Name: Easy Mushroom Mac and Cheese
Prep time: 5 min
Cook time: 16 min
Total time: 21 min
Ingredients: 1 tablespoon olive oil; 1 pound white button mushrooms, cleaned and sliced; Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste; 1 (7.5-ounce) box mac-and-cheese; 1/4 cup whole milk or room-temperature cream cheese

Prep Time 5 minutes
Cook Time 16 minutes
Total Time 21 minutes
Yield Serves 4

Author Mushroom Council

Creamy, comforting mac and cheese gets an easy upgrade with crispy, savory mushrooms. It’s a simple, stovetop way to add rich flavor and a little something extra to a weeknight favorite.

Ingredients

Scale

1 tablespoon olive oil
1 pound white button mushrooms, cleaned and sliced
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
1 (7.5-ounce) box mac-and-cheese
1/4 cup whole milk or room-temperature cream cheese

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Instructions

Heat oil in large skillet over medium-high heat. Add mushrooms, and cook, stirring occasionally, until light golden-brown, about 6 to 8 minutes. For crispier mushrooms, continue cooking until deeper golden and edges are slightly crisp. Season with salt and pepper, to taste.
Meanwhile, prepare mac and cheese in a medium pot according to package directions. Stir in the milk or cream cheese until smooth and creamy. Add cooked mushrooms and stir to combine. Season with black pepper, to taste. Serve and enjoy.

Notes

Tip: To customize your mac and cheese, top with your favorite hot sauce, pesto, crispy fried onions, or crushed buttery round crackers.
Tip: For a fun twist, toss the mushrooms with 2 to 3 tablespoons of store-bought basil pesto or buffalo sauce during step 1 to create a pesto or buffalo version of the mac and cheese.

This recipe uses White Button mushrooms

White Button Flavor and texture

White buttons feature the classic mushroom umami flavor that is slightly milder than other varieties of mushrooms. Its semi-firm texture elicits a pleasantly crisp bite when sliced raw into salads and other fresh applications. This quintessential mushroom variety also is a perfect pick for any cooking application. The white button mushroom’s flavor intensifies when cooked, and its texture becomes tender, juicy and satisfyingly meaty.