These baked portobello mushroom pizzas use large portobello mushroom caps instead of pizza crust for a quick and easy dinner with plenty of veggies! Topped with mozzarella cheese, tomato, and fresh basil. Vegetarian.
We love a quick homemade pizza crust as much as the next person (maybe more!) but sometimes, we're just craving an extra dose of veggies alongside our favorite pizza toppings.
Enter: these easy pizza stuffed portobello mushrooms!
Large portobello (sometimes spelled portobella or portabella) mushroom caps are the perfect veggie "crust" for your favorite pizza toppings. Portobello pizza crust is an easy gluten free pizza crust option, and the mushroom caps are sturdy enough to hold a generous scoop of cheese and veggies!
Our basic order of operations:
- Mix some quartered cherry tomatoes and fresh mozzarella together with a bit of olive oil, salt, and pepper.
- Spread a layer of pesto over your mushroom caps, then top with your cheese and tomato mixture.
- Bake until the cheese bubbles, then top with fresh basil and a drizzle of balsamic glaze!
Pro Tip: We're roasting these pizza stuffed mushrooms in the oven today, but this recipe is also great on the grill!
How to avoid soggy mushrooms
As they cook, mushrooms can release a lot of water - and if they're just sitting in that water while they bake, you end up with soggy mushrooms (NO THANK YOU).
Fortunately, there's an easy fix!
Just place an oven-safe cooling rack on top of your rimmed baking sheet, and set the mushrooms on top. As the mushrooms cook, the rack lets any water drain away so the mushrooms roast evenly without getting soggy or mushy.
Riffs and Substitutions
This portobello pizza recipe is very forgiving and easy to customize! Some of our favorite swaps:
Extra Veggies
- Minced garlic (or roasted garlic!)
- Spinach
- Sliced green bell pepper
- Roasted red pepper
- Sliced onion
- Black olives
- Extra mushrooms
Mix up the cheeses
- Parmesan cheese
- Ricotta
- Buratta
- Provolone
Swap the sauce
- Easy Arugula Pesto
- Pizza sauce
- Alfredo sauce
- BBQ Sauce
- Ranch Dressing
Add your favorite protein
Love this summery recipe? Try our spaghetti squash with roasted tomatoes →
VIDEO: How to make Portobello Mushroom Pizzas
📖 Recipe
Portobello Mushroom Pizzas
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 25 mins
- Total Time: 35 minutes
- Yield: Serves 4
- Category: Main Dish
- Cuisine: American
- Diet: Vegetarian
Description
These easy baked portobello mushroom pizzas are perfect for a quick, easy, veggie-packed dinner!
Ingredients
- 4-6 large portobello mushroom caps, stems removed
- ½ cup pesto
- 1 Tablespoon olive oil
- 8 ounces fresh mozzarella, cut into small cubes
- 1 heaping cup cherry tomatoes, quartered (or 2 large diced tomatoes)
- Salt and pepper to taste
- ½ cup fresh basil, sliced, for garnish
- ¼ cup balsamic vinegar reduction (optional)
Instructions
- Heat oven to 375°F.
- Place an oven-safe wire cooling rack on a rimmed baking sheet. Place portobello mushrooms top-side down on top of the rack. (The wire rack lets moisture drain away from the mushrooms as they cook to prevent any sogginess!)
- In a medium mixing bowl, stir together olive oil, mozzarella, tomatoes, salt, and pepper.
- Spread a layer of pesto over each mushroom cap.
- Divide the cheese and tomato mixture evenly among the mushrooms, gently pressing the mixture into each cap so it stays in place.
- Bake mushrooms at 375°F for 20-25 minutes, until cheese is melted and bubbly.
- Garnish mushrooms with fresh basil and a drizzle of balsamic vinegar reduction. Serve immediately.
Notes
You don't need to remove the gills from the mushrooms here - just press the toppings down into the mushroom and they shouldn't fall out!
Additions and Substitutions. Use any pizza toppings you like here! We like swapping the pesto for pizza sauce, alfredo sauce, BBQ sauce, or Ranch dressing depending on the toppings we're using. Add extra veggies (spinach, minced garlic, bell peppers, onion, and black olives are all good) or add your favorite protein (Italian sausage, ground beef, meatballs, grilled chicken, pepperoni).
Which pesto should I use? We used store-bought basil pesto in these photos, but we also love using this homemade arugula pesto!
Do I need the balsamic vinegar? We love adding a kick of flavor from some balsamic vinegar here. Make your own balsamic reduction or use a store-bought balsamic glaze. If you have an aged balsamic hanging around, older high-quality balsamic vinegars are often on the thicker side (so you can just drizzle it over the mushrooms straight from the bottle!)
Nutrition
- Serving Size:
- Calories: 280
- Sugar: 6.9 g
- Sodium: 1034.1 mg
- Fat: 16.8 g
- Carbohydrates: 11.4 g
- Protein: 21.8 g
- Cholesterol: 10.2 mg
Nancy
Great idea with the tin foil rings, I'm going to make these today.
Also, just curious, I have the same pattern flatware as shown in the last photo and I'm looking to add on to my set. Just wondering, if it is yours, where did you buy them from.
Jessie
Hi Nancy, we actually inherited the silverware from my boyfriend's parents a few years ago - I really have no idea where it originally came from! I'll ask his mom, though, and see if she remembers.
Jeremy
I don't know where you got the idea for the foil rings, but your blog post is the oldest one I could find on the Internet with this idea. This month's (June 2014) issue of Muscle & Fitness uses this idea on page 127. They probably got the idea from here and if so, congratulations!
Cindy
I will definitely try these, may also use some fresh garlic. Thanks for a great idea!!
Crystal
I am making these for dinner today, I cannot wait! I love mushrooms & cheese 🙂
Victoria
These are so good! I just made a few, I added garlic and substituted spinach for the basil, but this was such a quick and easy recipe. So.delicious!
Jessie
I'm so happy to hear that! Thanks for letting me know!
Melissa
Yum
Lynn Keable Gauvreau
Quelle bonne idee
micheal
hello i have been thinking about what to do with large portobello mushrooms
your idea is super
thank you
michael
Cristina
What a great idea for either a side, main or appetizer. Gorgeous veggie pizzas!
Melissa
This is in the oven right now! Gonna be Brunch! Thanks for posting this 🙂
C
These were great.
I will add minced garlic and thin sliced onions to them next time.
Thanks for the inspiration!
Lisa
Can't wait to try the foil ring on mushrooms and beets! I'll want to swap out the cheese for something vegan style, but the deep dish style is sure to please. Thanks!
Colin
What did you find as a good substitute for vegans? I'm a bit new to the life style.
Jessie
There are some pretty decent vegan cheeses available at specialty stores, but I usually opt for cheese-less meals rather than using a substitute. If you want to veganize these, I'd suggest filling the caps with pesto, a variety of veggies (like tomatoes, basil, more mushrooms, olives, spinach, or any of your other favorite toppings). If you want to try out a vegan cheese substitute, use it just like you would regular cheese and bake as directed. Hope that helps!
Laurie
Hi! I used the Daiya shredded vegan Mozzarella cheese (just recently discovered this one). It's creamy and comforting and tastes great.
Mushrooms Canada
Love making my portabella's into pizza's! Thanks for sharing the recipe...
-Shannon
cassie
This is fabulous! I love the aluminum foil ring tip!
Aggie
Oh how I'm loving this!! Looks delicious.
Shane Donegan
I NEED THIS NOWWWWWWWWW