Sauteed Baby Bella Mushrooms: 15 Min to Perfection

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Saute Baby Bella Mushrooms with crisp white wine and butter for the perfect steak, salad or burger in only 15 minutes.

I will admit that, until today, I didn’t realize there was a difference. Mom always buys the sliced Baby Bellas at the store. It’s a regular in our grocery list. Our only question is whether to buy the 8 ounce package or the 16 ounce package.

Recipe | Portobello or Portobella Mushrooms? | Can You Eat the Stems of Portobello Mushrooms?

What’s the difference between Portabella and Portobello mushrooms?

Neither of us knew that there was a difference between Portabella Mushrooms and Portobello Mushrooms other than the obvious.

I’ve been using the term Portobello throughout my recipes, never realizing that there was a reason for the A in the smaller ones.

As it turns out, my favorite little Baby Bellas are actually Cremini mushrooms and are simply the new, tender baby portobello mushroom. The same mushroom except the baby version.

I could have figured that out on my own, of course. What I didn’t know is that the baby mushroom is distinguished by the A in Portabella. It’s not a cute marketing name like I thought.

Portobello (with the O) is the name for the same mushroom when it has fully grown.

Can you eat the stems of portobello mushrooms?

Although we always buy the Baby Bellas, it’s good to know that, when using the larger, mature Portobello mushrooms, you should cut off the stem and scrape out the inside ribs. Good tip!

Oh, don’t worry. They’re still edible. Apparently the stem isn’t all that tender, though, and cooking with the ribs turns your food black. Yikes!

For the Baby Bella mushroom, feel free to eat the entire thing. The stems are just as soft and tender as the rest of the mushroom.

Can I use white button mushrooms?

Yes! Be aware that sauteed white button mushrooms are from the same family of mushrooms, but the flavor isn’t as complex as Cremini (Baby Bella) mushrooms. Use either white button or Baby Bella. Your choice.

Sauteed white button mushrooms are just as delicious but they don’t have the same depth and earthy flavor of baby bella.

Cook’s Illustrated did a side-by-side comparison of white button and Cremini mushrooms.

Sauteeing the Mushrooms

These flavor-packed little morsels of goodness are sauteed in butter first. Melt the butter and then turn the heat to low so you don’t burn the butter or the mushrooms.

Note that I’m using an 8-ounce package of sliced Baby Bella mushrooms for this recipe. You may know 8 ounces to be a cup but that’s a liquid measurement and doesn’t apply here. The 8-ounce package of Baby Bellas is actually about two cups of sliced mushrooms.

1. Melting the real creamery butter is only the first step to sauteeing the best mushrooms.

2. Once you have the mushrooms coated in butter, cover and saute for about 5-7 minutes.

They’re going to soak up all the butter but, because you have the lid, the moisture isn’t going to escape much.

3. After the mushrooms have begun sauteeing, add your seasonings, white wine and Worcestershire sauce.

You’re getting the garlicky taste of the Worcestershire sauce as well as the crisp dryness of the wine.

4. With the liquid added, stir until well coated and increase the heat as necessary so it gets bubbly. Allow to cook until there is almost no liquid remaining.

There will be very little sauce since it turns into a nice carmelized glaze on the mushrooms. Yum!

I don’t mind telling you that I ate every single one of these mushrooms right after these photos. I didn’t wait for anything else to go with them. I just ate them, just like this. Incredible and so easy!

What pairs with sauteed mushrooms?

These Baby Bella Mushrooms would be an excellent side dish for my Tuscan Chicken for Two. An 8-ounce package of sliced Baby Bellas turns out to be the perfect amount for two (or three) people.

If you have more will power than me, you could use these mushrooms to top a pizza as well. There is no way I could have waited, though.

These would be incredible served with a juicy steak or on top of a hamburger with some melty cheese. My mouth is watering!

Make it a meatless meal by adding some fresh Italian Wheat Pesto Bread recipe.

Reducing the salt

If you feel like the sodium (salt) content is too much, try using a low sodium Worcestershire which should help significantly. You can also reduce or omit the salt itself.

My personal favorite way to reduce the salt, though, would be to simply double the mushrooms in the recipe and keep the other ingredients the same.

You can never have too many, right? Instead of buying the 8-ounce package of sliced mushrooms (which is about two cups), try getting the 16-ounce package or buy two of the 8-ounce packages.

Recipe

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