In mid-2023, a friend of mine introduced me to NuCook, a digital health program designed to teach healthy cooking and lifestyle tools. In perusing their recipes, I came across a recipe for Shiitake “bacon”. Upon review, I decided to try it since I like mushrooms, already had the other ingredients in the house, doesn't require the purchase of liquid smoke and the only kitchen appliance I needed was an oven.
This recipe is a variation since I included the stems, sliced the mushrooms smaller than instructed, used aluminum foil sprayed with non-stick canola oil cooking spray in place of parchment paper and didn't place the mushrooms in a single layer.
If you like mushrooms and like bacon, don't be surprised to find yourself wanting to eat these before they cool. Half of the first batch I made was consumed within 10 minutes of coming out of the oven.
Roasted mushrooms with bacon-like flavoring (makes about 1 – 2 cups)
8 ounces Shiitake mushrooms
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 teaspoon smoked paprika
½ teaspoon kosher salt
¼ teaspoon ground black pepper
Non-stick canola oil cooking spray (optional)
Place oven rack on middle rung. Preheat oven to 300 degrees farenheit.
Remove stems from mushrooms and slice mushroom tops into ¼-inch or smaller strips. For mushrooms stems, cut away any noticeable dirt.
Coat bottom of 13-inch by 9-inch baking dish with smoked paprika, kosher salt, ground black pepper. Drizzle oil over dry ingredients then add sliced mushrooms and stems. Toss, ensuring all mushroom pieces are coated with dry ingredients.
If baking dish is more than halfway full, line a 15-inch by 10-inch or large cookie sheet with aluminum foil. Spray with non-stick canola oil cooking spray. Transfer all mushrooms to cookie sheet and coat bottom of baking dish with non-stick canola oil cooking spray. Return half of the mushrooms to baking dish and spread evenly across bottom. Spread remaining half of mushrooms evenly across on cookie sheet.
Place in pre-heated oven and bake 30 to 60 minutes until mushrooms are browned and look crisp on the edges. The smaller the strips, the less baking time will be needed.
Remove from oven and cool completely before serving. The mushrooms will get crispier as they cool. Store in airtight container for up to 5 days.
