Much admiration for the man who can live without bacon...

December 30, 2007 6:20 AM

What's a good vegetarian substitute for bacon?

I'm cooking dinner for my husband's staff tonight, and one of the guests is a vegetarian (ovo-lacto). Our menu includes a bacon-and-black-truffle macaroni and cheese that is delicious. I can make a separately-prepared, separately-plated version for our vegetarian guest, but I'm afraid that without the bacon, the flavor might be a little bland or just "off." I don't have time to experiment, so I was hoping someone could suggest a tried-and-true vegetarian substitute.

Please recommend something that is widely available (I'm in the Baltimore/D.C. corridor, but am hoping to find something that is sold either in Fresh Market, Whole Foods or Safeway/Giant). Also, if it makes any difference in which product you recommend, the bacon in this recipe is minced raw and sauteed with sweated leeks and garlic in oil, with the cream and cheese added later. Authentic bacon-y flavor would, in this case, trump crispness.

Thanks in advance!

posted by justonegirl to Food & Drink (36 answers total)

Lightlife makes "Fakin' Bacon which I think is delicious and can be found at Whole Foods.

Failing a store-bought substitute, you could try broiling thin strips of tofu brushed with a mixture of olive oil and liquid smoke. A sprinkling of nutritional yeast will make it perfect, if you're so inclined.
posted by mezzanayne at 6:27 AM on December 30, 2007

How about LightLife Smart Bacon?
posted by essexjan at 6:32 AM on December 30, 2007

Whole Foods will have a variety of fake Bacon products for vegetarians. The bacon flavor is easy to reproduce and most varieties found at whole foods do a decent job of it. Remember, BacoBits (the stuff at salad bars) isn't real bacon either. You should be fine with any of the Whole Foods products.
posted by willie11 at 6:41 AM on December 30, 2007

Best answer: Chopped tomatoes fried alone or with garlic/herbs are complimentary and would add flavour to a macaroni cheese. I personally would prefer something natural to these fake bacon flavoured toenail things from a jar.
posted by fire&wings at 6:43 AM on December 30, 2007

Try a few drops of liquid smoke. For flavoring a sauce, or anywhere else the texture isn't the important part, this is a pretty good substitute for the bacon flavor. The vegetarian bacon substitutes are pretty uniformly unconvincing in texture anyway.
posted by RogerB at 6:45 AM on December 30, 2007 [2 favorites]

fire&wings, the full-size bacon substitutes aren't as horrid as the "fake bacon flavoured toenail things from a jar," fortunately.
posted by needs more cowbell at 6:47 AM on December 30, 2007

If it's just the flavor you need and not that rich, bacony texture, you could try Liquid Smoke. It's a bottled seasoning that adds a certain smokiness, much as hot sauce adds heat. Not as gross as it sounds, honest.
posted by mundy at 6:47 AM on December 30, 2007

I actually think fake bacon bits (the little crunchy salad bar bits) would fare better in macaroni and cheese than real bacon, because they would (hopefully) retain more of a pure smoky crunch instead of becoming chewy and adding to the already massive richness of that sort of dish.
posted by rxrfrx at 6:53 AM on December 30, 2007

Chopped tomatoes fried alone or with garlic/herbs are complimentary and would add flavour to a macaroni cheese. I personally would prefer something natural to these fake bacon flavoured toenail things from a jar.
posted by fire&wings at 9:43 AM on December 30

Agreed. Put in veggies and be proud. No fake bacon (fakon?).

of course when I don't have bacon I use prosciutto, so maybe you shouldn't ask me.
posted by shothotbot at 6:54 AM on December 30, 2007 [1 favorite]

Chopped strong kalamata olives are a good substitute - little salty flavour punches.

There's also bacon salt, but I've not tried it.
posted by goo at 7:02 AM on December 30, 2007 [1 favorite]

Ms. Meat says:
Have you considered that perhaps the guest is a vegetarian because he/she doesn't like the taste of meat? I'd second the real food items, not the fake bacon.

Or I say: porcini mushrooms, oil, and salt. If your bacon is smoked heavily in something, a taste of that. You can get porcini under oil or dried, but call ahead. Really, the truffle flavor should be adequate for a tasty dish, just compensate the missing fat and salt.
posted by a robot made out of meat at 7:05 AM on December 30, 2007 [3 favorites]

the brand Morningstar has fake bacon that is on the high-end of fake bacon in taste and texture. The tomato idea above sounds great too.
posted by Etta Hollis at 7:09 AM on December 30, 2007

I would say leave out the bacon. Don't try to get something that pretends to be like bacon. It's unlikely that macaroni & cheese could be lacking in grease or salt, so it shouldn't be a big problem, and the truffles will make it plenty flavorful. If you want to add something I would say grate up some good Parmesan and substitute that for some of the other cheese.
posted by aubilenon at 7:11 AM on December 30, 2007

I never much like meat substitutes. You want something really savory like sun-dried tomatoes, or the kalamata olives or other strong pitted olives sound yummy, or spicy like jalapeños, or veggie like baby peas (frozen work very well). You could provide fake bacon bits to add as desired.
posted by theora55 at 7:31 AM on December 30, 2007

Quorn have recently (-ish) released their own version of vegetarian bacon substitute; it's better (in our experience) than other fake bacon substitutes - it tastes better, retains moisture better, crisps nicely if you cook it hot'n'high (rather than drying out and going nasty), etc.

