Hearty Mushroom Main Dishes

Smoked paprika adds depth to this meatless dish.

Grain bowls are so popular for good reason. They're the perfect solution for a fast weeknight meal. This vegetarian spring grain bowl has all the elements: pleasantly chewy farro, tender-crisp spring asparagus and fennel, and a big punch of flavor from lemon and Parmesan. Serve warm on a cool night or make it ahead and dish it up cold the next day. Look for precooked, ready-to-heat farro near other shelf-stable prepared grains.

Leftover Thanksgiving mashed potatoes make it easy to whip up shepherd's pie on a weeknight. This vegetarian version is as hearty as the beefy original, thanks to meaty portabella mushrooms, but you could throw in leftover turkey if you want.

Think your Ragu has to filled with ground beef? Think again. While traditionally a meat sauce, we've developed flavors and textures in this sauce with multiple varieties of mushrooms. Serve a loaf of warm bread to sop up all the saucy goodness of this pasta dish.

The food processor brings these meatless patties together in a flash. Another bonus? A new Harvard study found that those who regularly ate a healthy plant-based diet (like this burger) significantly lowered their risk of heart disease. Ground flaxseed adds body to the burgers.

Marsala, a fortified wine from Sicily, gives this slow cooker soup recipe its wonderful flavor. Feel free to substitute sherry for a similar effect.

When two starchy, creamy elements combine, the result is pure comfort. Pureed sweet potatoes give this risotto a golden hue and a subtle sweetness. For a little crunch, you can try sprinkling each serving with crumbled bacon or toasted nuts (hazelnuts or pecans would be delicious).

If you're a mushroom-lover, this is the pasta dish for you. It's chock-full of three kinds of fresh mushrooms (2 pounds of them) that contribute their own flavors and textures—meaty, hearty portobello; super savory, tender shiitake; and earthy, chewy cremini. We cook them in stages so the tougher mushrooms cook longer and the more delicate shiitakes cook less so they hold their shape. The touch of crème fraîche in the sauce gives the dish a stroganoff-like flavor; substitute full-fat sour cream if you can't find it.

Mushrooms stand in for cured meat toppers, adding meaty, umami-rich flavor while shaving off sodium and saturated fat.

A sandwich-shop classic, the French dip—a beef-loaded baguette-and-jus combo—delivers a whopping 1,400mg sodium (more than 60% of your daily recommended limit) plus almost 9g sat fat. To create a healthier handheld without forfeiting its meaty character, we use toothsome mushrooms to mimic meat's heft and enrich the sandwich with noteworthy umami. Caramelized onions get layered on for the perfect alchemy of sweetness and added complexity.

Go low-carb with hearty spaghetti squash in place of pasta. Cook an extra squash, and store the flesh in ziplock bags for a quick side during the week.

Cubed potatoes make a great taco filling. They crisp up nicely and take on the smokiness and faint heat of the spices. Kale adds a little toothsome chew; you can use any hearty green you have on hand (such as Swiss chard, collard greens, or spinach). The scallion relish is a fresh, tangy condiment that brightens the earthy flavor of the mushrooms and kale. It would also be delicious with your next batch of fish tacos.

Perfect for brunch or breakfast for dinner, this delicious frittata will please the whole family. To get a head start on dinner, grits a day in advance, and refrigerate. Let them come to room temperature before adding to the egg mixture.