
Mushroom Masters: A Tournament of Taste is back for year two!
I was delighted to be asked to participate again after having so much fun with my Portabella Pizza recipe last year. Things got wild. Last year’s challenge is a big reason why I now love (and crave!) mushrooms as much as I do. I really didn’t fall in love with mushrooms until I started experimenting with them in the kitchen.
Sometimes those strange little things just need to grow on you like…fungi…?
Check out these cool mushroom facts:
- Mushrooms are the only item in the produce aisle with vitamin D. Winter’s coming, eat up!
- Mushrooms are low in calories, fat free, and can be an effective substitute for meats thanks to their hearty and fulfilling nature. I would concur.
- Mushrooms are a source of selenium and ergothionene, antioxidants that play a role in immunity. Don’t be a sicky this Winter and eat up.
- Mushrooms are a kitchen staple: they can star as the feature ingredient, or pair with any dish. They are like a little black dress, in other words.
Tastespotting is hosting the event once again along with Mushrooms Canada, Australian Mushroom Growers Association, and The Mushroom Council. Twelve of us food bloggers from Canada, US, and Australia were asked to compete in this challenge and were offered a bit of compensation for our time and food costs. We are now in the 4th and final week of the challenge.
I was assigned to the final week’s Appetizer challenge! Also participating in this appetizer challenge are two very talented bloggers- Elana of Elana’s Pantry and Ellie of Kitchen Wench.
To be honest, I thought my mushroom creativity was maxed out with last year’s Portabella Pizza, but this Mushroom Walnut Pesto Tart is hands down the best mushroom recipe I’ve ever made. I’m so excited to share it with you after sitting on the recipe for a few weeks.
Given my recent infatuation for vegetables in my pesto, I thought it would be fun to make a mushroom walnut parsley pesto as a base for a tart. I really had no idea how it would turn out so I prayed to the culinary gods for a miracle.
For the pesto, I processed together garlic, toasted walnuts, extra virgin olive oil, fresh parsley, S & P, and the sautéed mushrooms. I was a bit worried that the mushrooms would taste weird in a pesto (shame on me, I know), but the flavours just worked so well. If you don’t want to make a tart you can always use this pesto with a pasta dish or spread over some crostini. Or you know, the spoon to face method worked for me quite well.
Step aside roasted tomato basil pesto, there’s a new fav pesto in town.
Featuring all new, protein-packed salads, hearty toppers, flavour boosters, and dressings you'll want to drink, my new cookbook will transform the way you think about salads. Oh, and be sure to flip to the back for a surprise dessert chapter!
Mushroom Walnut Pesto Tart
Yield
12-15 squares
Prep time
Cook time
Total time
Calling all mushroom fans!
My award-winning pesto tart took home first-prize in a Mushroom Canada competition a few years ago. It takes a bit of time to prepare, but the wait is worth it once you sink your teeth into your first crispy, savory bite. If you don’t want to make a phyllo tart you can simply spread the pesto onto crostini or try tossing the pesto with pasta and sauteed mushrooms for an elegant dinner.
Ingredients
For the pesto:
- 2 garlic cloves
- 20 oz (~1.25 lb) sliced crimini mushrooms, divided
- 2/3 cup toasted chopped walnuts, divided
- 1/3 cup extra virgin olive oil
- 2 tbsp water
- 1 cup loosely packed fresh parsley
- 1 tbsp nutritional yeast (optional)
- 1/2-3/4 tsp kosher salt, to taste
- Freshly ground black pepper, to taste
For the tart:
- 7-8 Phyllo Pastry sheets
- Extra virgin olive oil, for brushing sheets
- 1 red onion, sliced into long strands
- Remaining crimini mushrooms
- Fresh parsley, to garnish
Directions
- Preheat oven to 350°F. Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper. Thaw Phyllo dough according to package directions.
- In a large skillet, sauté the sliced red onion in 2 tbsp olive oil over medium-low heat. Stir often for about 30 minutes. In another skillet, sauté the sliced mushrooms in 1-2 tsp olive oil for about 20 minutes or until the water cooks out.
- With the food processor running, drop 2 peeled garlic cloves in and process until chopped. Add in 1 cup (saving the rest for the tart) sautéed mushrooms, olive oil, and water and process until smooth, scraping down the sides as necessary. Now add in the rest of the ingredients (using only 1/3 cup walnuts) and process until smooth. Stir in remaining 1/3 cup walnuts. Adjust seasonings to taste.
- Place 1 sheet of Phyllo dough onto prepared baking sheet. Brush or spray on oil. Repeat for 7 layers. Carefully fold each side inward to form a crust. With a fork, poke lots of holes all over the phyllo to allow air to escape. You can also weigh it down with pie weights. Bake at 350°F for about 18-20 mins until golden.
- After cooling the phyllo for 5 mins, carefully spread on all of the pesto, top with the remaining mushrooms and onion. Garnish with fresh parsley leaves. Cut into squares and serve immediately.









Gotta love them shrooms! LOL
I used to despise mushrooms, but now they’re tolerable. Sometimes the texture gets me, but with vitamin D and these New England winters I should get eating! The pesto looks delectable.
I love mushrooms so much I like to roast them and eat them plain with a little balsamic vinegar and salt and pepper. Strange, I know.
This recipe looks awesome. I never would have thought that mushrooms could go in a pesto!
i love eating them that way too! Sometimes I just sautee them with herbamare and pepper until crisp and eat up. So good.
Drooling!!!!
Yum! What a cool idea for mushrooms! Love it :)
This looks absolutely delicious, I can’t wait to try it!
Yours has 92% of the votes!!
I looooove that you’re in the lead with 92 % Angela! I obv voted :) Clearly nothing beats this recipe, it’s amazing, in tart form! I love the pesto kick you’re on too, I just wish my poor little basil plant could keep up with the demand.
haha well this one calls for parsley so maybe that helps? ;)
I wish I didnt kill my basil plant (I just typed ‘pesto plant’ lol)
Looks Amazing!!! I wish I could reach out and grab a slice! You’ve got my vote!
This looks delicious Angela. Thanks for sharing this with us :)
Congrats on being asked to do this by Tastespotting. What an honor!
I met Elena at my most recent food/photography workshop and she is a total sweetheart!
Your recipe and pics are gorgeous!
This looks crazy delicious– and I love the header!! Is that new?! I feel like every time I come to your blog, it looks even better than the time before!
Thanks Anna. Yup it’s new for Fall. :) I’m just changing them up for the seasons lately.
This looks simply amazing, not that I would expect anything less:)
Wow, that mushroom tart looks fabulous. Magainze-worthy photos. Very, very nice. And yummy, I imagine. :)
I’ve been craving mushrooms recently – I think you’re right that they have a meaty texture & flavor. This looks delicious!
Oh my. I think I could impress my friends with this! It’s chanterelle picking season here, so a mushroom tart is certainly due.
Oh my gosh that looks sooo mouthwatering!!!
I went and voted for this beautiful recipe (good luck!) but ont he website the first time it refers to each recipe it calls yours tacos? Then later it says tart. Strange!
haha yea they made a boo boo :)
Mmmm yum! I didn’t love mushrooms until I started experimenting with them, too. It was one of those things I hated growing up but learned to love! :) That tart looks really good! I need to get experimental with pesto as well.
YEAR 2, GOOOO ANGELA!
I remember the first go that you had. ;)
We all know you will win!!
:)
That looks and sounds so delicious, what a good idea! Good luck!