Gasp, I didn’t care for mushrooms until my mid-thirties. The simple suggestion of mushrooms sent shivers down my spine as a kid and I think I stubbornly carried that childhood aversion over into middle age. Well, that goodness I tried mushrooms again, over a decade ago. Mushrooms are super healthy, low calorie and high in important nutrients like b vitamins, selenium, copper, niacin, potassium, iron and phosphorous. It’s fine for taste purposes to put raw mushrooms on your salad, but the nutrients are best accessed through the heat of cooking! 
So today, I’m sharing my easy side dish recipe for Truffle Mushroom and Thyme Quinoa that features sautéed mushrooms with a sprinkle of truffle salt. It’s hard to believe that such a super simple recipe can have such big flavor, but that’s the beauty of mushrooms – they marry with and magnify the flavor of whatever dish they are in.
As far as mushrooms, I’ve used Baby Bella mushrooms because I think they taste great, are affordable and easy to find at the market. But you can swap in whatever you like! You can find a little jar of truffle salt on the spice aisle of your market – it’s coarse sea salt infused with tiny bits of truffle. I prefer this over truffle oil, as truffle oil is expensive and tends to go rancid before I come anywhere near finishing off the little bottle. And, uhmm, them mere mention of truffle butter grosses me out for so many reasons, thank you very much Nicki Minaj et. al.
And, by using the “super seed” quinoa, I’ve pumped up my plate with a little extra protein. Since I’m a stickler for getting 25 to 30 grams of protein per meal, adding quinoa to my recipe (which has 8 grams of protein per cooked cup), helps me stretch my food budget!
I also will frequently meal prep a big pot of quinoa and freeze so that I can throw this recipe together in less than 10 minutes. Let me tell you, the big umami taste explosion in this side dish pairs up so well with beef. Create the perfect flavor foundation for your leftover bits of steak, pot roast or ground beef – check out my how to on Beef Loving Texans.
If you are QUINOA CRAZY Here are a couple other of my popular quinoa recipes to check out:
- Lemony Turmeric Cauliflower-Quinoa
- Maple Pecan Butternut Quinoa
- Pomegranate Blue Cheese Quinoa Caviar
You can’t beat the organic quinoa from Now Foods, it’s my favorite (especially the tri-color).
Do you eat quinoa regularly? Ever try truffles? What’s on your menu for this week? Please share in the comments, XOXO – Jennifer
- 3 cups cooked quinoa from 1 cup dry
- 1 tablespoon coconut oil
- 2 cloves minced garlic or two teaspoons
- 8 ounces baby bella or button mushrooms, sliced thinly (one pint carton)
- 2 tablespoons chopped fresh thyme
- 1 to 2 teaspoons truffle salt according to prefernce
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Prepare quinoa according to package instructions. Fluff with fork and set aside, keeping warm.
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In large skillet, heat coconut oil over medium-high heat. Add mushrooms and garlic, sautéing for approximately 3 minutes, until softened but not soggy.
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Remove from heat and stir in warm quinoa, thyme and truffle salt.