A mushroom galette is a delectable blend of cream cheese, caramelized onions, and mushrooms encased in a soft and flaky pastry. This mushroom galette with cheese is a versatile dish that can be served as a main course, appetizer, or light lunch, and is sure to tantalize your taste buds.
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What is a mushroom galette?
A galette is a French term for a flat, free-form pie that can be either sweet or savoury. It is made from a single crust of pastry, the edges of which are folded over the filling, leaving the centre uncovered. Once assembled, it is baked in the oven until the pastry is golden brown and crispy, with a deliciously moist and juicy filling.
The beauty of a mushroom galette lies in how easy it is to make. Because the pastry is folded up over the filling, there is no need to pre-bake the pastry or worry about fluting the edges of the pie to achieve a professional-looking finish. This mushroom galette is rustic cooking at its best, making this mushroom tart the perfect choice for a quick and easy midweek meal when you want to impress the family, but don't have much time to spend in the kitchen.
The galette I am sharing today is a cheesy mushroom and onion galette, lightly flavoured with thyme, in a deliciously light and buttery pastry. The flavour of the mushrooms really shines through and I've used a similar filling in my mushroom stuffed chicken en croute recipe.
You will need about an hour to make the mushroom galette.
- The pastry mixes up in about 5 minutes, but you will need to rest it in the refrigerator for about 30 minutes before rolling it out.
- You can make the mushroom filling while the pastry is resting, but you should let it cool down before putting it on the pastry. If you put the hot filling onto the pastry, the pastry will melt and become soggy.
- Once assembled, the mushroom galette takes around 20 minutes to bake.
Why you'll love this mushroom galette
A mushroom galette is one of my favourite pies to make, for so many reasons, and I think you'll love it too.
- This is one of the tastiest pies I've ever tasted (and believe me, I've tasted plenty in my time). The mushrooms and onions work so well together with the cheese. And the pastry is made with butter, to give it a soft, melt-in-the-mouth texture.
- You can serve this mushroom galette at any time of the day, either as a main course, a starter, a side dish, or even as a light lunch or breakfast. It is just as delicious served either hot or cold.
- It is a very easy dish to prepare, requiring minimal skill and effort.
- Mushrooms don't last for long in the fridge, and this mushroom galette is one way of using up mushrooms that are on their way out.
- A galette is a great dish to make when you're asked to bring a dish to a potluck or other gathering.
- Even though a galette has a rustic appearance, it does look impressive on a plate.
What you will need
Equipment
For making the filling you will need a frying pan with a lid. You will also need a sharp knife and a chopping board for cutting up the mushrooms and onions.
For the pastry, you will need a mixing bowl and a rolling pin. I like to use a large earthenware mixing bowl because it is large enough to get your hands in and lift the flour and butter so you can incorporate lots of air into the pastry.
Ingredients
Filling
Mushrooms - a galette can be made with any type of mushrooms. I used a mixture of small portobello and white cap mushrooms, but you could use whatever mushrooms you happen to have in your fridge. The mushrooms should be sliced into one-quarter-inch thick pieces.
Onions - I used white onions but if you prefer a sweeter taste you can use red onions. The onions should be cut in half (top to tail) and then sliced into thin semi-circles.
Garlic - you can either use fresh cloves of garlic and mince them yourself or use ready-minced garlic from a jar.
Cream cheese - I used the original flavour, but if you prefer to use the version with herbs in it, I think that would go really well with the mushrooms. The cream cheese is spread onto the pastry before the mushrooms and onions are added, and it helps prevent the pastry from turning soggy.
Cheddar cheese - grated. This is sprinkled on top of the mushrooms and onions.
Butter - used for frying the mushrooms and onions. I would recommend you use unsalted butter, that way you can control the amount of salt you add to the filling.
Fresh thyme - used to flavour the filling, and also as a garnish for the baked galette. If you only have dried thyme, you can use a small amount for flavouring, but don't use it for garnish.
Egg - to eggwash the pastry.
Sesame seeds - for sprinkling onto the edges of the pastry before it is baked. These are optional.
Salt and pepper - for seasoning - use to your own taste.
Pastry
Flour - this is plain flour. Don't use self-raising flour, you don't want the pastry to rise. And don't add any baking powder to the flour either.
Butter - you can use margarine if you really must, but butter does give a superior taste to the pastry. As with the filling, it is preferable to use unsalted butter.
Salt - for flavouring (to your own taste)
Ice cold water - it's important to use ice cold water when making pastry so that the butter coats the flour rather than melting.
What to do
This recipe will make one 12" galette.
**You can get the complete list of ingredients and full instructions for making this cheesy mushroom galette on the printable recipe card at the end of this post.
Make the pastry
Cut the butter into cubes and place it with the flour and salt in a mixing bowl.
