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OYSTER MUSHROOM PASTA SOUP

Here’s another brown rice pasta recipe! The foundation of this dish is Heidi Swanson’s delicious and super easy 10-minute mushroom broth. I’ve been playing around with my new Instant Pot this week, and this broth was one of my first test recipes. You don’t need an Instant Pot to make it, but it does cut the cooking time down a lot – one of the many huge benefits to this nifty kitchen appliance! Now I understand what all the hype is about…

I’ve been a bit obsessed with oyster mushrooms since eating one of the most delicious vegetarian entrées at Hen of the Wood in Waterbury, VT – oyster mushrooms, cauliflower, lentils on top of a super tasty sauce. The oyster mushrooms really made that dish stand out! There’s something about oyster mushrooms that’s perfect for these colder months (yes, snow is in the forecast this week AGAIN). Its texture, fantastic depth of flavor and wacky appearance makes any dish more interesting. Not only that, oyster mushrooms are anti-inflammatory and are packed with antioxidants! They have also been shown to help lower cholesterol and support brain health. I don’t know about you, but my brain can use all the support it can get these days…

Dandelion greens have been a tough sell with the under 5-foot tall set in my house. I’ve been trying different ways to incorporate them in our diet over the last few years. This is another one of my strategies to get my kids to eat a wider variety of healthy food. I use a “Gateway Food” (a food that I know they like) to introduce a new healthy option. Here I combined dandelion greens with Swiss chard, a green leafy vegetable that’s more mild in taste and an option that my kids eat often (and without complaining!). Mixing a new and less popular food with a Gateway Food is a great way to slowly expand your children’s palettes! Play with the ratios. If you have a pickier eater, add less of the new food initially and gradually increase the amount over time. It’s been shown that it takes at least 15 tries before a child knows if he/she likes the food, so keep trying! It takes time to change anyone’s palette. Be patient, roll up your sleeves and grit your teeth when needed…when in doubt, stay calm and eat your greens!

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Oyster Mushroom Pasta Soup

Servings 6

Ingredients

  • 8 cups 10-minute mushroom broth
  • 1 pint cherry tomatoes halved
  • 2 Tbsp avocado oil divided
  • 1 12-oz package brown rice pasta
  • 1 bunch Swiss chard stemmed and chopped
  • 1 bunch Dandelion greens chopped
  • 2 pints oyster mushrooms
  • 3 cloves garlic minced

Instructions

  1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

  2. Line baking sheet with parchment paper. This makes clean up easy! On baking sheet, toss 1 Tbsp avocado oil, cherry tomatoes and a dash of sea salt. Roast for 45 minutes.

  3. Cook pasta according to package instructions. Set pasta aside.

  4. In a large cast iron skillet (or any type if you don't have a cast iron skillet), heat 1 Tbsp avocado oil over medium heat. Add 2 cloves of garlic (minced) and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Add Swiss chard, dandelion greens and a dash of sea salt. Sauté until tender, approximately 5 minutes. Set cooked greens aside.

  5. In the same skillet, put oyster mushrooms and 1 clove of garlic. Cook on medium high heat until mushrooms are cooked and browned.

  6. In the same pot used to cook the pasta, heat mushroom broth. Taste and adjust seasoning, if necessary.

  7. In each serving bowl, put broth, pasta, greens, oyster mushrooms and roasted tomatoes. 

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