Vegan American Chop Suey

I had no idea what to call this dish until I saw it prepared. American Chop Suey immediately came to mind. The “meat” in this dish is shiitake mushrooms combined with onions and herbs. This is a pungent, clean-tasting sauce that works well with the lighter, less-starchy quinoa (actually quinoa-corn) pasta.

I actually added at least double the parsley than I call for below, but it may be too much for you. Experiment to see how much you can handle. If not concerned about keeping this vegan, a sprinkle of freshly grated cheese would go nice here too.

Vegan American Chop Suey

2 oz dried shiitake mushrooms (about 15-20), rinsed then soaked in 2 – 3 cups of boiling water

grapeseed or olive oil

1 medium onion, sliced

vegetable broth concentrate to taste (I like to use Better than Bouillon)

¼ c fresh parsley, chopped

2 cloves garlic, chopped

sea salt and pepper

chopped thyme to garnish

1 box of quinoa pasta, cooked

Allow the mushrooms to soak in boiling water until fully rehydrated. Drain and save the water. Slice the mushrooms.

Heat the oil in a dutch oven or fry pan until medium hot, then add the onion and sautee until soft.

Add the mushrooms and sautee an additional 3-5 minutes, then add ¼ cup of leftover mushroom water to the pan and allow it to reduce for a few minutes.

Transfer the mixture to a food processor and add the parsley and garlic. Process until finely chopped.

Transfer the mushroom mixture back to the pan. Add ~1/2 teaspoon of broth concentrate (or to taste) to the remaining mushroom water then add it to the pan and mix well.

Season with salt and pepper. Add the hot, cooked pasta to the pan and mix well. Garnish with chopped thyme.