Sautéed Baby Bella Mushrooms

Name: Sautéed Baby Bella Mushrooms
Prep time: 5 min
Cook time: 10 min
Total time: 15 min
Cuisine: American
Ingredients: 1 pound of baby bella (cremini) mushrooms; 2 tablespoons of unsalted butter (vegan as desired); 1 tablespoon of olive oil*; 2 cloves of garlic, finely minced; Salt and pepper to taste; 2 tablespoons of fresh herbs, I prefer thyme (other fresh herbs work well here as well!); Optional squeeze of lemon juice

Jump To Recipe // April 13, 2023

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These delectable Sautéed Baby Bella Mushrooms are cooked in a butter and herb sauce, just like you’d get at a restaurant! This quick and easy side dish recipe takes just 15 minutes to prepare and it pairs well with almost any meal from pasta to burgers.

sautéed baby Bella mushrooms served in a small bowl

I’m super excited about sharing this baby Bella mushroom recipe with you all today! It may not look like much but it’s one of those recipes that I’ve made so many times, recently, I’ve lost count. It’s so versatile and can be mixed into pasta, served on toast, added to a casserole and so much more!

Sautéed baby Bella mushrooms not only taste incredible, but this recipe uses just five key ingredients and takes only 15 minutes to prepare. These mushrooms melt in your mouth and make everything you serve along with it taste just as amazing with that garlic butter drizzle. So good that I could honestly probably finish all of these mushrooms in one sitting, by myself. Lately, I’ve been serving them over creamy mashed potatoes. Oh my – I simply cannot get enough!

If you’re looking for a simple, yet flavorful vegetable side dish recipe that pairs well with almost any main entrée, look no further because this baby Bella mushroom recipe is just that. Let’s get to all of the details!

What are baby Bella mushrooms?

From white button mushrooms to cremini mushrooms to baby Bella mushrooms, there are so many different names for mushrooms, it can all get a little confusing. Let’s clear things up!

Baby Bella mushrooms are actually the same thing as white button mushrooms, but they are just more mature. If the mushrooms were picked a bit earlier, they would be all white. However, once they’ve grown and had a chance to mature, they turn brown and even become more flavorful. We refer to these darker brown, super tasty mushrooms as baby Bella mushrooms.

Interestingly enough, portobello mushrooms are the same thing as baby Bella mushrooms as well. They’ve just had even more time to mature, so they’re even larger and meatier.

Cremini Mushrooms vs Baby Bella Mushrooms

This is where things get really confusing! For years, I wondered what the difference was between cremini mushrooms and baby Bella mushrooms. After cooking up many mushroom recipes, I finally investigated and learned that cremini and baby Bella mushrooms are actually the VERY same thing. That’s right, there’s absolutely no difference!

sliced mushrooms on a wooden cutting board

Are baby Bella mushrooms healthy?

Baby Bella mushrooms are full of nutrients, including antioxidants, Vitamin B, copper and potassium. They are low in calories, sodium and carbohydrates. In this particular recipe, the mushrooms are coated in butter, which isn’t super nutritious. However, we are using just 2 tablespoons and you can reduce the calories some by cutting the amount of butter in half, if you’d like. You can also sub the butter with heart-healthy olive oil.

Ingredients for sautéed baby Bella mushrooms:

This sautéed mushroom recipe is made with just 5 key ingredients. They are all inexpensive, easy to find and come together for the tastiest mushrooms!

You will need:

Baby Bella mushrooms. Use baby Bella mushrooms or you can sub with white button mushrooms or even shiitake mushrooms for this recipe. To save time, buy your mushrooms washed and pre-sliced at the grocery store.
Butter + olive oil. To sauté the mushrooms and give them a wonderful buttery flavor.
Garlic + thyme. These are my go-to herbs for cooking mushrooms, but feel free to experiment using other favorite fresh herbs.
Salt + pepper. To really make the flavor pop!
Lemon juice. Optional, but recommend to give these mushrooms that extra special something.

How to cook baby Bella mushrooms:

As always, the full recipe is included below at the bottom of this post, but here is a brief overview of the process for how to cook baby Bella mushrooms.

Clean and slice the mushrooms. Thoroughly rinse the mushrooms under water. Pat them dry and then cut the mushrooms into thin slices (about ¼ inch thick).
Sauté the mushrooms. Heat butter and olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. When the butter has melted, add the sliced mushrooms along with a generous amount of salt and pepper. Sauté for about 5 minutes and then stir in the garlic and herbs; continue cooking and stirring frequently for about 3-4 minutes.
Serve. Squeeze a bit of lemon juice over the top of the cooked mushrooms and, if you’d like, you can garnish with additional herbs. Enjoy!

baby Bella mushrooms sautéing in a large skillet

Ways to serve sautéed baby Bella mushrooms:

These baby Bella mushrooms are wonderful straight out of the pan or as a simple side, but here are some other tasty ways to serve them.

In a quesadilla with your favorite cheese
Spooned over eggs or in an omelette
As a wrap, sandwich, or burger filling
Atop mashed or baked potatoes
Over pasta
If you enjoy meat, they are a tasty side dish paired with steak, chicken, beef, pork or fish.
As a pizza topping

Helpful tips and recipe notes:

A few notes for perfect sautéed mushrooms!

I prefer my mushrooms cut into thin slices, but you can leave your mushrooms whole or simply slice them in half. Just be sure to adjust the cook time accordingly.
Be careful not to burn the butter as you’re heating it. This recipe moves really quickly, so it’s best to stay close by and have all of your ingredients prepped and ready to go.
Cook mushrooms over medium-high heat. They release quite a bit of moisture, so in order for them to brown properly, they must be cooked over fairly high heat and stirred frequently.
It’s best to add the garlic during the last few minutes of cooking because garlic can burn easily and then taste bitter.
If you have other veggies that you want to use or just want to switch things up, you can add them to the pan to cook with the mushrooms. I like to add thinly sliced onion sometimes and it’s really tasty!

These sautéed mushrooms are irresistible, easy, dependable and versatile. Put the ingredients on your shopping list today and make your tastebuds very happy!

More delicious side dish recipes to try:

As usual, please let me know if you end up making this recipe and how you like it. You can come back here to leave a comment or snap a photo and tag me on Instagram @foodwithfeeling! I always love to see what y’all are making from the blog!