Not sure what it'd be like cooked into something though; perhaps would be better to fry/grill and then chop.

I'll 2nd (or whatever) the bacon flavoured soya crunchy bits - they work really well cooked into cheese pasta dishes.
posted by Chunder at 8:03 AM on December 30, 2007

If you are cooking for a vegetarian you would be better off just making a vegetarian dish that everyone will like rather than trying to modify this one. A recipe which relies on bacon for flavor is really a bad idea in this situation.
posted by caddis at 8:04 AM on December 30, 2007

Being a lapsed lacto-ovo vegetarian, I'd go with bac-o's. Oddly enough, America's most famous bacon bits are completely vegan! Of course, some people do object to meat tastes more than I did. A gracious guest would appreciate any effort made to accommodate their needs. Awesome host point for you. Goes double if you use Bac-o's for everyone's dish.
posted by advicepig at 8:10 AM on December 30, 2007

grill a good sliced eggplant and when it's almost done, quickly sautee in a piping hot pan with a bit of vegetable oil, salt and tumeric. not as porky as bacon, obviously, but nice texture and very interesting taste

remember to wash and drain properly the raw eggplant to get rid of the bitterness
posted by matteo at 8:12 AM on December 30, 2007 [1 favorite]

I make fake BLTs by frying very thin slices of tempeh on high with some olive oil until browned and crispy, turning the heat off, then drizzling soy sauce (about 2 tablespoons for one package of tempeh) over the slices and tossing them. This does not taste like bacon, but makes an adequately salty and crispy substitute. In your dish, I imagine this would add a salty, nutty flavor and a chewy texture, as I don't think the tempeh would retain its crispness after being cooked into the mac and cheese.

Have a good dinner!
posted by hilatron at 8:35 AM on December 30, 2007

Every vegetarian I know invokes the Bacon Exception from time to time. You might want to ask.
posted by Slarty Bartfast at 9:56 AM on December 30, 2007

I seem to recall a faux BLT I once saw made with fried provolone. Always wanted to try that just outta curiosity.
posted by RavinDave at 10:19 AM on December 30, 2007

The Morningstar Farms bacon strips are delicious. The best bacon substitute I've found. As for macaroni and cheese, I often make it with peas, but it sounds like your sauce is much more complex, and I think the flavor of the Morningstar Farms stuff would suit rather than relying on a vegetable whose flavor might not be entirely compatible with the flavors in your dish on such short no-time-to-experiment notice.
posted by cmgonzalez at 11:04 AM on December 30, 2007

I've never made any "Bacon Exception".
posted by cmgonzalez at 11:06 AM on December 30, 2007 [2 favorites]

Smoked tomatoes taste remarkably like bacon.
posted by Pants! at 11:33 AM on December 30, 2007

here's hoping you will share that bacon-and-black-truffle macaroni and cheese recipe with us other carnivorous folk.
posted by dawson at 11:35 AM on December 30, 2007

Here are the smoked tomatoes I was thinking of. Obviously, that won't work given your timing, but I thought I'd add it for posterity.
posted by Pants! at 11:37 AM on December 30, 2007

2nd'ing dawson!
posted by rhizome at 11:39 AM on December 30, 2007

I would sub with sun dried tomatoes- easy to find and great big flavor; forget trying to add some fake ass compressed mess. You could screw up the whole dish for everyone.
posted by bkeene12 at 1:48 PM on December 30, 2007

Ms Meat and I have never heard of or invoked a "bacon exception." I wouldn't ask, since it is an incredibly arrogant question. "I know that you don't eat meat for whatever personal or ethical reasons, but this is really good!"
posted by a robot made out of meat at 5:18 PM on December 30, 2007

Response by poster: Thanks so much everyone. Not pleased with the bacon substitutes at Fresh Market and unable to get to Whole Foods due to time constraints, I ended up taking fire&wings' suggestion and using tomatoes. I just seeded and diced some nice Roma tomatoes and tossed them in with the bechamel cheese sauce in a separate pan from the rest of the mixture. The vegetarian was over-the-moon and ate a giant entree-size dish, the rest of the guests were swooning over the bacon version, and everyone was satisfied and happy.

Oh, and for dawson and rhizome, here's the recipe. It really is to die for.
posted by justonegirl at 6:34 PM on December 30, 2007 [3 favorites]

Cool, and thanks for sharing the recipe. Actually, both versions sound lovely.
posted by dawson at 7:49 PM on December 30, 2007

justonegirl:

do you use the truffle oil? does it make a difference?
posted by shothotbot at 8:10 PM on December 30, 2007

A little late, but in the future, you might also try a bit of Bragg's Liquid Aminos. It's made from soy protein, and tastes a bit like soy sauce, but with a slightly meatier flavor.
posted by Caviar at 6:46 AM on December 31, 2007

Response by poster: Yes, I used this black truffle oil which I ordered online, but I've also used Trader Joe's brand and it worked fine too. The oil is absolutely integral to the recipe; it gives it a really rich, earthy flavor.
posted by justonegirl at 8:57 AM on December 31, 2007

Smoked edam, cheddar or mozzarella are good for adding a smoky flavor. Use sparingly.
posted by oneirodynia at 1:20 PM on December 31, 2007

Good to hear it worked out without any of those horrible artificial bacon substitutes! Tomatoes through macaroni cheese really lift the dish.
posted by fire&wings at 5:08 PM on January 1, 2008