Love mushrooms? This scrumptious, satisfying and simple, warm mushroom salad with miso tahini dressing is a must-try. With nutty brown rice, garlicky fried mushrooms, soft wilted cool tangy feta and subtle sour notes of pickled beetroot drizzled with a creamy miso/tahini dressing, this isn't one of those flimsy salads that leaves you searching for a snack a couple of hours later. What's more, with just 20 minutes of cooking and prep time it's an excellent weekday dinner or lunch.
The post contains additional information and helpful tips to ensure the recipe turns out great the first time. Please use the link above to jump to the recipe card at the end if you are in a hurry!
✅ 4 reasons why you'll love this recipe:
- Packed with umami yumminess - nutty brown rice with garlicky fried mushrooms, soft wilted cool tangy feta and subtle sour notes of pickled beetroot drizzled with a creamy miso/tahini dressing.
- Ready in 20 mins - when you use microwaveable rice, perfect for a weekday lunch or dinner.
- Super nutritious - each bowl gives you vital vitamins, protein, calcium and antioxidants.
- Satisfying - this salad is a substantial meal that will keep you full for a while.
🛒 Ingredients and variations:
This tremendously tasty and super satisfying salad is made with everyday ingredients. You will be able find all of them at your local store.
Brown rice - wild rice and farro are also good options because they have a chewy texture that goes well with the mushrooms.
Mushrooms - I often use a packet of mixed mushrooms because I like the different flavours and textures they bring to the salad, but most mushroom types will work well so feel free to pick your favourites.
Spinach - I urge you to opt for fresh over frozen. Frozen spinach is great for soups and stews, but is likely to add unwanted moisture to a salad. Kale, green beans or broccoli will also work well.
Feta - you can also use ricotta or goat cheese or omit the cheese to make the salad vegan.
Pickled beetroot - adds a welcome tanginess that complements the other savoury flavours in the salad. You can swap this for pickled cabbage or a small amount of pickled onions.
Crunchy onions - optional but highly recommended as they bring a satisfying crunch amongst the softer chewier textures in the salad.
🧑🍳 How do you make a warm mushroom salad?
1. Dressing
Mix the miso paste, tahini, rice vinegar, sesame oil, garlic powder, sugar and water in a small jug or bowl and set aside.
2. Rice
Cook the rice according to packet instructions.
3. Mushrooms and spinach
Place a frying pan on a high heat and add the butter. When it melts and starts to sizzle fry the mushrooms for a few minutes until they begin to brown. Then reduce the heat and add the garlic, cook for one more minute and set aside. Add the spinach to the pan, cook for a few minutes until it begins to wilt and set aside.
4. Assemble
Place the rice into a bowl and add the cooked mushrooms, wilted spinach, feta, and pickled beetroot. Toss it all together and serve immediately drizzled with the tahini miso dressing and top with crunchy spring onions.
👍 Top tips
- Use microwaveable rice - it takes 20 minutes to cook brown rice on the stove but microwaveable rice is ready in just 2.
- Get the dressing to a thick but pourable consistency - add a little more water if you need to.
- Don’t overcook the spinach - remove it from the pan as soon as it starts to wilt. Don’t let it get moist and slimy.
Serving suggestions
This warm mushroom salad is wholesome and satisfying and can be enjoyed as a meal in itself, but some garlic bread on the side will go nicely if you’re feeling particularly hungry. Adding grilled chicken, seeds or nuts are always great ways to bulk it up.
🙋 FAQs
The quickest and best way to cook mushrooms is to fry them in hot melted butter on a medium to high heat for 4-5 minutes until they begin to brown.
This depends on the type of mushroom. Most varieties like enoki, chanterelle, porcini, chestnut and white button mushrooms have tasty stems. Shiitake mushroom stems, on the other hand, taste woody and you’ll probably want to remove them. However, they are good for adding umami flavour for soups stews and broths.
