Recipe for slow-cooker kasha with caramelized onions and mushrooms
Some time during the summer, my slow cooker took up residence on the kitchen counter, and ever since, I've been inspired to adapt some of my favorite stove top recipes to the low-and-slow method. Kasha (buckwheat groats) reminds my taste buds of the best comfort food that came out of my Polish grandmother's kitchen, and it never fails to satisfy, whether I'm serving it as a side dish with roast chicken or brisket, or a lunch or light supper entree with a tangy green salad on the side. If you've never cooked with kasha before, look for it in the ethnic foods aisle at your grocery store; it comes in three different granulations -- fine, medium, and coarse. This kasha, kicked up a bit with caramelized onions and mushrooms, does its thing without the frequent tending the stove top version demands, down to browning the onions right in the slow cooker. You can make ahead and freeze, then reheat in the microwave.
Slow-cooker kasha with caramelized onions and mushrooms
From the pantry, you'll need: onions, olive oil, kasha (buckwheat groats), chicken broth, egg, fresh black pepper.
Serves 6.
Ingredients
3 medium onions, thinly sliced
2 Tbsp olive oil
1 cup medium or coarse kasha (buckwheat groats)
1 large egg
8 oz sliced cremini or white button mushrooms
2-1/2 cups chicken broth (homemade or low-sodium store-bought)
Fresh black pepper
Kosher salt (if using homemade broth)
Directions
In a 3-quart slow cooker, stir the onions and olive oil together. Cook on HIGH for 2 hours, stirring once. The onions should begin to brown here and there.
In a small bowl, toss the kasha with the egg to coat all of the grains, then add it to the slow cooker along with the mushrooms, broth, and 1/2 teaspoon of black pepper. Stir everything together.
Cook on HIGH for 40-45 minutes, stirring once or twice, or until the liquid is absorbed and the kasha is soft.
Serve as a side dish to any roast or grilled meat or fish.
More recipes in The Perfect Pantry:
Vegetarian kasha varnishkes
How to make caramelized onions in the slow cooker
Vegan barley and lentil pilaf with mushrooms and spinach
Tabbouleh (bulgur wheat and parsley salad)
Other recipes that use these pantry ingredients:
Hot buckwheat cereal with cinnamon apples, from Gluten-free Goddess
Spicy kasha vegetable salad, from FatFree Vegan Kitchen
Buckwheat with beets and dill, from Nami-Nami
Kasha turkey chili, from $5 Dinner Challenge
Sweet potato and kasha burgers, from Diet, Dessert and Dogs
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I usually do grains in my rice cooker, never tried them in my slow cooker.
I've never had kasha, so I am intrigued by this!
Pam, same here, so it's fun to experiment with the slow cooker. I've been making some of my stove top (and rice cooker) dishes in it, so I can compare with the original version.
Kalyn, think of kasha as a wheatier couscous, if that makes any sense. It's fluffier and nuttier, and I think you'd like it a lot.
I've been eating quite a bit of kasha recently - as hot cereal/porridge one day, and quickly fried with some other ingredients for a main meal next day. A great grain to use (though it's technically not a grain).