Baby Bella Mushroom Tacos

If there’s any kind of dish that lends itself to vegan cooking, it’s tacos. Tortilla plus filling plus topping isn’t just reserved for the carnivores among us. There are so many options for vegetarian fillings from rice and beans to potatoes to squash–even green papaya. I’m adding yet another variation on a theme with these baby bella mushroom tacos. Bathed in savory spices and baked to perfection, these tacos are are an easy complement to any taco spread.

Here’s how it’s done:

The mushrooms

For a “meaty” mushroom taco, I chose baby portobello mushrooms, but you could chop big portobellos or even use a gourmet blend. Also, these particular mushrooms cook down significantly, so I used 16 ounces, or 1 pound, of mushrooms and fluffed it with sliced onion.

The spices

You could try many combinations, but here’s what worked for me:

• minced garlic – for earthiness
• low sodium soy sauce – to enhance the meaty flavor without adding too much salt
• olive oil – a good quality oil that will help this dish keep you satisfied
• maple syrup – a little goes a long way to balance out any astringent flavors
• ancho chili powder – gives it a more distinct flavor than a chili powder blend, which also works just fine
• allspice powder – just, like go with it, dude
• chipotle powder – for a smoky, spicy flavor
• lemon juice
• salt

After mixing the toppings with the mushrooms, use a slotted spoon to place them on the baking sheet. You might have some liquid left over in your mixing bowl. That’s okay! Just use it as a marinade for an additional taco topping. You won’t want to spoon it over the mushrooms, however, as you might end up boiling them instead of roasting them.

The process

Before poking around at recipes, I hadn’t considered how easy it would be to roast a taco topping. I expected I’d be sautéeing my way to glory here. But instead, the roasting process added flavor and a good 30 minutes of downtime to prepare a topping or, if I’m being honest, surf on Pinterest…

I roasted these fragrant little ‘shrooms at 425 degrees Fahrenheit for 30 minutes, stirring them at about 10 minutes until showtime to make sure they cooked evenly.

Toppings

I’m not gonna tell you how to top your mushroom tacos–that’s personal! But I do have a few suggestions I love.

• sliced lettuce, diced onion, and a squeeze of lime (that’s what I did!)
• this spicy avocado sauce
• pico de gallo
• chopped cilantro
• your salsa of choice

Oh! This reminds me, if you’re not making your own tortillas you might want to try warming your pre-made tortillas on a dry cast iron skillet until they just start to brown. I had a roommate who used to roast hers on an open flame, but with an electric stove, this is the next best thing! Sooo worth it.

Making more than one taco? You might also like these green papaya tacos.

Print