Portobello Mushroom Pizza Recipe

While we are all familiar with that old adage about having our cake and being able to eat it too, whoever would have thought that same principle could apply to pizza?

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The Portobello mushroom is really a large brother to the brown crimini mushroom; the main difference being the size. Although no one can say for sure, two theories of how it got its name include: Portobello Road in London where many high antique shops abound and the television show, Portobello. In northern Italy, this mushroom is referred to as capellone (big hat).

In this clever recipe, a large Portobello mushroom serves as a crust, saving many calories. Pesto sauce works well instead of spaghetti sauce, but you can and should experiment with different pizza toppings until you find your own “pizza nirvana”. Dare to think outside that conventional “pizza box,” however delicious and comfortable that may be.

This Portobello Mushroom Pizza recipe will make you feel like you splurged or slipped from your low fat routine but the beauty of it is that you haven’t! (Or if you prefer, you can have your pizza, and eat it too.)

Get creative with toppings and try as many you can think of (not all at once). Once you get the mental ball rolling, you will be surprised at how many different ideas you can come up with. For now, you can settle on the following ingredients.

Ingredients

1 large portobello mushroom, with stem removed

1 tablespoon spaghetti sauce

1/2 cup mozzarella cheese

1/2 tablespoon sliced black olives

4 slices pepperoni sausage

1 clove garlic, chopped

1 baking sheet

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

2. Place the mushroom on a baking sheet, and bake for 5 minutes.

3. Remove from the oven, and spread spaghetti sauce into the center of the mushroom cap. Top with cheese, olives, pepperoni and garlic.

4. Bake for an additional 20 minutes, or until cheese is melted and golden.

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