I missed it! National Pizza Day was earlier this month – February 9 to be exact. Funny that it also fell on one of the two best Super Bowl Sundays ever (yes, for as much as I’m a football fan, I’m an Eagles fan). Better late than never, I bring you a low-carb pizza option to celebrate.
I heard a cute story recently that Rebekah H makes pizza for her family on Valentine’s Day and she cuts the pepperoni into heart shapes. Taking a page from Rebekah’s book, I did the same with a few pieces of turkey pepperoni that top these portobello pizzas. It’s like arts and crafts but with pepperoni. I used the same kitchen scissors to cut the remaining pepperoni slices into quarters. That way the pepperoni covers more surface area and it’s easier to eat.
The only thing missing from these pizzas is a flour crust. Instead, large, flat portobello mushrooms act as the crust. I topped them with my mother-in-law’s tomato sauce (Josephine’s Marinara Sauce (Red Sauce)). I keep small containers in the freezer for meals just like this. Don’t have time to make sauce? A good store-bought marinara or pizza sauce will do.
Then I added a few ‘pizza’ herbs (basil and oregano) and topped them with shredded mozzarella and pieces of turkey pepperoni. I actually prefer turkey pepperoni to traditional pepperoni which is made from pork and/or beef as it’s a bit milder. Finish them off with red pepper flakes (for some heat) and/or fresh basil if that’s your preference.
If you’d like to make these meat-free, diced peppers (your choice of color) or sliced olives would be a nice substitute.
These pizzas come together easily. Add a simple green salad and you have a perfect weeknight meal.
Mushroom pizza is my favorite and my mind tricked me into thinking there was a real mushroom pizza in the oven when I smelled the portobellos cooking.
| Portobello ‘Pizzas’ | Print |
- 4 large portobello mushrooms (see Notes)
- ½ cup marinara or pizza sauce (see Notes)
- 1 cup shredded low-skim mozzarella cheese
- ½ teaspoon dried basil
- ½ teaspoon dried oregano
- 16 slices turkey or regular pepperoni (see Notes)
- ½ teaspoon red pepper flakes (optional)
- Fresh basil, torn (optional)
- Kosher salt
- Preheat the oven to 375°F. Line a medium baking sheet with parchment paper.
- Clean the mushrooms. Remove the stem and carefully scrape out the dark gills with a spoon (I prefer to use a grapefruit spoon). You want the mushroom to remain intact as much as possible.
- Place the mushrooms stem side up on the baking sheet.
- Spread 2 tablespoons of marinara or pizza sauce on each mushroom.
- Divide the dried oregano and dried basil among the mushrooms. Sprinkle each with a pinch of salt.
- Top each mushroom with ¼ cup of mozzarella cheese.
- You can leave the pepperoni slices whole or cut each piece into quarters. Place 4 pepperoni slices (or equivalent in pieces) on each mushroom.
- Bake for 25 to 30 minutes or until the mushrooms are soft and the cheese is melted.
- Garnish with red pepper flakes if you’d like a bit of spice and/or fresh basil torn into pieces.
- Serve hot.
* Josephine’s Marinara Sauce (Red Sauce) is an easy homemade sauce. I keep small containers of it in my freezer.
* If you’d like to make this meat-free, diced peppers (your choice of color) or sliced olives would be a nice substitute.
Source: Adapted from Dr. Christine Wear’s Fresh & Flavorful Lean & Green Cookbook (2024)
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