Using your fingertips, rub the butter into the flour until the mixture resembles breadcrumbs.
The reason for rubbing the butter into the flour is to coat each tiny granule of flour with butter. This will prevent the gluten in the flour from activating when we add the water in the next step and will result in a lighter pastry. If you were to melt the butter and mix it into the flour, the pastry would end up hard and stodgy.
Now add most of the water and mix it into the flour using a flat-bladed knife until the mixture comes together in a shaggy dough. Only add the remaining water if the dough doesn't come together.
Tip the dough onto a lightly floured surface and gently press it together with your fingertips. Do not knead the dough. Press it just enough for it to stick together in a soft ball.
Place the ball of dough into a plastic bag or cover it with plastic wrap and place it into the refrigerator to rest for 30 minutes.
The reason we don't knead the dough is that kneading will start to activate the gluten in the flour and the dough will become hard and tough when it is cooked, rather than light and flaky.
Make the filling
While the dough is resting, you can get on with making the filling.
Start off by preparing the mushrooms and onions:
- Peel the onions, cut them in half from tip to root and slice them into thin semi-circles.
- Wipe the mushrooms with a damp cloth to remove any bits of dirt and slice them thinly.
Melt the butter in a frying pan over a low heat and then add the onions. Cover the pan with a lid and let the onions sweat gently until they are soft and caramelised. Stir occasionally and don't allow the onions to brown. This step will take 8 to 10 minutes.
3 minutes before the onions are done add the thyme and the garlic.
Once the onions are done, add the mushrooms, replace the lid and continue to cook over a low heat until the mushrooms have released their moisture and have softened. This will take 6 to 7 minutes. Stir occasionally.
Season with salt and black pepper to taste, then set the filling aside to cool.
Assemble the galette
Remove the pastry from the refrigerator. Roll it out on a lightly floured surface until it is approximately 14 inches in diameter (36 cm) and one-eighth inch in thickness (about the thickness of a one-pound coin). Spread the cream cheese onto the centre of the pastry, leaving a 2-inch border.
Top the cream cheese with the cooled mushroom filling. You may find one or two spoonfuls of liquid in the filling which you should discard to avoid the galette becoming too soggy.
Sprinkle the grated cheese over the top of the mushroom filling.
Carefully fold the sides of the pastry up over the edges of the filling. You may need a spatula to help you do this.
Bake the galette
Transfer the galette to a baking tray lined with baking parchment. Brush the edges of the pastry with beaten egg and sprinkle with sesame seeds.
Bake the galette in a preheated oven (200C / 400F) for 20 - 25 minutes until the edges of the pastry are golden brown.
Top tip - you can roll out the pastry directly onto baking parchment and assemble it there. The pastry will probably overlap the edges of the paper, but once the edges have been folded in it will fit nicely. This will make it easier to lift the galette onto the baking tray.
Serve the galette either hot or cold.
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Mushroom galette FAQ
You can freeze this galette for up to 3 months. Once assembled, freeze it on the baking tray until it is solid, then wrap it in a layer of tin foil and a couple of layers of plastic wrap.
Bake the galette from frozen, but add an extra 5 minutes or so onto the cooking time.
Yes, you can make this mushroom galette with shop-bought shortcrust pastry. Depending on how thick the pastry is, you may need to roll it out slightly with a rolling pin.
You can make this galette up to 3 days in advance and store it, covered, in the refrigerator. To reheat, place the galette on a baking tray and place it in a hot oven for 5 minutes. You can cover the galette with tin foil to prevent the crust from browning further if you wish.
A galette is very similar to a pizza, in that you can just pick up a slice and eat it like that. Of course, if you are serving this as a meal with a salad, then a knife and fork would be a better option 🙂
There are many ways to serve this mushroom galette:
- as a vegetarian main meal, with a salad. If you want a more substantial meal, why not serve it alongside some chicken wings or sticky chicken skewers?
- it would make a great accompaniment to any casual buffet spread.
- try serving it with a plate of scrambled eggs for a delicious breakfast.
- and of course, a slice of mushroom galette is perfect for packing into a lunchbox for a quick lunchtime snack.
Save for later
If you would like to make this mushroom galette, why not save the recipe to one of your Pinterest boards so you can find it easily? Just click on the image below.
Alternatively, you can save the recipe by clicking on the floating heart icon on the right-hand side of the screen.
