Portobello Tacos with Roasted Red Pepper Aioli

These simple portobello tacos with a roasted red pepper aioli are great for meatless Monday or anytime you need a quick meal because they are ready in under 15 minutes. Paleo and Whole30 cooking instructions included. 

Random fact, for the first 25+ years of my life, I thought I was allergic to mushrooms. When I was a kid, I was sick a lot. I spent a lot of time in and out of the hospital for dehydration before the doctors could find out what was wrong with me. During that time, my mom said I would always get sick after eating mushrooms, so they assumed I was allergic. I avoided them for most of my life. 

While in Italy during my study aboard trip, I had mushroom risotto and was so sick the next day. I just assumed it was the mushrooms {not all the alcohol I’d consumed the night before, of course}. 

When I met Huck, he suggested we “test” this allergy to determine if I was allergic to them. He loves mushrooms, so I slowly started to eat a few mushrooms here and there, and nothing happened. Long story short, I’m not actually allergic to mushrooms, and we eat them all the time now. 

Portobello mushrooms have become our go-to as a quick and easy substitute for meats since they have a hardy/meaty taste. Huck has high cholesterol, so we do a lot of “Meatless Mondays” and veggie dishes throughout the week. 

Portobello Tacos

Tacos are my favorite food. We love them so much; we had a taco bar at our wedding. This recipe is my take on a taco from one of our local taco restaurants. Papichulo Tacos isn’t the place I’d go if I wanted an authentic street taco, but their creative specialty tacos are delicious. The Champinon is a vegan portobello taco with roasted red pepper aioli. It comes with shredded cabbage and raw bell peppers as a garnish. I always order one when we go and wanted to try and recreate it at home. 

How to Prep a Portobello Mushrooms 

When buying large portobellos, look for a firm mushroom. If you can see the gills or underside of the mushroom, make sure they’re dry. Wet or soft gills mean the mushrooms are older. 

Some people prefer to remove the gills and stem before cooking. The stem can be hard, and some people feel the gills give the mushroom a muddy flavor. They do not both me in this dish, but you can remove them if you want. If the stem is tough, you can easily remove them by cutting it off at the base of the mushroom. Discard the stem or save for stock. To remove the gills, use a spoon to scrape them out. They will easily come off. 

I then like to wipe the mushrooms with a damp towel to remove any dirt from the exterior. Washing the mushrooms under running water can cause them to become soggy. 

Lastly, I like to add salt at the end of the cooking process. The salt can draw out extra moisture from the mushrooms and again cause them to be soggy. 

How to Cook Portobello Mushroom Tacos

When making the tacos, the mushrooms will cook quickly. I like to have all my veggies and topping prepped before I start the mushrooms - ensuring when the mushrooms finish cooking, we are ready to eat. No cold tacos!

Ingredients needed for the portobello tacos: 

• Cooking Oil – avocado, coconut, or olive oil
• White or Red Onion 
• Mushrooms 
• Taco Seasoning – See my recipe below

Taco Toppings and Garnish: 

• Shredded Cabbage or Brussels Sprouts 
• Bell Pepper
• Onion 
• Lime
• Roasted Red Pepper Aioli
• Jalapenos 
• Cilantro 
• Guacamole 

To start, I prep everything first. I slice the onions, mushrooms, and bell pepper, prep the cabbage or brussels sprouts, and cut the lime and cilantro. I make the aioli and guacamole too. I have everything in bowls or containers ready to go, so we can start assembling our tacos when the mushrooms finish cooking. {Random fact: having everything ready to go is called Mise en Place, a culinary term that means everything in its place}

Next, I preheat a large skillet over medium heat and add the oil and onions. Sautee the onions until they become soft and translucent, 5-10 minutes depending on how thick you slice them. 

While the onions are cooking, I start heating the tortillas. I preheat a skillet over medium heat and toast each side for 20 seconds. Wrap the tortillas in a clean kitchen towel to stay warm.   

