This simple and healthy recipe for mushrooms on toast is a great option for a vegetarian breakfast or lunch. Sautéed balsamic mushrooms are piled high on top of creamy ricotta cheese — spiked with lemon zest, garlic, and red pepper flakes — on a base of sourdough bread. It’s an easy meal that feels gourmet!
Whew, I’m REALLY excited about this one, you guys! I love the flavors, the texture, and just about everything about my take on mushrooms on toast!
First, I cooked the mushrooms to perfection by following my recipe for Caramelized Mushrooms. Then, I whipped up the most delightful ricotta spread with ingredients you probably all have on hand! I toasted a piece of sourdough, slapped on that creamy cheese, and added the mushrooms, some thyme, and a sprinkle of flaky sea salt.
You probably know what happened next. I gobbled up that heavenly toast in 5 minutes flat! That’s how delicious this recipe is. It’s worth repeating, AND you can make it for breakfast OR lunch (or even dinner!). Oh, and one more thing before you scroll: make the components in advance to set yourself up with a speedy, delicious meal later!
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Ingredients and Substitutions
- Mushrooms: I used a mix of button, cremini, and shiitake mushrooms. You can use any kind of mushroom. Be sure to cut them into small slices so they cook down into the perfect size for a toast topper.
- Olive oil, balsamic vinegar, maple syrup, and garlic: The rest of the ingredients for caramelized mushrooms.
- Ricotta cheese: Sub crème fraîche, mascarpone, cottage cheese or another soft, spreadable cheese if you don’t have ricotta. You can also use goat cheese, but the flavors will be different. Honestly, Boursin cheese would taste delicious in this recipe too!
- Mix-ins for the ricotta: Garlic, lemon zest, red pepper flakes, salt, and pepper.
- Thyme: Or another fresh herb to sprinkle on top before serving. Parsley or rosemary would be great.
- Flaky sea salt: A little sprinkle of Maldon or a similar kind of salt really makes all of the flavors pop!
- Sourdough bread: I personally love sourdough bread for making mushrooms on toast. You could use any bread that you like, though. Bonus points if it’s a crusty bread.
Instructions
The full recipe card with ingredient quantities and instructions is at the bottom of the post.
Clean, trim, and slice the mushrooms. For more tips, see my tutorial on How to Cut Mushrooms.
Cook the mushrooms, leaving them untouched, for 5 minutes on one side. Stir, spread back out, and cook for another 5 minutes untouched.
Add in the seasonings, stir, and cook for a few more minutes until crispy and slightly sticky. Full instructions can be found in my Caramelized Mushrooms post.
Remove the mushrooms from the skillet and set aside. Toast the bread in a little olive oil until browned to your liking on both sides.
Mix together the ricotta cheese and the fix-ins.
Assemble the toasts by spreading the ricotta mixture on the toasted bread. Top with mushrooms, herbs, and flaky sea salt.
Storage and Reheating
Mushrooms on toast are best enjoyed right away, but it’s easy to prep the components in advance and store them until you want to assemble the recipe. Make the caramelized mushrooms up to a few days ahead of time if desired and keep in a tightly sealed container in the refrigerator. You can double the recipe to have more on hand, too. The ricotta spread can also be stored in the fridge for several days.
Serving Ideas
Mushroom ricotta toast makes a wonderful breakfast, lunch, or dinner. If you want to serve it for breakfast, consider adding a fried or poached egg on top! For lunch or dinner, it pairs well with a soup or salad. You can also mash beans and mix them into the ricotta spread for more protein.
More Mushroom Recipes
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📖 Recipe
Mushrooms on Toast with Ricotta
Ingredients
- 1 recipe Caramelized Mushrooms - this recipe is linked in the instructions below
- 1 cup ricotta cheese - whole milk or part-skim both work
- 1 clove garlic - minced
- 1 teaspoon lemon zest
- ⅛ to ¼ teaspoon red pepper flakes
- ¼ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- ⅛ teaspoon kosher salt
- 2 slices sourdough bread - or bread of choice
- Thyme - for garnish
- Flaky sea salt - for serving
Instructions
- Follow the instructions for making Caramelized Mushrooms. You can make these up to a few days in advance and keep them in the fridge to save a lot of prep time when you want to assemble the toasts. If you have a cast iron skillet, use that for the recipe, since it also works well for toasting the bread.
- While the mushrooms cook, make the ricotta spread. Mix together the ricotta cheese, garlic, lemon zest, red pepper flakes, salt, and pepper.
- When the mushrooms are finished cooking, remove them from the skillet and set aside. Add a tiny bit of olive oil to the skillet and warm over medium heat. If you have long pieces of bread, cut them in half. Place the bread slices in the skillet, moving them around with your fingers to soak up a little of the olive oil in the skillet. Let them cook for about 2 minutes on each side until browned to your liking. Alternatively, you can use a toaster, but using a skillet means you don't have to drag it out!
- Assemble the toasts. Spread the ricotta mixture on the sourdough. Spoon the mushrooms on top. Add thyme and flaky sea salt before serving if desired. Enjoy!
- Leave a rating or review by tapping the stars on this recipe card (above) or in the comments section (at the end of the post)!
Notes
- The mushrooms and ricotta cheese mixture can be stored separately in the fridge for a few days if you want to make them ahead of time and assemble the toasts later.
- Feel free to add additional protein like mashed beans or a fried egg.
- You can use any bread that you like, but keep in mind that nutritional facts will vary. Some sourdough breads can be high in sodium, so that is why the sodium for this recipe was calculated to be around 800 mg per serving. The actual sodium will largely depend on what bread you use and how much flaky salt you add at the end. Opt for a lower sodium bread if you are watching your sodium intake.
Nutrition
Happy toasting! – Lizzie
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