Behold, the ultimate vegan bowl recipe! The star of the show are perfectly golden-brown, blow your mind, vegan scallops made from trumpet mushrooms. The mushroom tops are also here, sautéed until wonderfully crispy and golden brown, they take on an almost bacon-like vibe. Then finally, all the mushroom goodness are piled atop a glorious bowl of herby white beans. Vegan or not, you need to try this recipe!
Why I Love This Recipe
I’m not vegan, and never will be, but I do love cooking and eating any kind of plant-based meal. And this recipe featuring trumpet mushroom scallops and the tastiest, not to mention easiest, white bean salad is a true homerun when it comes to vegan meals. The textures and flavors are just off the chart.
Ingredients in these Vegan Bean Bowls:
This dinner is a combination of two of my favorite recipes, my Simple White Bean Salad and my Vegan Trumpet Mushroom Scallops. Here’s what you’ll need:
- King trumpet mushrooms: which are also sometimes labeled king oyster mushrooms.
- Shallot: use half of a large shallot or 1 small shallot, it should measure 3 tablespoons to ¼ cup once it’s finely chopped. Feel free to make some substitutions±red onions and scallions (green onions) are great options. Treat the whites and light green parts of the scallions as onion and the dark green parts as herb.
- Red wine vinegar: you can also use white wine vinegar, tarragon vinegar or white balsamic vinegar. I find red wine vinegar adds a nice depth in addition to tang.
- Oil: for this recipe you’ll need both extra-virgin olive oil and a high-heat cooking oil like avocado oil or grapeseed oil.
- Fresh herbs: I prefer a mix of fresh mint and dill, though fresh parsley, cilantro and chives are all great options. Use at least 2 different herbs for the best flavor.
- Canned white beans: I like cannellini or navy beans but black eyed peas or chickpeas (or a mix) are also fantastic. Make sure you rinse and drain the beans well.
- Pepper flakes: Urfa pepper (my newest ingredient obsession) is delicious in this salad. If you don’t have Urfa pepper you can buy it online, or use crushed red pepper flakes. Urfa pepper is much more mild than red pepper flakes, so if you use red pepper flakes start with just ¼ teaspoon and adjust from there.
How to Make Vegan Scallops
- Slice the stems of trumpet mushrooms into thick coins.
- Place the mushroom slices in a bowl and cover with hot water (I use a tea kettle for this). Let soak for 30 minutes.
- Drain the water and transfer the mushrooms to a paper-towel-lined plate. Next, pat the mushroom stems dry and season with kosher salt.
- In a large stainless steel skillet, heat some high-heat oil (avocado, grapeseed, sesame, peanut) until shimmering. Add mushroom “scallops” in an even layer—be sure not to overcrowd the pan or the “scallops” will steam instead of sear.
- Cook the vegan scallops until the first side is deeply golden brown, flip and continue cooking until golden brown on the second side.
- Repeat cooking process with remaining mushrooms.
Check out this full tutorial here for more info and tricks for making vegan scallops.
Variations on this recipe
- Add some pickle-y bits like pitted castelvetrano olives or capers.
- Pan sear real scallops and serve those instead.
- Add some arugula or chopped and massaged Tuscan kale to make each bowl go a bit further.
- go the black bean burrito-bowl route by using black beans, cilantro, lime and scallions. Top each serving with pico de gallo or salsa verde and serve with tortilla chips.
Herby Bean Bowls with Vegan Scallops
- Prep Time: 5 minutes
- Soak Time: 30 minutes
- Cook Time: 25 minutes
- Total Time: 1 hour
- Yield: 3 servings (1 ¾ cup salad; 12–18 scallops) 1x
- Category: Main Dish
- Method: Stove top
- Diet: Vegan
Description
Vegan Bean Bowls loaded with herby flavor and meaty texture from vegan scallops made from trumpet mushrooms. The options and flavors are endless, just make sure you include the vegan scallops, they’re incredible!
Ingredients
- 5–6 king trumpet mushroom (also called king oyster mushrooms)
- high heat oil, such as avocado or grapeseed oil
- kosher salt
- ½ large shallot, finely chopped (3 tablespoons)
- 2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
- ½ cup finely chopped tender herbs, such as mint and dill (parsley, cilantro and chives also work)
- 3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
- 1 (15-ounce) can white beans, drained and rinsed (cannellini beans, navy beans, black eyed pear and/or chickpeas all work)
- ½–1 teaspoon pepper flakes of choice, such as urfa pepper or crushed red pepper flakes
- Naan or crusty bread for serving
Instructions
- Slice mushroom stems into 1-inch thick scallop-sized pieces. Reserve tops. Add stem slices to a medium bowl. Fill bowl with hot water then stir in ¼ teaspoon kosher salt; soak at least 30 minutes or up to 1 hour.
- Meanwhile, combine shallot, vinegar and ½ teaspoon kosher salt in a small bowl; let sit 5 minutes.
- In a medium bowl combine herbs with oil to coat.
- Add beans, pepper flakes and shallot-vinegar mixture to herb mixture and toss gently to combine; season with salt and additional pepper flakes to taste.
- Cut reserved mushroom tops into ¼-inch thick slices; set aside.
- Drain mushroom stems then arrange on a paper-towel-lined plate and pat dry; season with kosher salt.
- Heat oil in a large stainless steel skillet over medium.
- Carefully add stems in a single layer, (they’ll sputter a bit) being careful not to overcrowd the pan (cook in batches if needed).
- Cook stems, without moving, until bottom side is golden brown and crispy, 5–6 minutes. Flip and continue cooking until second side is golden brown and crispy, 5–8 minutes. Transfer mushroom “scallops” to a plate and repeat cooking process with any remaining stems.
- Add a drizzle of oil to the now-empty skillet and add sliced mushroom tops and season with salt; toss to coat with oil then cook, without moving, until golden brown on bottom, about 4 minutes. Stir and continue cooking, stirring only occasionally, until deeply golden brown and starting to crisp, about 6 minutes more.
- Divide bean salad between serving bowls and top with crispy mushroom tops and vegan trumpet mushroom scallops; finish with flaky sea salt, additional pepper flakes, herbs and a drizzle of olive oil.
Equipment
Buy Now → Notes
To add seafood flavor without adding actual seafood try soaking the mushroom stems in seafood stock or adding fish sauce to the soaking water.
Keywords: vegan scallops, trumpet mushroom scallops, vegan bean bowls
