Walnut mushroom casserole (vegetarian)

A delicious dish so satisfying and easy to make you’ll wish you were a full-time vegetarian! Similar to Beef Stroganoff but without the beef, Walnut Mushroom Casserole gets its rich, “meaty” flavor from crimini mushrooms, also known as baby portabellas. And it  has a nice crunch and protein boost from walnuts.

8 ounces wide egg noodles
1 tablespoon each of olive oil and butter
1 medium yellow onion, diced
1 clove garlic, minced
1 8-oz package sliced crimini or baby bella mushrooms
1 teaspoon fresh thyme leaves, minced
½ cup dry white wine or sherry
8 ounces sour cream
½ cup milk
1 teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon pepper
1 2.3-oz package walnut pieces
8 ounces shredded cheddar cheese

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Cook egg noodles according to package directions. Drain and set aside.

While noodles are cooking, heat olive oil and butter in a skillet over medium high heat on the stove. Add diced onion and cook, stirring often, until soft, about 4 minutes. Add minced garlic; cook and stir another minute. Add sliced mushrooms and minced thyme leaves and stir to coat the mushrooms with the oil and butter. Cook the mushrooms, stirring often, until browned. Add a pinch each of salt and pepper. Add the white wine or sherry to deglaze the pan (scraping up any browned bits as this is where a lot of the flavor is) and cook for another minute or two until the wine has reduced.

In a large mixing bowl (or just use the same pot you cooked the noodles in), stir together the cooked noodles, sour cream, milk, salt, pepper and mushrooms until well-blended. Pour into a 2-quart oven-proof baking dish. Sprinkle the shredded cheddar cheese evenly over the top. Bake, uncovered, in the oven for 30 minutes, until hot and bubbly and the cheese is a little browned on top.

Serve this with a green salad and you’ve got a tasty, vegetarian meal hearty enough to satisfy anyone who thinks a meal isn’t a meal unless there’s meat involved!

For more info: Try all the other great recipes at Margie’s Easy Meals. Twenty-somethings, check out my Grocery Shopping Tips and Weekly Meal Plan designed to help people with little or no experience sit down to a great DIY meal in no time.