Give This Umami-Packed Vegetable A Little Something Extra With Ranch

There's nothing like a good, versatile ingredient. When it works well in a lot of dishes, it gives you room for play without the worry of messing it up. Take mushrooms for example. These superfoods are found in recipes for pasta, rice, and soups, shining through with their subtlety and chewy texture. Enhance them with ranch seasoning and you've got yourself a gourmet treat that you can make with your eyes closed. You can use different types of mushrooms for it, like white button, baby portobello, and even shiitake. That said, using fresh rather than dried is better for a lighter flavor, allowing the mushrooms to blend well with the tanginess of the ranch. Other ingredients you need to have on hand are freshly chopped garlic, creamy butter, and salty Parmesan cheese. The latter can be fresh or pre-grated — whatever's more accessible to you.

There are plenty of options to get the dish ready. An easier (and quicker) one would be to cook the mushrooms on medium heat in a skillet before pouring all the ingredients in. Slow cooking is another option if you're not in a hurry. It lets the umami of the mushrooms shine, without worrying about losing their succulent texture, which you can accidentally do in a skillet. It will take about three hours before it's ready to be enjoyed, but the result will be phenomenal.

Once you've created a delicious plate of ranch mushrooms, don't stop there. It's a trustworthy addition to your cooking arsenal that you can use to elevate a lot of dishes. You can spread it on lightly toasted sourdough and it will be good on its own. However, it doesn't hurt to introduce more depth with bacon and scrambled eggs for a hearty breakfast sandwich. Add veggies like lettuce and spinach for a nutritious punch. Ranch mushrooms are also the perfect companion to grilled chicken, which can be enjoyed with brown rice for a fiber boost.

If you're up for a few extra steps, pop the mushroom ranch in the blender and toss it into heavy cream, without forgetting a dash of salt for flavor. A fascinating and delicious substitute for heavy cream is milk and butter, as long as you let the butter fully melt in the skillet. The key is to use 25% butter and 75% milk to achieve the creaminess that clings beautifully to pasta, resulting in a smooth and decadent dish with a surprising tang that adds just the right amount of complexity.