Our Favorite Maitake Mushroom Recipe for Dinner Parties

A Simple and Impressive Maitake Mushroom Recipe Brought to You By Mushroom Revival

Maitake (Grifola frondosa) is a tasty and supportive mushroom with a vibrant history. Today we’re sharing our favorite Maitake mushroom recipe, which is both simple and elegant, making it the perfect dish for dinner parties or at-home dates with your sweetie.

Also known as dancing mushrooms or Hen of the Woods (not to be confused with Chicken of the Woods mushrooms), they were highly valued in feudal Japan. Maitake were worth their weight in silver! In fact, their worth is what led to the moniker “dancing mushrooms” — legend has it that folks did a little dance every time they found one. Thankfully, they’re much more affordable these days, which makes cooking up your favorite Maitake mushroom recipe that much easier.

Get to Know Maitake Mushrooms

If you’re out hiking in the forest in Europe, Asia or across the Eastern United States, you might be able to find a cluster of these grayish-brown polypore ‘shrooms growing at the base of oaks and other hardwood trees. (You’ll have the best luck from late summer through late fall.)

Don’t feel like testing your luck with foraging? Thankfully researchers figured out how to cultivate Maitake mushrooms about 40 years ago, so you can find them at most grocery stores year-round. As is usually the case with cultivated mushrooms, the Maitake you buy will have a milder taste and a more tender texture than those found in the wild.

Beyond their versatility in the kitchen, Maitake have plenty of health-supporting properties. In addition to immune support(1), these mushrooms have been shown to support healthy blood glucose levels within normal ranges(2) and liver health(3).*

Want to integrate more Maitake into your meals? Start with this simple yet elegant stuffed Maitake mushroom recipe. Maitake is also one of the 10 mushrooms in our Daily 10 Tincture, which you can add to smoothies, lattes, and more.

The Best Stuffed Maitake Mushroom Recipe

Button mushrooms aren’t the only kind you can stuff. These stuffed Maitake are tender with a crisp crust, for a wonderful contrast. The savory breadcrumb mix soaks up all the flavor as they bake, for a simple and easy appetizer or side dish. This Maitake mushroom recipe is versatile — swap in your favorite dried herbs with the seasons. Try rosemary or sage in fall, or basil in summer.

Serves 4; 45 minutes to prep and cook

Ingredients

1 (3.5 ounce package) Maitake mushrooms

1/2 cup fresh breadcrumbs (gluten-free if necessary)

1 tablespoon nutritional yeast

1 tablespoon ground cashews

½ teaspoon dried tarragon or 1 teaspoon fresh tarragon

¼ teaspoon dried dill or ½ teaspoon fresh dill

1 1/2 teaspoons olive oil

1 clove garlic, minced

Salt and pepper

1/2 cup dry white wine or mushroom broth

Instructions

1. Preheat your oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit.
2. Place the Maitake in a baking dish, and carefully open the petals, using a knife to slice deeper to allow more room for the stuffing, if desired. Season with salt and pepper.
3. In a medium bowl, combine the nutritional yeast, cashews, tarragon, dill, olive oil, and garlic, plus salt and pepper. Pack the mixture into and on top of the mushrooms. Add the wine to the dish.
4. Bake for 30 minutes, until the topping is golden brown and the mushrooms are cooked through.