MINI MUSHROOM PIZZAS

 

You can use mushrooms in so many ways and I have made these many times over the years.  I normally use the big portabella caps but I recently purchased a couple of boxes of mushrooms from Sam's Club.  For some reason, I thought 2 boxes would be used quickly but they were not and well, I was hungry. I have been trying to watch what I eat.  And I do not mean as it goes in my mouth.  Scott and I both are attempting to be healthier.

If you substitute mushrooms for meat it can really help your cholesterol levels.  Plus well, they are just downright good.  Of course, you need to like the earthiness taste to truly enjoy them but I have learned to enjoy food for what it tastes like.  To mean beets and mushrooms both have a very earthy quality taste to them.

As I stated I was hungry.  My oatmeal did not last long and I thought why not cook up a bunch of these delicious pizzas.  They are so versatile.  You can add any topping you wish.  For these, I chose some homemade pizza sauce that I canned a few years ago, 1 turkey pepperoni per mushroom, some sliced kalamata olives, and just a tad bit of fresh shredded part-skim mozzarella.   You can make them all veggies if you like but I was hungry and I did not want to spend time slicing and dicing.  

To make them you will need some good-sized baby Bella mushroom caps or as I said you can use the portabella mushroom caps.  If you use the smaller ones you have a nice couple of bites and they will cook much quicker.  Pizza sauce is a must here.  I make my own because I like to know what I am eating.  That is one of the reasons I love to can.  Some type of toppings.  

I do not wash my mushrooms because they make them too soggy but I do wipe them down to get the dirt off of them.  While you are doing this preheat the oven to 350.  I used my toaster oven.  Line a pan with foil or parchment paper.  If you use foil spray with some oil.  Cook the mushrooms for about 8 minutes.  If you are using the large caps you will need to cook them longer.  Only cook them enough to get them tender.  Do not overcook them.  Take them out and drain the water from the caps.  Then layer your sauce and toppings.  Pop back in the oven just long enough to melt your cheese.  Mine took 5 minutes.  

Eat them while they are still nice and warm.  

Honestly, you can add anything you wish just like if you were making or ordering a pizza for dinner.  Portabella mushrooms are good and hardy.  Making them a great mushroom for a quick meal, appetizer, or stuff.  Click this link for my Garlic Herb Goat Cheese and Bacon Stuff Mushrooms.

I added some chia seeds to them after they came out of the toaster oven.

I hope you enjoy these delicious healthy pizzas.