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
- 1/2 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
- 1/2 cup fresh basil, sliced, for garnish
- 1/4 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!)
