Wednesday, February 24, 2021

Mushroom, Corn, and White Bean Sauté

Mushroom, Corn, and White Bean Sauté

This vegetarian dish makes a great main for Meatless Monday, or a terrific side dish

Looking for a simple, tasty vegetarian dish? We’ve got you covered.

This Mushroom, Corn, and White Bean Sauté has terrific flavor, is quick to prepare, and can be made largely from pantry staples. If you prefer not to go veggie, it also works well as a side dish with grilled or roasted meat or poultry.

Once you make this, we’re betting you’ll want to extend Meatless Monday to other days of the week – just so you can serve it again.

Mushroom, Corn, and White Bean Sauté

Recipe: Mushroom, Corn, and White Bean Sauté

Sweet corn and mushrooms – or mais aux champignons – is a dish that hails from the Occitania region of southern Europe (see Notes). It is often served as a side dish with confits.

We discovered this dish (and learned a bit of its history) while browsing Madeleine Kamman’s In Madeleine’s Kitchen. Kamman has written many cookbooks, but we think this is her most satisfying and possibly her best. Our recipe is adapted from hers (we added white beans, for example, so this dish could serve as either a main or a side).

This dish takes about 15 minutes to prepare.

The recipe serves two as a main course (you might want to add some salad and bread for a complete dinner) or 4 as a side dish. It’s easy to double this recipe if you’re serving more hungry people.

Leftovers keep for a few days if refrigerated in an airtight container.

Ingredients 

  • 2 to 3 tablespoons butter (to taste; may substitute olive oil)
  • ~¼ cup finely minced shallots (may increase to ½ cup if desired)
  • 1 garlic clove, sliced or minced finely (optional)
  • 8 ounces mushrooms, sliced or quartered (or more to taste; see Notes)
  • salt to taste (about ½ teaspoon kosher salt for us, but see Notes)
  • freshly ground black pepper to taste (a dozen grinds for us)
  • 1 teaspoon dried thyme or other herb of choice (see Notes)
  • ~1 cup frozen sweet corn (to taste; may substitute fresh)
  • 14-ounce can of white beans (drain and rinse the beans before using)
  • 1 to 2 tablespoons minced parsley

Procedure

  1. Place large frying pan on medium stovetop heat. When hot, add the butter. When the butter is melted, add the shallots and garlic (if using), then sauté for 1 minute. Then add the mushrooms. Add the salt, black pepper, and thyme. Then stir and sauté for 5 minutes (or until browned).
  2. Add the sweet corn and beans. Stir, then cook until the sweet corn is cooked through (3 to 5 minutes).
  3. Taste, adjust seasoning if necessary, and stir in the parsley. 
  4. Serve and enjoy.

Mushroom, Corn, and White Bean Sauté

 Notes

  • Ingredient quantities don’t need to be exact in this dish. So adjust to taste. 
  • You can also add or omit ingredients if you want. About the only ingredients that should remain constant are the mushrooms and sweet corn.
  • For extra goodness, you might want to add an additional tablespoon or two of butter and stir it in right before serving (Step 3).
  • Or you might want to sprinkle on some grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese as garnish. Or try another sharply flavored cheese of your choice.
  • Want to make a vegan version of this dish? Just substitute a flavorful extra-virgin olive oil for the butter. And of course ignore the option to garnish with cheese.
  • We used cannellini beans when we made this dish. But any white bean (like Great Northerns) would work. 
  • Or you could use another kind of bean entirely (we think black beans would work particularly well, although we haven’t tried that option).
  • No shallots on hand? Onions work well, too (red onions in particular).
  • What kind of mushrooms to use? We used cremini mushrooms (baby bellas) when we made this. But white button mushrooms also work well, as do the larger portobello mushrooms (all three of these are the same mushroom; they’re just at different stages of maturity). If you have fresh wild mushrooms on hand, those would be terrific in this dish.
  • We like to use dried thyme in this dish, but you could skip it or use another dried herb. Herbes de Provence would be lovely. If using fresh herbs, basil or rosemary would be particularly nice.
  • We use kosher salt in cooking. It’s less salty by volume than regular table salt (the crystals are larger and more irregular, so they pack a measure less tightly). If you’re using table salt, start with about half the amount we suggest. But always season to your taste, not ours.
  • Occitania refers to the region of southern Europe where the centuries-old language of Occitan traditionally was spoken. Occitania encompasses southern France, part of Spain, Monaco, and a small section of Italy.
  • Occitan is still spoken as a secondary language and is an official language of Catalonia.

Mushroom, Corn, and White Bean Sauté
Lingua Franca

“Mushrooms and sweet corn?” said Mrs. Kitchen Riffs. “You’re speaking my language!”

