Articles
How to Get Back to School with Mushrooms
Guest Blog from Malissa Marsden, SNS
The Mushroom Council is excited to head back to school with you! This month, we’re featuring expert insights from school nutrition specialist, Malissa Marsden.
We recently attended the School Nutrition Association’s annual national conference, where we featured our tasty Portable Portabella Burgers. As a school nutrition specialist, I know the challenges schools face when trying to meet nutritional guidelines. One of my top recommendations for schools looking for affordable, delicious, nutritious and sustainable menu options is to incorporate portabella mushrooms into their meal programs.
Portabellas are a great addition to any menu and can be transformed into unique recipes like burgers, pizza or enchiladas. Plus, their versatility and meat-like texture make them an ideal candidate for vegetarian options.
Check out a few of our favorite kid-approved recipes made with portabellas:
Mushroom Cheese Black Bean Enchilada
Veggie Pizza with Fresh Mushrooms
Test-Kitchen Discoveries
We recently worked in a test kitchen with portabellas to determine some new uses and best practices the help school foodservice personnel plan for more mushrooms on their menus.
We averaged 22 caps per case, with a size range of 2.5 to 4.6 ounces. The total weight of the caps was 57.2 ounces or a 71.5% yield. The stems weighed in at 11.3 ounces or 14.2%. The total yield was 86% which is a great yield. We found that 400°F convection oven was the best way to roast the mushrooms for all our applications. We then assembled stuffed mushrooms using simple salt-free seasoning mixes, steak seasoning and an Italian seasoning mix. Look to your pantry’s spice choices to provide you with endless portabella entrée options!
Vegetarians and Flexitarians aren’t the only ones craving portabellas! From whole to sliced or diced, raw or cooked, portabella mushrooms are the answer to delicious school meals.
Comments (1)