The Budget-Friendly Way to Add Flavor to Your Meals

Grocery inflation is expected to top 10% this year, putting pressure on everyone’s food budget, but one favorite produce item can help stretch those dollars a little further: fresh mushrooms.

 “With food prices so high, I truly believe mushrooms are the answer when it comes to creative ways to extend your budget because they can add so much to meals for a relatively low cost,” said Mackenzie Burgess, registered dietitian nutritionist, nutrition expert and recipe developer. “Mushrooms make dishes like omelets, soups and salads heartier. Not to mention, you can extend the servings of more expensive ingredients by layering in mushrooms.”

Burgess recommends first sautéing a pound of your favorite mushroom variety, sliced and seasoned with garlic, salt and pepper.  

 “Cooked mushrooms are delicious on their own, but are even better when added to recipes,” she said, noting she then stores the cooked mushrooms in the fridge, so she can conveniently reach for them throughout the day to help extend an array of meals.

 According to Burgess, a daily meal plan could include:

• Breakfast: Avocado toast topped with mushrooms.
• Lunch: Quinoa salad topped with pumpkin seeds, Parmesan and mushrooms
• Dinner: Burgers blending meat and finely chopped mushrooms

 Burgess offers seven additional mushroom pairing inspirations to help spread your grocery buying power throughout the week:

• Savory oatmeal
• Egg frittata vegetable add-on
• Soup topping
• Cauliflower rice risotto
• Lentil burger topping
• Cooked chicken, steak, or tofu topping
• Taco bowls made with a mushroom and meat blend

No matter what problem you’re trying to solve in the kitchen, mushrooms are the answer whether it’s extending your budget, adding delicious umami flavor to any dish or creating a more eco-friendly kitchen. It’s no wonder the New York Times named mushrooms the 2022 “Ingredient of the Year.”