“So you like it?” I said.

“Òc,” said Mrs K R.

“Say what?” I asked.

“That’s ‘yes’ in Occitan,” said Mrs K R.

“You’re a font of linguistic knowledge,” I said.

‘’I do body language pretty well, too,” said Mrs K R, holding out her plate. “Especially when asking for seconds.”

Yup. No translation needed.

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66 comments:

Angie's Recipes said...

You make simple vegetable dishes look so inviting and tasty, John.

Kitchen Riffs said...

Hi Angie, we LOVE veggies, so we make a lot of vegetable recipes. :-) Thanks for the comment.

Anne in the kitchen said...

Looks delicious!

Kitchen Riffs said...

Hi Anne, it's really good stuff. :-) Thanks for the comment.

R's Rue said...

Yum

Kitchen Riffs said...

Hi R, totally agree! :-) Thanks for the comment.

savorthebest said...

This sounds delicious. I make vegetarian dishes like this for myself but I have to toss in some meat for my hubby

Kitchen Riffs said...

Hi Pat and Dahn, bet hubby won't miss the meat in this -- mushrooms have so much umami. :-) Thanks for the comment.

Amy (Savory Moments) said...

This is a creative combination of flavors here. We love mushrooms for their great savory flavor.

Pam said...

Great combination of flavors and textures. Looks tasty.

Kitchen Riffs said...

Hi Amy, isn't this a fun dish? Really tasty! :-) Thanks for the comment.

Kitchen Riffs said...

Hi Pam, really, really tasty. :-) Thanks for the comment.

Mae Travels said...

Looks like a good vegetarian dish. I need to spend some time checking out Kamman's recipes. Somehow I spent all my efforts on the Julia Child recipes, and a few others, never got around to Kamman or Marcella Hazan.

be safe... mae at maefood.blogspot.com

Kitchen Riffs said...

Hi Mae, Kamman is definitely worth checking out -- she knows things that Child never discusses. But Julia Child's writing has much more personality, so her cookbooks are more fun. Thanks for the comment.

Happy Retiree's Kitchen said...

We are eating more vegetarian dishes this Summer and loving it so this dish looks perfect and I have all the ingredients on hand. And another interesting recipe book to check out
Thanks so much KR.

Healthy World Cuisine said...

Loads of flavor in one easy approachable recipe. Usually have most of those things always on hand. Thanks for a delicious meatless meal option.

Kitchen Riffs said...

Hi Pauline, this is s a perfect summer dish for you! :-) Thanks for the comment.

Kitchen Riffs said...

Hi Bobbi, isn't this nice and easy? And pretty quick, too -- Monday perfect. :-) Thanks for the comment.

Eha said...

*smile* Except for the lower cooking temperature and lack of strong spices this works much like my everyday stirfries ! Great ! Love both mushrooms of any kind and cannelini beans . . .am not such a huge friend of corn I should have more often - so this is a lovely filling combination to try, I am certain as a full meal - thank you for the idea !

Kitchen Riffs said...

Hi Eha, this is a lot like a stir-fry, isn't it? Good no matter what one calls it. :-) Thanks for the comment.

Chef Mimi said...

Yum. I’d eat just about anything with white beans! I like your combo you chose. Although I really don’t eat much meat, unless it’s a just-roasted chicken, I wouldn’t mind a bit of bacon or a crumble of Italian sausage in this. But then, it wouldn’t be meatless Monday!!!

Debra Eliotseats said...

My stomach is seriously rumbling now (in a good way). I could eat this every day of the week. I'm posting a soup made out of pantry staples tomorrow.

Kitchen Riffs said...

Hi Mimi, adding bacon or Italian sausage is a great idea! Just eat it on Tuesday. :-) Thanks for the comment.

Kitchen Riffs said...

Hi Debra, isn't this nice? And I love recipes that use pantry staples -- can't wait to see your soup! :-) Thanks for the comment.

Sherry's Pickings said...

your photos make this look so ... fabulously edible KR :-) delish in fact. i love mushies and beans and corn so all fabulous! Hubby and i were vegos for a decade so we still love veg dishes sans flesh.

Kitchen Riffs said...

Hi Sherry, it IS fabulously edible! :-) Thanks for the comment.

speedy70 said...

Un gustosissimo piatto vegetariano, che bontà!!!!!

New Classic r said...

White beans, mushrooms and pasta are a winning combination. Thanks for the recipe and the chuckle.

New Classic r said...

OOPS, I meant corn. My brain was thinking this would be good over pasta.

Jeff the Chef said...

Lovely dish. I would definitely opt for the optional cheese and butter! And such interesting things. I didn't know, for instance, that those three mushrooms were actually the same one at different stages of maturity.

