I love mushrooms, and mushroom parmesan topped with vegan parmesan cheese sounded like a great dinner tonight. Portobello mushrooms, for example, make the perfect meat substitute.
When I went shopping this week, I found beautiful portobello mushrooms. Instead of making Vegan Eggplant Parmesan, I decided to give mushrooms a try. And I fell in love!
HOW TO CHOOSE PORTOBELLO MUSHROOMS FOR MUSHROOM PARMESAN
For example, when choosing portobello mushrooms, pick large mushrooms similar in size. Since mushrooms shrink when cooked, they won’t cook evenly or resemble fries if you buy the smaller ones.
Then, make sure the portobellos mushrooms are firm, with unblemished caps. The gills (the brown gills inside the mushroom cap) should be dry, which indicates freshness.
Next, please make sure the mushrooms do not have a slimy film, which means they are beginning to spoil.
Finally, store mushrooms in the store's packaging or a paper bag to maintain freshness.
HOW TO CLEAN AND PREPARE PORTOBELLO MUSHROOM CAPS
Although some experts suggest only clean mushrooms with a clean towel and no water, I beg to differ. Because portobello mushrooms are delicate, be careful as you remove the stem.
Using a small amount of water, wash the outside of the mushroom caps, gently washing away any dirt. Do not, for example, submerge the mushrooms to wash them.
Instead, use the water to help remove the dirt and carefully use a paper towel or cloth towel to dry off the mushroom.
To remove the gills, turn the cap over to the open side, and carefully remove the brown gills by scraping the gills with a small spoon. Then, make sure you use minimal water and a paper towel to pat dry.
Once cleaned, I cut the mushrooms, lengthwise about ¼-1/2 an inch wide, so they are all approximately the same size. As a result, the portobello fries will cook evenly.
HOW TO MAKE CRISPY MUSHROOM PARMESAN WITHOUT ANY OIL
I prefer my mushrooms extra crispy, which is easily achieved without using oil. Silicone Baking Mats provide perfect baking without oil and sticking if baking in the oven. Another alternative is using an air-fryer.
First, you need a few simple ingredients. I bathe my mushrooms in a plant-milk mixture before dipping in a bread crumb/nutritional yeast mixture.
THE MUSHROOM PARMESAN INGREDIENTS:
- Large Portobello Mushrooms
- Unsweetened, unflavored oat milk, or other plant-based milk
- Italian Panko Bread Crumbs (or gluten-free Panko crumbs for those who are gluten-free) or homemade bread crumbs
- Nutritional Yeast
- Garlic Powder
- Garlic Salt
Next, you dip the portobello fries in the oat milk and then dredge into the Panko bread crumb/nutritional yeast mixture.
- Dip each portobello piece into the plant milk, and then dredge it into the bread crumbs/nutritional yeast mixture, one at a time, until all mushrooms are covered in bread crumbs.
BAKING PORTOBELLO MUSHROOMS FOR VEGAN PARMESAN
- Lay each fry on a baking sheet, separated from each other, on a silicone mat or parchment paper.
- Cook at 400 for 20 minutes, flipping each fry over after cooking for 10 minutes.
- To avoid having to flip the portobello fries at the halfway point, I use my Copper Chef Crisper and “air-fryer” in the oven. Because the secondary pan is lifted from the pan beneath, it cooks the portobello fries on top and the bottom without having to flip them over.
AIR-FRYING MUSHROOMS
Without a doubt, I prefer air-frying over baking simply because it takes less time, but the drawback is you can only cook a single layer at a time.
Regardless, this was still easier, in my opinion. But not everyone has an air-fryer, and you wouldn’t want to miss out on trying this portobello fries recipe!
- Lay each fry in the base of the air-fry plan, separated from each other.
- Cook at 400 for 9 minutes
- Remove and repeat this process until all the portobello fries are cooked.
CHOOSING PASTA AND SAUCE FOR VEGAN MUSHROOM PARMESAN
Since I planned to mimic my Vegan Eggplant Parmesan recipe, I chose whole-grain spaghetti for my base pasta. But, feel free to use any pasta you prefer.
Whenever I eat pasta, I always eat a small amount of pasta comparative to the number of vegetables. As a result, I'm not overly full and maximize my vegetable intake.
Also, I make my own Vegan Marinara Sauce, which is oil-free. Fortunately, there are many oil-free pasta sauces available in the grocery store.
OIL-FREE MARINARA SAUCE
- DeLallo Marinara Sauce
- Muir Glen Organic Portobello Mushroom Pasta Sauce
- Ragu Light Tomato and Basic Marinara Sauce
- Pomi Tomato Sauce (add Italian seasoning and fresh garlic)
- 365 Everyday Value Marinara Sauce (Whole Foods)
- Engine 2 Pasta Sauce (Whole Foods)
- Simple Truth Organic Mushroom Pasta Sauce (Fry's/Kroger)
Once the pasta and sauce are ready, I like to combine the pasta sauce with the spaghetti and toss. Then, I add 4-5 pieces of cooked mushroom.
