth cup creme fraiche and the cheese until thoroughly combined. Set aside.

2. Heat a large nonstick skillet or cast iron pan over medium-high heat. Add the olive oil and butter and heat until the butter bubbles but is not yet turning brown. Add the shallots and garlic and cook over medium to medium-low heat until tender and beginning to brown, about 3 to 4 minutes.

3. Add the mushrooms and thyme and cook until the mushrooms are tender, about 2 minutes. Season to taste with salt and pepper.

4. Stir the egg mixture to recombine, then pour it over the mushroom mixture. Reduce the heat to medium-low. Use a rubber spatula to even out and distribute the mushroom-shallot mixture. Cook until the bottom is set and the edges begin to shrink a little, about 5 to 8 minutes. Meanwhile, set the oven rack at least 6 inches away from the broiler and heat the broiler.

5. When the bottom is set, finish the frittata by broiling briefly until the top is just set, 1 to 2 minutes. Do not brown.

6. Remove the frittata from the oven and loosen it from the pan with a spatula. To serve, cut into wedges and top each with a dollop of creme fraiche and a sprinkling of chopped chives and sea salt.

Each of 6 servings: 378 calories; 24 grams protein; 14 grams carbohydrates; 1 gram fiber; 26 grams fat; 12 grams saturated fat; 461 mg cholesterol; 504 mg sodium.

CRAFT’S MUSHROOMS

Total time: 40 minutes | Serves 4 to 6

3 sprigs tarragon

6 sprigs parsley

3 sprigs chervil

3 medium-sized shallots

12 cloves garlic

6 tablespoons vegetable oil, divided

3 tablespoons unsalted butter

1 1/2 cups halved or quartered crimini mushrooms

1 1/2 cups halved baby shiitake mushrooms

1 1/2 cups diced oyster mushrooms

1 1/2 cups diced trumpet royale mushrooms (also known as eringe mushrooms)

1 1/2 cups diced or torn maitake mushrooms (also known as hen of the woods)

Salt and freshly ground black pepper

1. Pick the leaves off the tarragon, parsley and chervil. Mince them together and set aside for later.

2. Mince the shallots and garlic cloves together. Using a sauté pan, cook the garlic and shallots in 3 tablespoons oil over medium-low heat until they are translucent, about 5 minutes, stirring frequently so the shallot and garlic does not burn. Add the butter and continue to cook the garlic and shallots until they are tender. Set the garlic-shallot butter aside.

3. Heat a large sauté pan over medium-high heat until hot. Add the remaining vegetable oil and sauté the mushrooms until they are golden brown, seasoning with one-half teaspoon salt and a few grinds of pepper, or to taste.

4. Add the garlic-shallot butter to the mushrooms as well as the chopped herbs. Stir the mushrooms in the sauté pan so that they are evenly coated with the herbs and garlic- shallot butter.

5. Taste the mushrooms and add more salt if needed.

6. Drain the mushrooms briefly on paper towels to remove any excess fat if desired before serving.

Each of 6 servings: 207 calories; 3 grams protein; 7 grams carbohydrates; 1 gram fiber; 20 grams fat; 5 grams saturated fat; 15 mg cholesterol; 3 grams sugar; 202 mg sodium

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