Bacon mushroom flatbread

These heavenly roasted mushrooms and bacon breads, paired with my lemony saucy bean spread, are a great prep-ahead lunch.

Credit: Mary Makes It Easy

• serves

  4

• prep

  15 minutes

• cook

  30 minutes

• difficulty

  Easy

Ingredients

• 8 slices bacon
• 4 garlic cloves, divided
• 3 tsp (15 ml) sherry or balsamic vinegar
• 4 large handfuls (about 225 g) oyster mushrooms
• Kosher salt
• Freshly ground black pepper
• 1 (540 ml) can cannellini beans (white kidney beans), drained and rinsed
• 1 cup loosely packed fresh basil
• 1½ tbsp chopped chives
• ¼ cup (50 g) finely grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese
• 1 lemon, zested and juiced
• ¼ cup (60 ml) extra virgin olive oil
• 1½-3 tbsp (30-60 ml) water
• 4 naan or Greek pitas
• 1 tbsp (20 ml) Dijon mustard
• 4 small handfuls rocket (arugula) or basil

Serves 4 with some extra bean spread.

Instructions

1. Preheat your oven to 200°C (400°F).
2. Lay the bacon out onto a rimmed baking sheet. Bake for 14 to 16 minutes or until crisp and golden brown. Transfer the bacon to a piece of paper towel and set aside to cool.
3. Meanwhile, mince 2 cloves of garlic and add them along with the vinegar to the baking sheet and stir into the bacon fat. Add the mushrooms and toss to coat. Season with salt and pepper and bake for 15 to 20 minutes or until golden brown.
4. In the bowl of a food processor, combine the beans, basil, chives, Parmigiano-Reggiano, lemon zest, lemon juice and olive oil. Roughly chop the remaining 2 cloves of garlic, add to the food processor and blitz well until smooth and spreadable, scraping down the sides of the bowl a few times throughout. Add in 1½ tablespoons of water and blitz to combine. If the mixture is still a bit thick, add in a little extra water then season to taste with salt and pepper.
5. Spread flatbreads with Dijon mustard and top each with a good helping of the herby white bean spread. Scatter over some roasted mushrooms and crumble 2 slices of bacon over each flatbread. Finish with the arugula or basil and season with salt and pepper and a little extra virgin olive oil, if desired.

Note

• If prepping all of the ingredients for a few days of lunches, transfer the bacon, mushrooms and herby white bean spread to separate resealable containers and store in the fridge for up to 5 days until ready to assemble.

Cook's Notes

Oven temperatures are for conventional; if using fan-forced (convection), reduce the temperature by 20˚C. | We use Australian tablespoons and cups: 1 teaspoon equals 5 ml; 1 tablespoon equals 20 ml; 1 cup equals 250 ml. | All herbs are fresh (unless specified) and cups are lightly packed. | All vegetables are medium size and peeled, unless specified. | All eggs are 55-60 g, unless specified.