It’s Pumpkin Spice Season! Although there are countless options on the world wide web for sweet pumpkin recipes, pumpkin is equally delicious in savory recipes as well. Just check out my Drunken Pumpkin & Chipotle Chili.

Keeping the pumpkin-mania train going, this dairy-free Pumpkin Carbonara is something you are going to want to try. I created this dish purely because I haven’t made shiitake bacon in years. What I love about this is you can cook a bunch of it and store in your refrigerator to use on pastas, wraps, sandwiches, salads or pretty much anything someone would top with bacon bits. The creamy pumpkin sauce is incredibly easy to make & contrasts well with the smoky, salty shiitake bacon. This works well on it’s own or paired with mushroom steaks or your favorite meat substitute. Try it...you might get hooked.

Notes & Substitutions:

Equipment: Blender or food processor to make the sauce. An air fryer or oven to make the shiitake bacon. You will need a cast iron skillet & something heavy to place on top of your mushrooms while cooking.
Mushroom Pressing Technique: The magical vegan wizards over at Wicked Healthy have perfected a technique that will change the way you cook mushrooms forever. If you are like me and picky with the texture of cooked mushrooms, I highly recommend using this cooking technique!
Mushroom Seasoning: Mushroom Seasoning is made of mushroom powder, mushroom extract, vegetable extract & salt. It adds an umami flavor to savory dishes. Umami is broth-like meaty flavor. A little goes a long way, so one bag will last you a while. When using this ingredient, I would taste it before adding additional salt because there is salt already in mushroom seasoning. This can be found at your local Asian Market or online. If you want that meaty, earthy flavor but want to minimize the salt, you can make your own mushroom powder by blending up dried mushrooms & cutting the amount of mushroom seasoning in half.
Black Salt: Black salt (or Kala namak) has a sulfuric smell & taste that gives dishes an eggy flavor. A little goes a long way when using this ingredient. This can also be found at your local Asian Market or online.
Air Fryer or Oven: I’ve made this in both the oven & my Ninja Foodi Air Fryer on the bake setting and both options work well. You will just want to check on the mushrooms more often in the air fryer, so they do not burn. Using an oven may take a bit longer but you will still get to the same result.

Ingredients: See ‘A Pinch, A Dash & A Smidge’ for measuring references.

For the Sauce:

½ package of Firm Silken Tofu
1 can of Pumpkin Puree
4-5 pinches of Cornstarch
A handful of Nutritional Yeast
A head of garlic
A dollop of Joi Almond Nut Base
1-2 pinches of Mushroom Seasoning
3-4 dashes of nutmeg
2 dashes of onion powder
A pinch of Black Salt

For the Shiitake Bacon:

A handful of shiitake Mushrooms (thinly sliced)
A few drops of avocado oil
A few dashes of Smoked Paprika
A few pinches of sea salt

For the King Oyster Mushrooms:

4-5 Mini King Oyster Mushrooms (or 1 regular sized King Oyster Mushroom)
A few spritzes or drops of Avocado Oil
A few dashes of Old Bay Seasoning

Other Ingredients:

⅛ - ¼ box of Linguine
A sprig or two of Fresh Thyme
A few leaves of Fresh Flat Leaf Parsley
Salt & pepper to taste

Instructions:

Add all ingredients for the sauce into a blender or food processor. Blend until completely smooth.
Add sliced shiitake mushrooms to a lightly greased baking pan.
Sprinkle with a few dashes of smoked paprika & salt, then let bake in air fryer on 375 degrees, mixing periodically until brown & crispy. When using the air fryer, I stirred every 3 minutes. When using the oven, I checked every 5 minutes.
Once mushrooms are brown & crispy, remove from oven & set aside.
Preheat a well oiled cast iron skillet on the stovetop, on medium-high heat.
Once skillet is hot, add a bit more oil & place King Oyster Mushrooms with the tougher part of the stem closer to the outer edge of the skillet. Cover with a bacon press, another cast iron skillet or a heavy pan, then apply pressure until you hear it start to sizzle. Mushrooms contain a lot of water, so pressing the mushrooms while they are cooking will help mushrooms release liquid, which will result in a less rubbery texture.
After 5 or so minutes, lift cover pam, wipe off & set aside. Flip mushrooms & add a little more oil. Next, cover again with that heavy pan or bacon press for another 5 or so minutes to continue to cook off liquid.
Once both sides are browned (and most of the water has cooked off) add the Old Bay seasoning to side of the mushrooms facing up, then flip over so that the seasoned side is facing down. Cover with heavy pan again & let cook for a few more minutes.
Remove heavy pan, season top-side of mushrooms & flip so that the side you just seasoned is facing down. Do not cover this last time, so that you don’t lose that delicious seasoning on your top pan. After about 2-3 minutes, remove from heat & set aside.
Boil a pot of water on stovetop to cook linguine. Once pasta is al dente, drain water & toss in the pumpkin cream sauce. Top with shiitake bacon & serve aside charred King Oyster Mushrooms.
Garnish with parsley & thyme, and serve hot.