Shiitake Bacon

Looking for a SUPER easy plant-based bacon? This is IT. I kid you not, this tastes like the real deal, only better! How can it be??? The first time I made this “bacon” it was a Sunday morning and my hubby, a.k.a. Mountain Man, had been sleeping. I heard him scurrying down the stairs into the kitchen and he stood there with his bed-head and asked in shock and awe, “Are you making BACON?” Having been plant based for quite some time, this was quite a notion!

Anyway, unlike many plant-based recipes out there, you do not need to add all kinds of extra ingredients, like liquid smoke or a variety of other spices. You don’t need to marinate anything either. There are literally two ingredients in this recipe, if you could even call it a recipe! Shiitake mushrooms, salt and a little spray oil. You can also use some smoked paprika for a little more of that smoky flavor but they taste great even without it. The thing about shiitake (and some other mushrooms) is that they impart a lot of umami flavor.

The trickiest part of this deliciousness is to find the BIGGEST shiitakes that you can, since the slices shrink considerably. I mean really. Like, a lot. But it’s okay. Just make a lot! You’ll want to because they’re quite addictive so they will disappear fast.

Ingredients

• 1 lb. shiitake mushrooms

• sprinkle of sea salt

• a quick spray of cooking oil of your choice (optional—if you’re oil-free, you can omit it, but I can’t promise the same crispy texture)

• a sprinkle of smoked paprika (optional but adds more bacon-y flavor)

Method

1. Preheat oven to 350° F.

2. Slice the mushrooms into about 1/4” slices.

3. Lay them on a parchment-lined baking tray.

4. Spray coat them with the oil and sprinkle with a little sea salt.

5. Sprinkle with smoked paprika, if using.

6. Add love. 💗

7. Bake until fairly dry. This can take a while, usually around 20-30 minutes. Once they start to brown, flip them over, give them another spray of oil and a little more salt. At this point I usually…

8. Turn the temperature down to about 170° because once they start to brown they can burn very fast at a higher temp! I leave them in at this lower temp for another 30 minutes or so. Sometimes I will turn the oven off and just leave them in there to cool. It depends on how crispy you prefer your “bacon.” I like mine very crisp.

Serves 4 (if you’re lucky and if you have a lot of self control and don’t eat them all yourself before you serve them).

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