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Kasha Bowl with Onions, Mushrooms, and Egg
I am all about kasha and I’m here to say it is an unsung hero. Kasha is just another name for buckwheat which is NOT a type of wheat. It’s a gluten free seed that cooks like rice. Kasha has such a great nutty flavor and it tastes amazing when added to pasta, to vegetables, to almost anything. Maybe it’s my Eastern European heritage that makes me adore buckwheat. Regardless, I urge you to try it.
I was reading The Washington Post and came across Ellie Kreiger’s recipe. I changed the ingredients a bit but the gist of this is the same as her recipe. In a bowl, there is a layer of oven-baked kasha. Next a generous helping of slowly sauteed onion and crimini mushrooms, and finally a fried or poached egg with a runny yoke. Chopped fresh dill and cherry tomatoes are the final enhancement and they bring a little color to this otherwise brown dish.
Leftover kasha and the onion-mushroom mixture can be refrigerated, in separate airtight containers, for up to three days. We ate this for dinner and the next day I mixed the kasha, mushroom/egg topping with steamed broccoli and carrots for a hearty lunch.
Kasha Bowls with Onions, Mushrooms, and Egg
Serves 4
Ingredients
- 1 cup (6 3/4 ounces) coarse cut kasha
- 1 tablespoon butter, cut into small pieces, plus more for greasing the dish
- 1 teaspoon sea salt, divided, plus more to taste
- 2 cups boiling water
- 2 tablespoons oil, such as grapeseed or avocado oil
- 1 large onion, peeled, halved and thinly sliced into half moons
- 12 ounces cremini mushrooms, trimmed and sliced into ¼ inch pieces
- ¼ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper, plus more to taste
- 4 large eggs
- 3 tablespoons chopped fresh dill
- 1 cup diced tomato (I used cherry tomatoes cut into quarters)
- Extra good olive oil to drizzle over the kasha
Instructions
Position a baking rack in the middle of the oven and preheat to 350 degrees. I do this in my toaster oven.
In a large skillet over medium heat, toast the dry buckwheat, stirring frequently, until fragrant and darker brown, 3 to 5 minutes.
Lightly grease a 1 ½ quart covered casserole dish with butter. Add the toasted kasha and half a teaspoon of salt and stir to combine. Pour the boiling water over and dot the top with the butter. Cover and place in the oven. Bake until the liquid is absorbed; mine took about 20 minutes in the toaster oven so taste yours to be sure it isn’t too crunchy. Fluff the buckwheat with a fork, then cover to keep warm until ready to serve.
While the buckwheat is baking, wipe out the skillet and return it to medium heat. Add the oil and heat until it shimmers. Add the onion and cook, stirring occasionally, until it softens and becomes lightly golden, about 10-15 minutes. Add the mushrooms, the remaining ½ teaspoon of salt and the pepper and cook, stirring occasionally, until the mushrooms have released their water and it has evaporated, and the mushrooms and onions are nicely browned, about 12 minutes. Transfer the mixture to a bowl and cover to keep warm.
Return the pan to medium heat, add the eggs and cook them sunny-side-up, over-easy or however you like. Next time I will poach my eggs for the appearance and texture..
To serve, divide the kasha among four bowls. Top each with a quarter of the mushroom-onion mixture, place an egg on top, and then garnish with dill and cherry tomatoes. If desired, season to taste with additional salt and pepper, and drizzle with more olive oil.
