Recipe and photos by Zach Papaleoni of Spore to Fork
Spray & Grow Kits are the easiest way for kids to start growing their own mushrooms at home. As a new family tradition, we made dinner using Golden Oyster mushrooms that the kids grew themselves. Of course we had to start with a classic - so we made baked mushroom mac and cheese! Adding mushrooms to your favorite recipes enhances flavor and they are a healthy source of fiber, vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants. Plus cooking together is more fun with food you've grown yourself.
Note: Prepping Oyster mushrooms mushrooms is super easy for kiddos, they don’t even need knives... pulling them apart is just as effective!
Baked Golden Oyster Mushroom Mac and Cheese
Yield: 8 servings
Prep time: 15 minutes
Cook time: 45 minutes
Ingredients
• 1 lb dry pasta, al dente, drained and set aside
• ½ lb homegrown Golden Oyster mushrooms, sliced or shredded by hand
• 8 tablespoons unsalted butter, divided
• 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
• 5 cups whole milk
• 4 cups shredded sharp cheddar cheese
• 1/2 cup grated/shredded Parmesan cheese
• Salt and pepper to taste
• 1/2 cup panko breadcrumbs
• Chopped Italian parsley (garnish)
Method
1. Preheat your oven to 375°F. Grease a 9x13-inch baking dish and set aside.
2. In a large skillet, melt 2 tbsp butter over medium heat. Add mushrooms and cook until they begin to brown. Season with salt and pepper then remove mushrooms from the pan and set them aside.
3. Add 4 tbsp butter to the pan, along with the flour and cook for 2-3 minutes until flour cooks and aroma becomes nutty.
4. Slowly pour in the milk while whisking continuously and cook until the sauce thickens (about 5-7 minutes).
5. Stir in the cheeses until melted and smooth. Season with salt and pepper. Reserve 1 cup of sauce on the side.
6. Add the cooked pasta and half the mushrooms to the remaining cheese sauce in the pan, stir, then pour into baking dish.
7. In a small bowl, melt another 2 tbsp butter in the microwave and mix with bread crumbs. Season with salt and pepper. Top mac and cheese mixture with bread crumb mixture then place remaining cooked mushrooms on top.
8. Bake 25-30 minutes, or until the top is golden brown and bubbly.
9. When ready to serve, heat up that extra cheese sauce and drizzle it over top! Add a little chopped parsley to garnish.
Grow your own Golden Oyster mushrooms to use in these recipes!
Have questions about our mac and cheese recipe? Please feel free to connect with us @sporetofork on Instagram with any questions or feedback. At Spore to Fork, we truly believe that the mushrooms we cook deserve the same level of care and respect in the kitchen that they receive during the growing process. Tag us when you try our recipes and we’ll give you a shout out!