Related recipes
If you enjoyed this mushroom galette, there are some other savoury tart recipes you may also enjoy:
📋The recipe
Mushroom galette
(Click the stars to rate this recipe)
Equipment
- Frying Pan
- Sharp Knife
- Chopping Board
- Earthenware mixing bowl
Ingredients
Pastry
- 8 ounces / 230 grams plain all-purpose flour NOT self-raising flour
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ½ cup / 115 grams unsalted butter
- 4 tablespoons / 60 ml water (¼ cup)
Mushroom filling
- 10½ ounces / 300 grams mushrooms sliced
- 10½ ounces / 300 grams onions sliced
- 1 ounce / 30 grams butter
- 1 teaspoon minced garlic or to taste
- 1 tablespoon fresh thyme or 1 teaspoon dried thyme
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon black pepper
- ½ cup / 120 grams cream cheese
- ¾ cup / 90 grams grated cheese cheddar or other hard chese
- 1 small egg for egg wash
- 1 teaspoon sesame seeds for sprinkling on pastry
Instructions
Pastry
- Cut the butter into cubes and place it with the flour and salt in a mixing bowl.8 ounces / 230 grams plain all-purpose flour, ½ cup / 115 grams unsalted butter, ½ teaspoon salt
- Using your fingertips, rub the butter into the flour until the mixture resembles breadcrumbs.
- Now add most of the water and mix it into the flour using a flat-bladed knife unti the mixture comes together in a shaggy dough. Only add the remaining water if the dough doesn't come together.4 tablespoons / 60 ml water
- Tip the dough onto a lightly floured surface and gently press it together with your fingertips. Do not knead the dough. Press it just enough for it to stick together in a soft ball.
- Place the ball of dough into a plastic bag or cover it with plastic wrap and place it into the refrigerator to rest for 30 minutes.
Mushroom filling
- Peel the onions, cut them in half from tip to root and slice them into thin semi-circles.10½ ounces / 300 grams onions
- Wipe the mushrooms with a damp cloth to remove any bits of dirt and slice them thinly.10½ ounces / 300 grams mushrooms
- Melt the butter in a frying pan over a low heat and then add the onions. Cover the pan with a lid and let the onions sweat gently until they are soft and caramelised. Stir occasionally and don't allow the onions to brown. This step will take 8 to10 minutes. 3 minutes before the onions are done add the thyme and the garlic.1 ounce / 30 grams butter, 1 tablespoon fresh thyme, 1 teaspoon minced garlic
- Once the onions are done, add the mushrooms, replace the lid and continue to cook over a low heat until the mushrooms have released their moisture and have softened. This will take 6 to 7 minutes. Stir occasionally.
- Season with salt and black pepper to taste, then set the filling aside to cool.½ teaspoon salt, ¼ teaspoon black pepper
Assemble and bake
- Preheat the oven to 200°C / 400°F
- Remove the pastry from the refrigerator. Roll it out on a lightly floured surface until it is approximately 14 inches in diameter (36 cm) and one-eighth inch in thickness (about the thickness of a one-pound coin). Spread the cream cheese onto the centre of the pastry, leaving a 2-inch border.½ cup / 120 grams cream cheese
- Top the cream cheese with the cooled mushroom filling. You may find one or two spoonfuls of liquid in the filling which you should discard to avoid the galette becoming too soggy.
- Sprinkle the grated cheese over the top of the mushroom filling.¾ cup / 90 grams grated cheese
- Carefully fold the sides of the pastry up over the edges of the filling. You may need a spatula to help you do this.
- Transfer the galette to a baking tray lined with baking parchment. Brush the edges of the pastry with beaten egg and sprinkle with sesame seeds.1 small egg, 1 teaspoon sesame seeds
- Bake the galette in a preheated oven (200C / 400F) for 20 - 25 minutes until the edges of the pastry are golden brown.
- Remove the galette from the oven and serve either hot or cold. Optionally sprinkle with fresh thyme before serving.
Notes
Bake the galette from frozen, but add an extra 5 minutes or so onto the cooking time. There are many ways to serve this mushroom galette:
- as a vegetarian main meal, with a salad. If you want a more substantial meal, why not serve it alongside some chicken wings or sticky chicken skewers?
- it would make a great accompaniment to any casual buffet spread.
- try serving it with a plate of scrambled eggs for a delicious breakfast.
- and of course, a slice of mushroom galette is perfect for packing into a lunchbox for a quick lunch-time snack.
Nutrition
I am not a nutritionist. The nutrition information has been calculated using an on-line calculator, and is intended for information and guidance purposes only. If the nutrition information is important to you, you should consider calculating it yourself, using your preferred tool.
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Alla says
Hi VJ,
I'm going to make this mushroom galette, but I'm a little confused by the amount of water for the dough. Really only 60 ml of water?
Thank you
VJ says
Yes, that's correct. 60ml is equal to 1/4 of a cup. You may not need it all.
Alla says
I cooked it!
It's divine!
Dear VJ,
thank you very much!
VJ says
It's one of my favourites too. Thanks for letting me know.
Alla says
I cooked it! it's amazing!
Dear VJ, many- many thanx!