Portobello Pizzas

The other night I posted on Instagram a super simple dinner that y’all went wild for! In a matter of hours I had emails and requests for the recipe, which is awesome because it’s definitely one I wasn’t thinking of posting. Luckily I had leftovers (!!!) I could photograph so that I could share!

 

As a quick backstory we are in the process of healthifying (totally a word) our life a little more now that we’re coming out of the initial shell shock of having a new baby in the house. My criteria for food these days is that I need to be able to prep it ahead of time so that I can just pop it in the oven/on the stove/grill at the end of the day. Anyone with kids (heck, even people without kids) knows that the end of the day is the witching hour where everyone is tired, hungry, cranky, and otherwise difficult to deal with. I also fall in that category. So being able to do a no-fuss dinner is HUGE.

 

The problem with a lot of the no-fuss dinners I was making up til the past two weeks is that they were delicious but also really heavy. I love me some rich food, but going into the summer and trying to fit into my old clothes a little better doesn’t mesh so well with really heavy fare. That’s where these mushrooms fit in really well. They take about 5 minutes to prep even in the middle of witching hour, and if you couple them with another roasted vegetable it can all cook at the same time. These would also be really great with a big salad, fresh fruit, pasta – you name it!

 

Just a couple of things on exactly how I made mine:

1. I used turkey pepperoni. You can use whatever you like, or even just leave them with plain cheese. Chopped veggies would be great – really, whatever you like on your pizza works here too! You need probably about 1 tablespoon of whatever chopped ingredients you like per mushroom cap.
2. I left the gills in our mushrooms and only removed the stems. I liked the texture and extra meatiness, but if you’re not a fan of leaving the gills in then by all means remove them. No biggie.
3. It’s not part of the recipe, but I took two bunches of asparagus and trimmed the ends. Drizzle with olive oil, sprinkle with salt/pepper/garlic powder, and spread on a really big sheet pan. Roast them on a separate rack than the mushrooms (underneath if possible) for 15-20 minutes, shaking the sheet pan halfway through.
4. I used jarred marinara. I highly recommend my favorite homemade marinara recipe, but I just didn’t have any on hand so I used our favorite jarred version.
5. I also used sliced mozzarella rather than shredded; it’s what we had on hand and I liked that I could blanket the mushroom cap without being too heavy handed with the cheesy goodness.
6. You could double or triple this “recipe”, or scale it down…that’s the beauty of it!

 

PORTOBELLO PIZZAS

Makes 4 servings

 

Ingredients:

• 4 large fresh portobello mushrooms, wiped clean and stems removed
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1/2 teaspoon oregano
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
• 1/2 cup marinara sauce of choice
• 4 slices of mozzarella cheese (about 1/2 cup of shredded mozzarella if using)
• toppings of choice: pepperoni, cooked/crumbled sausage, chopped veggies, pineapple, ham, extra cheese, etc.

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 425.
2. Line a baking sheet with foil (easy clean-up) and place the cleaned portobellos gill side up.
3. Drizzle evenly with olive oil and sprinkle evenly with garlic powder, oregano, salt and pepper.
4. Bake at 425 for 5-7 minutes.
5. Remove from the oven and fill each mushroom cap with 2 tablespoons of the sauce, top with a slice (or 2 tablespoons) of mozzarella, and sprinkle evenly with desired toppings.
6. Return to the oven and bake for 20 minutes until the cheese is bubbly and melty.
7. If you need to, turn on the broiler for about 1-2 minutes to get the top all golden and good.
8. Remove from the oven and let the pizzas sit for about 3-5 minutes to cool slightly before devouring!
9. Enjoy!