Let’s have a conversation about Pizza. I feel like I was an Italian in another life, I love pizza, I love it so much and in all forms! Now I know that pizza is far from healthy and should be an indulgence so I have started getting creative with the way I satisfy my pizza cravings…

Enter the portobello mushroom pizza.

These mini pizzas are delicious and healthy and perfect for Sunday night pizza cravings.

What you’ll need: 2 portobello mushrooms, bunch of parsley, Juice of 1 lemon, half an onion, half a shallot, 2 garlic cloves, 2 roma tomatoes, bunch basil, and unpictured parmesan cheese.

First start by getting your mise en place set. Pronounced (Mees ahn place) Mise en Place is a french culinary term for “everything in it’s place.” To have everything ready to go before you start cooking. So mince up your garlic, shallot, onion and tomatoes and preheat your oven to 400 degrees.

In a saute pan, add in a touch of olive oil

Suet (to sweat) your onions in the pan until they start to look translucent.

Once they start to cook down, add in your tomatoes.

Let the onion/ tomato mixture go on medium heat for a few minutes.

Then add in the garlic, shallot and lemon juice.

and a touch of salt

While that cooks down we can prep the basil. I like to either pick the basil bits with my fingers or chiffonade the basil.

To chiffonade basil start by stacking up a few leaves.

Roll the leaves into each other.

And slice them thinly.

Cutting your basil this way, rather than just a rough chop, helps to prevent bruising. Once, the basil is all sliced up, add it to the pan.

Now we are going to stuff the mushrooms…

Start by pulling the stems off and scooping out the membrane. Do not rinse the mushrooms, if you have dirty mushrooms just take a paper towel and rub them down.

You’ll see me line my baking sheets with foil alot. I like to do this for the simple fact that it makes for easier cleanup.

Now, fill the mushrooms with the tomato/ onion mixture

Here’s where they start the pizza transformation… top with shredded parmesan cheese.

Pop these bad boys into the oven for about 12 minutes. While they are baking mince up some parsley to top ’em off when they come out.

After about 12 minutes, remove the pan of yummies, top with the minced parsley and enjoy! I chose to enjoy with a glass of sauvignon blanc, but to each his own.

One of my favorite things about cooking at home is turning on some music and getting lost in the motions. So occasionally I’ll include a few songs that were on my cooking playlist…

“Merry Go Round” by Kacey Musgraves

“What’s Been Going On” by Amos Lee

“Dream” by Priscilla Ahn

and of course… “You Can Call Me Al” Paul Simon