Next, I add extra sauce over the top, sprinkle with Vegan Parmesan Cheese, and add basil and parsley as a garnish. I make this vegan parmesan cheese for many of my recipes, and my husband absolutely loves it. Let me know what you think in the comments of my garlic parmesan cheese recipe!
And, then, it's just a matter of taking a bite of mushroom parmesan with tossed spaghetti and sauce! If I don't say so myself, it was heavenly.
So, if you love fabulous, vegan Italian food, you will love this oil-free recipe. My family loved this recipe, so it's a keeper.
DO YOU LOVE MUSHROOMS? TRY THESE MUSHROOM RECIPES AND FALL IN LOVE
- Grilled Portobello Mushroom Burger
- Crock-Pot Portobello Mushroom Stew
- Baby Portobello Mushroom Bites Recipe
- Vegan Stuffed Mushrooms
- Hungarian Mushroom Soup
- Creamy Mushroom Recipe
- Pesto Pasta with Mushrooms
- Vegan Mushroom Wellington
- Mushroom Chorizo Tacos
- Mushroom Stroganoff
📖 Recipe
Mushroom Parmesan
Equipment
Ingredients
Mushrooms
- 5 large portobello mushrooms washed, gills removed, and cut into equal-sized slives
- ¾ cup unsweetened unflavored oat milk or other plant-based milk
- 1 cup Italian Panko breadcrumbs gluten-free Panko, or regular bread crumbs
- ½ cup nutritional yeast
- 2 teaspoons garlic powder
- 2 teaspoons garlic salt
Marinara Sauce
Pasta
- 1 package whole-grain spaghetti or pasta of choice gluten-free pasta can be used as well
Garnish (optional)
- ¼ cup basil leaves
- ¼ cup parsley
- ¼ cup vegan parmesan cheese
Instructions
PREPARING THE PORTOBELLO MUSHROOMS/DIPPING BOWLS
- Because portobello mushrooms are delicate, be careful as you remove the stem.
- Using a small amount of water, wash the outside of the mushroom cap, gently washing away any dirt.
- Do not, for example, submerge the mushrooms to wash them.
Instead, use the water to help remove the dirt and carefully use a paper towel or cloth towel to dry off the mushroom. - Once cleaned, I cut the portobello mushrooms, lengthwise about ½ an inch wide, so they are all approximately the same size. As a result, the portobello mushroom pieces will cook evenly.
- Now, assemble 2 wide bowls (to accommodate the longest portobello fry's size/length; sizes may vary); one bowl with plant-milk and the other bowl combine the bread crumbs, nutritional yeast, garlic powder, and garlic salt.
BAKING
- Preheat the oven to 400.
- Dip each portobello piece into the plant milk, and then dip it in the bread crumb mixture, one at a time, until all mushrooms are covered in bread crumbs.
- Lay each fry on a baking sheet, separated from each other, on a silicone mat or parchment paper.
- Cook at 400 for 20 minutes, flipping each fry over after cooking for 10 minutes.
- To avoid having to flip the portobello pieces at the halfway point, I use my Copper Chef Crisper and air-fryer in the oven.
AIR-FRYER:
- Preheat the air fryer to 400.
- Dip each portobello stick into the plant milk mixture, and then dip it in the bread crumbs mixture, one at a time, until all the mushroom pieces are covered in bread crumbs.
- Lay each fry in the base of the air-fry plan, separated from each other.
Cook at 400 for 9 minutes - Remove each batch and repeat this process until all the portobello fries are cooked.
PREPARE THE PASTA AND SAUCE
- Prepare the pasta according to the package instructions.
- Since my noodles cooked in 13 minutes, I prepared the noodles while the mushrooms cooked.
- Heat the sauce in a saucepan until heated through.
- Once the spaghetti is drained, please return it to the pan and toss in 1 ½ cups of the sauce, keeping 1 ½ cups of sauce to add to the mushrooms' top.
PLATING MUSHROOM PARMESAN
- In a shallow bowl or plate, add a small amount of pasta tossed in marinara sauce.
- Then, add 4-5 pieces of cooked parmesan mushrooms over the top of the pasta.
- Add some additional marinara sauce on top, and sprinkle with vegan parmesan cheese.
- Add some basil leaves and parsley.
- Then, dig in!
Notes
Nutrition
Hi! My name is Kathy, I am a retired high school English teacher & vegan enthusiast and blogger. My entire blog is fully plant-based vegan. I truly believe what we eat & how we live determines our health & the preservation of our planet! 🙂
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