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With just 5 ingredients and 10 minutes, whip up Balsamic Mushrooms and Onions. This easy mushroom recipe is ideal as a topping for steak and chicken, or dive in or an easy side dish.
I know mushrooms can be a bit polarizing, especially for the younger crew at the table. But I’m a certified mushroom lover. I can tackle a full pound at once (no shame!), especially when they are Balsamic Mushrooms and Onions.
This easy, savory side dish asks for just 10 minutes and 5 minutes to join the dinner party. Most often, I make them as a topping for some sort of grilled meat: steak, chicken, or pork.
If your meat is resting under a tent of foil before you slice it, you have just enough time to prepare them. They’re delicious enough to eat on their own as a side dish, though, and I’m dishing up even more serving ideas below.
Table of Contents
Recipe ingredients
At a Glance: Here is a quick snapshot of what ingredients are in this recipe.
Please see the recipe card below for specific quantities.
Ingredient notes
- White button mushrooms: I call for the classic, and what I think is the mildest and most family-friendly of the umami-boosting mushrooms, white button. See “Recipe FAQs” below for alternative fungi options.
- Onion: You’ll want half of a medium onion, thinly sliced, which is equal to about 1 cup loosely filled. For slightly milder onion flavor, try shallots.
Step-by-step instructions
- In a medium skillet over medium-high heat, heat oil until shimmering. Add mushrooms, onions, and ¼ teaspoon salt and stir to combine.
- Reduce heat to medium, cover, and cook until liquid is released from mushrooms, about 5 minutes.
- Remove cover and continue to cook until liquid has evaporated and mushrooms and onions are softened and browned, about 5 minutes longer.
- Stir in balsamic vinegar and stir until mushrooms and onions are coated evenly and the vinegar is heated through, about 2 minutes.
Recipe tips and variations
- Yield: This Balsamic Mushrooms and Onions recipe makes about 2 cups, enough for four 1/2-cup servings.
- Storage: Store leftovers covered in the refrigerator for up to 4 days.
- No balsamic: Not into vinegar? Just omit the balsamic and enjoy your succulent mushrooms and onions with herbs and salt. They will still be delicious!
Recipe FAQs
Definitely! I call for white button mushrooms since they’re widely available, but if you prefer the flavor or texture of cremini, portobello, baby portobello, shiitake, or oyster mushrooms, feel free to use one of those instead. Or if you’re craving novelty, mix two or more of the mushroom types in this side dish.
My latest obsession is slathering toast with ricotta cheese or goat cheese, adding this mushroom mixture on top, then finishing things off with a fried or poached egg. Brunch perfection. You can also fold these into scrambled eggs or stuff inside an omelet in the a.m.. Come dinnertime, layer Balsamic Mushrooms and Onions into grain bowls, salads, lasagna or other casseroles, or simply toss with pasta.
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Balsamic Mushrooms and Onions
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 2 pounds white button mushrooms halved (see note 1)
- 1/2 medium onion thinly sliced (about 5 ounces, see note 2)
- Salt
- 2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
Instructions
- In a medium skillet over medium-high heat, heat oil until shimmering. Add mushrooms, onions, and ¼ teaspoon salt and stir to combine.
- Reduce heat to medium, cover, and cook until liquid is released from mushrooms, about 5 minutes. Remove cover and continue to cook until liquid has evaporated and mushrooms and onions are softened and browned, about 5 minutes longer.
- Stir in balsamic vinegar and stir until mushrooms and onions are coated evenly and the vinegar is heated through, about 2 minutes.
Notes
- White button mushrooms: I call for the classic, and what I think is the mildest and most family-friendly of the umami-boosting mushrooms, white button. See the FAQ section for more options.
- Onion: You’ll want half of a medium onion, thinly sliced, which is equal to about 1 cup loosely filled. For slightly milder onion flavor, try shallots.
- Yield: This Balsamic Mushrooms and Onions recipe makes about 2 cups, enough for four 1/2-cup servings.
- Storage: Store leftovers covered in the refrigerator for up to 4 days.
Nutrition
Meggan Hill is a classically-trained chef and professional writer. Her meticulously-tested recipes and detailed tutorials bring confidence and success to home cooks everywhere. Meggan has been featured on NPR, HuffPost, FoxNews, LA Times, and more.
My family loved this!
So good so good so good!! Simple, easy and delicious! I used this recipe to put on top a vegan frozen pizza and man it really enhanced it! It felt so gourmet like I had done it all from scratch. I love recipes like this! Thank you
Thanks so much Megan! I’m glad you like the recipe! Gourmet sometimes can be easy! ;) -Meggan
We were looking for something not too ingredient-heavy to serve with our rib eye steaks last night.
This fit the bill perfectly!
We had a compound butter (garlic, parsley and honey) to serve on top of the steaks. At the last moment we decided to put the balsamic onion & mushrooms on top, then top THAT with the compound butter. The flavors worked beautifully together. This is a keeper! Thank you and Happy New Year!
This was delicious. I made a quesadilla with it.
I’ll be trying this tonight served with rump steaks and pepper sauce! Thanks.
I’m sure this is very tasty, but it is not a 3 ingredient dish. It is 5. Both the oil and the salt become part of what is consumed and that makes them ingredients, by definition. The current trend of not counting ALL the ingredients in a dish is frustrating and frankly a bit dishonest, in my opinion.
Hi Esther, sorry about that. Honestly, the idea of “3 ingredients” or whatever it is came about by assuming EVERYONE has olive oil, salt, and pepper on hand (I also don’t count water as an ingredient). You’d only have to buy 3 things to make the dish. However, you have a valid point and obviously I know everyone can count. I promise I wasn’t trying to be misleading in any way, but your criticism is taken to heart and I’ll make sure to be more honest going forward.
Geeze Esther get off your high horse. I take it you didn’t even try the recipe. Just came here to complain? lol ridiculous.
Rude. I bet you go around cyber bulling all the time, you should try being nice.
Okay, there is an unspoken rule of “pantry items”, FFS… Salt and oil are pantry items! Hell, balsamic vinegar is considered a pantry item from my culinary training… So it’s actually a two ingredient side dish… Clinb down off your tower and get a clue!
Love your web site
thanks for sharing this recipe, like the substitution of olive oil for butter, great classic flavors!