Once the onions are soft, add the mushrooms, and cook until they become soft - about 2-3 minutes. I like for the mushrooms to slightly softened but still firm. If cooked too long, they can become a little rubbery. A bit of firmness helps give them that meaty bite. Lastly, season with taco seasoning the last minute of cooking. 

Serve the onion and mushroom mixture right away. 

Taco Seasoning

When cooking tacos, I use our Huck’s Rub or make a quick taco seasoning utilizing a couple of simple ingredients: 

• Chili Powder
• Jalapeno Powder
• Garlic Powder
• Salt
• Black Pepper
• Cumin {I do not like a lot of cumin in my dishes but feel free to add more}
• Coriander 

I mix the spices together and store in a jar or leftover spice jar to use as needed. This blend would be great on chicken or beef as well.

Roasted Red Pepper Aioli – What is an Aioli? 

In culinary school, we made a lot of mayonnaise and aioli. They were both made the same way, emulsifying oil, and eggs together to form a thick sauce, but we called the flavored mayonnaise aioli. Instead of garlic mayo, it was garlic aioli. It sounds fancier. 

So, if you see aioli on a menu and are not sure what it is, just know its flavored mayonnaise. 

To make this Roasted Red Pepper Aioli, I used a store-bought avocado oil mayo {my favorite brand!}. I also cheated and used jarred roasted red peppers. You can easily roast the peppers yourself, but I wanted to keep this meal under 15 minutes. 

Ingredients in the sauce include: 

• Roasted Red Peppers
• Garlic
• Mayo – Store-bought or Homemade
• Lime Juice
• Hot Sauce
• Salt and Pepper 

If you’re using jarred peppers, remove as much moisture as possible from the strips to prevent the sauce from becoming too watery. Pat the peppers with a paper towel to help remove moisture before adding to the food processor. 

To make the aioli, add the pepper and garlic to a food processor or blender and pulse until they become small pieces. 

Add the Mayo, Lime Juice, and Hot Sauce and blend until smooth. Taste and add Salt and Pepper or more Hot Sauce as needed. Store in an airtight container in the fridge for one week. 

This aioli is also perfect on burgers, as a dip for shrimp, or on a BLT! You can use it in place of mayo on just about anything. I store the aioli in a squeeze bottle I bought from Amazon. 

Whole30, Paleo, and Vegan Taco Variations

Whole30 – If you’re doing Whole30, you can make these tacos using a lettuce wrap or taco bowl. When using lettuce, bibb, iceberg, or romaine are great choices. You want a leaf that will hold up to the toppings while eating. 

If you’re making a mushroom taco bowl, cauliflower rice or a bed of lettuce is an excellent base. You’ll also want to check the label of the mayo to ensure the ingredients are Whole30 compliant. 

Paleo or Grain-Free – There are a ton of grain-free tortilla options available now. All my local grocery stores stock Siete brand tortillas. They also have hard-shell tacos that are grain-free. As a hardcore taco lover, Siete is my favorite grain-free brand I’ve tried. A taco bowl is also a great option if you’re Paleo as well. 

Vegan - If vegan, omit the roasted red pepper sauce or use an egg-free vegan mayo.

Make-Ahead and Storage

If making this for a group, I would prep everything before the guests start to arrive. Wait until you’re ready for dinner to cook the mushrooms and warm the tortillas. They’re much better fresh. 

You can slice onions and mushrooms ahead of time to allow for easy cooking. Do not salt the mushrooms before cooking as this will draw out moisture and cause the mushrooms to become soggy.

Store leftover mushrooms in the refrigerator for a couple of days. I like to use any leftovers as topping for an omelet the next morning. 

Recipes to Serve with the Portobello Tacos with Roasted Red Pepper Aioli

Try the Stovetop Black Beans for an easy side dish and the strawberry beer margarita {a gluten-free seltzer can be substituted for the beer} to make it a complete meal.

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