It’s not necessary to peel a mushroom. Just make sure you wash or clean them first with a mushroom brush or paper towel to remove any dirt.
This is a topic of debate, with many people claiming that washing mushrooms causes them to become slimy and lose their flavour. The Mushroom Bureau advises cleaning mushrooms using a damp cloth. However, others argue that the amount of water they absorb is minimal as is the impact on taste. Mushrooms often have dirt on them so need to be washed, a wipe with a damp cloth or kitchen paper or a quick rinse is fine. If you decide to rinse make sure you dry them before you cook them, so they do not add additional moisture to your dish.
Most mushrooms are safe to be eaten raw including white mushrooms, enoki and portabellas, although it’s unlikely you would want to because they are tough and lacking in flavour. Most find the soft umami delicious flavour of cooked mushrooms wins hands down.
It is safe to reheat mushrooms as long as they have been stored properly. Put leftover mushrooms into a covered plate or bowl or plastic container and refrigerate them as soon as they are cool for up to 2 days. Reheat thoroughly in the stove or in the microwave.
📦 Storage
The warm mushroom salad tastes best when eaten fresh but leftovers can be stored in the fridge for up to 24 hours. Place the salad in the fridge as soon as it is cool and ensure it is covered. Ensure you reheat it thoroughly on the stove or in the microwave. The salad is not suitable for freezing.
😋 More moreish mushroom recipes
If this warm mushroom salad is up your alley, you should take a look at my other mushroom recipes. They’re all nutritious, easy to prepare and packed with delicious umami mushroomy yuminess. If you’re craving comfort food my Chicken Tortellini soup and Pumpkin and mushroom risotto are sure to hit the spot. If you’re hungry and in a hurry, my 20 minute creamy zucchini mushroom pasta is perfect for a week night dinner. Or for another miso mushroom combo try my wild rice and mushroom soup with a soy/miso broth.
Did you try this recipe? It would be really great if you could leave a comment and a star rating ⭐️. I would love to receive your feedback and know that other readers find it helpful too.
Don't forget to tag #knifeandsoulrecipes on Instagram or @knifeandsoul on Pinterest!
📖 Recipe
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Warm mushroom salad
- Prep Time: 10
- Cook Time: 10
- Total Time: 20 minutes
- Yield: 2 1x
- Diet: Vegetarian
Description
A scrumptious and satisfying warm mushroom salad with miso tahini dressing that you can get on the table in just 20 minutes.
Ingredients
Dressing:
- 1 tbsp miso paste
- 1 tbsp tahini paste
- 2 tsp rice vinegar
- 1 tsp sesame oil
- ¼ tsp garlic powder
- ¼ tsp sugar
- 2 tbsp water
Salad ingredients:
- 1 250g (or 9oz) packet of microwave brown rice or 150g (or 5oz) dry brown rice
- 15g (or 1 tbsp) butter
- 150g (or 5oz) mushrooms - chopped
- 2 cloves of garlic - crushed
- 80g (or 3oz) spinach leaves
- 100g (or 3.5 oz) feta - crumbled
- 80g (or x 3 oz) jarred pickled beetroot - chopped
- 2 tbsp crunchy onions (optional)
Instructions
- Combine the dressing ingredients in a small jug or bowl and set aside.
- Cook the rice according to packet instructions.
- Place a frying pan on a high heat and add the butter. When the butter starts to sizzle add the mushrooms and fry for a few minutes until they begin to brown.
- Reduce the heat to medium, add the garlic, fry for a minute or two until fragrant and remove the mushrooms from the pan and set aside.
- Add the spinach, cook it for a few minutes until it starts to wilt and remove it from the pan and set aside.
- Assemble the salad by spooning the rice into bowls and add the cooked mushrooms, wilted spinach, pickled beetroot and crumbled feta.
- Drizzle with the dressing, top with crunchy onions and serve.
- Category: Salad
- Method: stove-top
- Cuisine: Western
Keywords: warm mushroom salad
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