All you asparagus lovers out there will want to check out this Sautéed Asparagus and Mushrooms recipe—simple but flavorful and makes a fantastic side dish or topping for pasta or risotto.
In my over 10 years as a personal chef, I loved heading to the local markets to get the best vegetables of the season. While my Crab Cakes or Seared Filet Mignon might have been the star of the dinner, a top-notch vegetable side dish made the whole meal shine.
Sautéing vegetables is quick and easy, but there are a few tricks to making sure you have perfectly cooked veggies rather than limp and soggy ones. Let me show you how.
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Why Make This Recipe
- Two-Step Process: This method gives each ingredient the attention it deserves, and prevents overcooked, watery veggies.
- Only 7 ingredients: No complicated shopping list, but a few key ingredients that add great flavor.
- Great with Everything: This versatile side dish goes with all kinds of main courses, from roast chicken to salmon to a simple grain bowl.
🥗 Key Ingredients
- Asparagus: Check the freshness of the asparagus by looking for straight green spears with tight tips. Avoid anything soft or mushy. Try to find a bunch with spears that are close to the same thickness.
- Mushrooms: The combination of white button mushrooms and shiitake mushrooms adds more flavor depth to the dish, but you could use just one style of mushrooms. Or combine multiple! Baby bella, cremini mushrooms, or oyster mushrooms would also be great in this dish.
- Red Onion: Sub in yellow onion or shallots if needed.
- Fresh Thyme: Fresh herbs really complement both vegetables in this dish. Try rosemary or parsley as alternatives.
🥣 Step-by-Step Instructions
Trim the woody ends of 1 pound of fresh asparagus, then cut the spears into 2-inch pieces. Wipe 8 ounces button mushrooms and 3 ounces shiitake mushrooms clean of any dirt, and remove stems. Cut caps into chunks (about 4-6 per mushroom head, depending on size). Peel and finely chop 1 small red onion. Peel and mince 2 garlic cloves.
Heat 1 tablespoon olive oil in a 12-inch nonstick skillet over medium-high heat until shimmering. Add red onion and sauté until tender and starting to brown, about 3 minutes. Add mushrooms.
Cook until the mushrooms release their liquid and start to brown, about 10 minutes. Stir frequently, and season with kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste. A few minutes before the mushrooms are done, stir in minced garlic. Remove from pan when mushrooms are golden brown.
Add another tablespoon of olive oil, then add asparagus to pan. Pour in 3 tablespoons water, and cover the pan for 3 minutes. Remove cover, and sauté until water evaporates and asparagus is bright green and crisp tender, another 3 minutes. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
Add mushroom and onion mixture back into the pan along with 1 teaspoon of thyme leaves. Stir together with asparagus to warm through. Garnish with additional fresh thyme leaves to serve.
Storage Tips
Store leftover mushrooms and asparagus in an airtight container in the refrigerator for 3-4 days. Reheat in the microwave or in a skillet on the stove.
🧐 Recipe FAQs for Asparagus and Mushrooms
I really prefer fresh for this recipe. Frozen mushrooms tend to release too much moisture and won’t brown properly, compared to fresh mushrooms. Frozen asparagus isn’t great either—it’s difficult to get it to the perfect crisp/tender texture.
Wiping them with a damp cloth or paper towel is the best way to clean them without making them soggy. If you prefer to rinse them, rinse them very quickly and dry them very well. Avoid soaking them. Too much moisture will steam them instead of browning them.
Yes—sauté the vegetables and combine, then reheat gently on the stove before serving.
Yes, roasted asparagus and mushrooms are also delicious. As in this recipe, cook them separately since the cook time will differ. Toss with olive oil and place on two different sheet pans, then roast at 450°F. Or, put them in the air fryer. If you want to include garlic, put that in at the very end of the roasting time because otherwise it will burn.
👩🍳 Expert Tips
Note that your asparagus cooking time will depend on the thickness of the asparagus spears. If you have very thin asparagus spears, you’ll need much less time to cook them and probably can skip the steaming stage.
Mincing or grating your garlic is highly recommended, so that you don’t end up biting into a chunk of garlic.
Use a large skillet to avoid overcrowding. Adding too many vegetables to a small skillet leads to steamed and soggy vegetables.
Want to change up the flavor profile a little? Try sautéing in sesame oil and adding soy sauce, oyster sauce, and fresh ginger to give it some asian flavor. Garnish with sliced green onions instead of thyme. You could also try seasoning with herbes de Provence, lemon zest, and a splash of lemon juice. Or add heat by stirring in some red pepper flakes.
This sautéed asparagus and mushroom recipe makes more than just a great side dish. Use it to top a creamy risotto, or fold it into pasta as in this Zucchini Mushroom Pasta recipe. Add it to an egg filling for a frittata or a quiche. Add cooked farro or couscous along with crumbled goat cheese for a satisfying vegetarian dinner. (Or leave off the cheese for a vegan meal.)
Other Asparagus and Mushroom Recipes
If you love these veggies as much as I do, you might want to check out some of my other favorite recipes.
If you try this Asparagus and Mushrooms recipe, I would love to hear from you! Please rate this recipe and leave a comment below—your feedback is invaluable to me.
And please follow along on Instagram, Pinterest, and Facebook or subscribe to my newsletter. I’d love to inspire you with more delicious, healthy, and seasonal recipes!
📖 Recipe
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Sautéed Asparagus and Mushrooms
Ingredients
- 1 pound asparagus 1 bunch
- 8 ounces white button mushrooms
- 3 ounces shiitake mushrooms
- 1 small red onion
- 2 garlic cloves
- 2 tablespoons olive oil divided
- 2 teaspoons fresh thyme leaves to garnish
- Kosher salt
- Freshly ground black pepper
Instructions
- Trim the woody ends of the asparagus spears, then cut the spears into 2-inch pieces.
- Wipe mushrooms clean of any dirt, and remove stems. Cut caps into chunks (about 4-6 per mushroom head, depending on size).
- Peel and finely chop red onion.
- Peel and mince garlic cloves.
- Heat 1 tablespoon olive oil in a 12-inch nonstick skillet over medium-high heat until shimmering.
- Add red onion and sauté until tender and starting to brown, about 3 minutes.
- Add mushrooms. Cook until they release their liquid and start to brown, about 10 minutes. Stir frequently, and season with salt and pepper to taste. A few minutes before the mushrooms are done, stir in minced garlic. Remove from pan when mushrooms are golden brown.
- Add the remaining tablespoon of olive oil, then add asparagus to pan. Pour in 3 tablespoons water, and cover the pan for 3 minutes.
- Remove cover, and sauté until water evaporates and asparagus is bright green and tender, another 3 minutes. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
- Add mushroom and onion mixture back into the pan along with 1 teaspoon of thyme leaves. Stir together with asparagus to warm through.
- Garnish with additional fresh thyme leaves to serve.
Notes
Nutrition
Instagram Users: Now that you've made this Sautéed Mushrooms and Asparagus recipe, tag me @vanillabeancuisine or #vanillabeancuisine because I’d love to see your results!
More About Molly
Cooking healthy(ish) meals with seasonal ingredients is my passion. Trained as a French pastry chef, I spent over 10 years as a personal chef. Here you'll find well-tested recipes that you and your family will love!
Susan says
Excellent recipe, easy prep and tastes delicious.
Molly Pisula says
Thank you! So glad you enjoyed this recipe. I really appreciate you rating and commenting!