If you're on Pinterest, or you hang around recipe sites, you've likely seen all kinds of healthier pizza variations. I've seen some that use cauliflower or quinoa for the base, but instead of trying to make a faux crust, I prefer to replace the crust with someone else entirely—mushrooms. Most seem to use the large, flat-ish Portobello mushrooms, but I like to make them bite-size using the small ones.


I used peppers, olives and purple onion for the filling, but you can use anything. Just think of your favorite pizza toppings, chop them up nice and small, fill the mushroom and top with cheese. Some people prefer to sauté their pizza toppings. You can absolutely do that, just make sure to drain them well to reduce excess liquid.




The real beauty of these little pizza bites is their easy simplicity. You can serve them for a weeknight dinner with soup and salad, or as a party appetizer. Short on time? No worries! If you work quickly, you can have these ready and on the table, from start to finish, in about 15 minutes.


Ingredients

  • 12 large mushrooms
  • 1 red pepper, finely diced
  • 10 olives, sliced
  • 1 small purple onion, finely diced
  • ¼ cup marinara sauce
  • ½ cup shredded cheese

Directions

  1. Remove the stems from the mushrooms. Bake them, white side up, for 5-6 minutes on 400°F. Remove from the oven and dry off the mushrooms and the pan. (NOTE: This step is optional. It helps remove some of the liquid from the mushroom, and makes the mushroom softer. If you prefer your mushrooms with a bit of crunch—like I do—then skip this step entirely.)
  2. Put 1 tsp. of marinara sauce into each mushroom cap. Fill the cavity with diced veggies and top with shredded cheese.
  3. Bake on 400°F until the cheese bubbles—approximately 8 minutes. Serve immediately.