Kitchen Riffs said...

Hi Speedy, isn't this great? SO much flavor! :-) Thanks for the comment.

Kitchen Riffs said...

Hi NCR, we aim to please. :-) Thanks for the comment.

Kitchen Riffs said...

Hi NCR, my brain is always thinking about pasta, too. :-) Thanks for the comment.

Kitchen Riffs said...

Hi Jeff, cheese is grate over this. :D Thanks for the comment.

Pam said...

I would love this, but I'd have to add some sort of meat for Bill as he's not into meatless meals for sure. I've never combined the beans, mushrooms and corn but will now, it sounds great! Thanks, John, and take care.

Kitchen Riffs said...

Hi Pam, easy enough to add some meat to this -- I'd think pork or chicken would be ideal. :-) Thanks for the comment.

Sippity Sup said...

A meatless meal in 15 minutes. I think you've got a winner. GREG

Kitchen Riffs said...

Hi Greg, this sure tastes like a winner! :-) Thanks for the comment.

beyondkimchee said...

What a great vegetarian/vegan dish. I try to eat all vegetable dish at least one meal per week and this sounds just perfect. Love all the combination.

Kitchen Riffs said...

Hi Holly, you can make so many different variations of this dish! Really versatile. :-) Thanks for the comment.

Eva Taylor said...

I just love a mushroom dish that is meaty (without meat) like this one. And I love that it's so versatile, whatever you have fresh in the fridge or pantry — I always have frozen corn in my freezer. And of late, I've been freezing mushrooms too, so easy and quick.
Eva https://kitcheninspirations.wordpress.com/

Kitchen Riffs said...

Hi Eva, we haven't frozen raw mushrooms -- gotta try that. :-) Thanks for the comment.

Liz That Skinny Chick Can Bake said...

A delicious meatless meal! I'd double the mushrooms---love them!!!

Kitchen Riffs said...

Hi Liz, doubling the mushrooms is a terrific idea! :-) Thanks for the comment.

Ben | Havocinthekitchen said...

What a beautiful dish - simple yet elegant, comforting and filling yet not too heavy. Nice flavour and texture profile as well as the colours! I would have added just a little of red bell pepper, just for an extra popping colour:)

Kitchen Riffs said...

Hi Ben, actual thought about adding red bell pepper just for that reason, but want to keep things a bit more simple. :-) Thanks for the comment.

mjskit said...

One of the fun od the shut down is the exploration of different types of beans. White beans of different types have become some of my favorites; therefore, finding new recipes for them has been fun. I love that this is vegetarian and has mushrooms. YUM! Easy and lots of great flavors. Nice.

Kitchen Riffs said...

Hi MJ, we love beans, and all the white varieties are so good. Love 'em. :-) Thanks for the comment.

amira said...

Such a delicious and simple meal, thanks for sharing John.

Kitchen Riffs said...

Hi Amira, we love this dish! :-) Thanks for the comment.

Cocoa and Lavender said...

John - this is just the kind of thing I like to put together for our lunches. Nice, plant-based dishes that won't make me exhausted all afternoon. Thanks - will definitely make and report back.

Kitchen Riffs said...

Hi David, think you'll like this -- really fun flavor. :-) Thanks for the comment.

Balvinder said...

This look wonderful and also seems quite easy to make.

Kitchen Riffs said...

Hi Balvinder, it's really good. And really easy to make. :-) Thanks for the comment.

Natalia said...

Very yummy and so healthy!

Kitchen Riffs said...

Hi Natalia, very yummy. :-) Thanks for the comment.

Karen (Back Road Journal) said...

This is a combination of vegetables that I wouldn't have thought of but I bet they go very well together.

Kitchen Riffs said...

Hi Karen, I know -- the combo does seem kind of strange, but it works. :-) Thanks for the comment.

Laura Dembowski said...

This would be an awesome meatless main for me. I love to mix things up with vegetarian dishes.

Kitchen Riffs said...

Hi Laura, it's such a fun dish, isn't it? Really good stuff. :-) Thanks for the comment.

Heidi | The Frugal Girls said...

I really loved the dialogue between Mrs. Kitchen Riffs and you... and I would also be handing my plate over for seconds for this delightful dish!!

Kitchen Riffs said...

Hi Heidi, we do enjoy writing those. :-) Thanks for the comment.

Easyfoodsmith said...

What's not to love about this dish...everything on that plate is my favourite!

Kitchen Riffs said...

Hi Taruna, this is a neat dish, isn't it? :-) Thanks for the comment.

Raymund said...

That one perfect meatless dish!

Kitchen Riffs said...

Hi Rayumund, it's a great dish -- tons of flavor. :-) Thanks for the comment.