Portobello Mushroom Pizza with quick caramelized onions, meaty mushrooms, kalamata olives, and 3 cheeses, topped with a peppery arugula salad is sure to be a new pizza night favorite the whole family will love.
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You’re going to love this
Jiffy pizza mix. Jumpstart this easy dinner with a simple box mix.
Delicious mushroom pizza. If you're a mushroom lover, this pizza has all the earthy, meaty flavors you're looking for.
Quick caramelized onions. In about 10 minutes, you can make your own caramelized onion topping that is super soft and sweet.
3-cheese pizza. 3 kinds of cheese -- mozzarella, goat cheese, and feta -- add tons of gooeyness and flavor to this mushroom pizza.
Pizza without sauce. No tomato sauce is necessary -- this mushroom pizza recipe goes straight from the crust to the cheese layer.
Salad pizza. Arugula salad adds a peppery freshness to the rich flavors of this mushroom pizza.
No pizza stone needed. A regular rimmed baking sheet placed upside down in your oven creates a hot surface to bake your pizza.
Ingredients
Jiffy pizza crust mix. Yes, this easy mushroom pizza recipe starts with a mix -- but the instructions are tweaked just a bit to make a lighter, pizzeria-style crust that's soft and chewy.
Baby portobello mushrooms. Baby bella mushrooms add meaty flavor and texture.
Balsamic vinegar. The mushrooms and onions soak up the balsamic flavor adding rich umami flavor.
3 cheeses. Melty mozzarella, funky goat cheese, crumbly feta -- they all bring unique qualities to this mushroom pizza.
Arugula. A simple arugula salad adds freshness and a peppery pop.
Substitutions
Pizza crust. You can make mushroom pizza with pizza dough from your local pizzeria, a premade pizza crust, or make your own crust from homemade pizza dough.
Baby portobello mushrooms. Any kind of fresh mushrooms will work, including plain white button mushrooms. Or use a variety of wild mushrooms for a wild mushroom pizza!
Fresh thyme. Use your favorite fresh herbs. Dried thyme will also work -- since it cooks in the saucy mushroom mixture, it will have plenty of time to bloom.
Onion. I used a white onion, but any kind of onion will work in this mushroom pizza recipe.
Mozzarella cheese. You can use your favorite melty cheese, or cheese blend, that you love.
Goat cheese and feta cheese. If you like goat cheese but not feta, or vice-versa, go ahead and double up on the one you like. Or use another kind of crumbly cheese like blue cheese or Gorgonzola.
Green onions. Chives or shallots are great substitutes for green onions on mushroom pizza.
Kalamata olives. If you like green olives, black olives, or no olives, you can customize this mushroom pizza to your liking.
Arugula. You can use any kind of lettuce you like for the salad.
Salad dressing. If you don't want to make the arugula salad dressing, use your favorite vinaigrette.
Step by step instructions
Step 1
Invert a rimmed sheet pan onto the middle rack in the oven (this will act as a pizza stone), then heat the oven to 500 to heat the pan and the oven at the same time.
You can start preheating the oven up to an hour before you start baking your mushroom pizza to get the oven nice and hot.
Step 2
In a medium bowl, mix the pizza crust mix and water together. Stir until it becomes a very soft dough. Cover and let it sit for 5 minutes in a warm place.
Step 3
Turn the dough out onto surface covered with all purpose flour (the dough will still be very loose at this point) and knead a few times.
Return the dough to the bowl, drizzle olive oil over it, cover it and let it sit for 5 more minutes.
Step 4
In a large skillet with a heavy bottom over medium to medium-high heat, add 2 tablespoons olive oil, ½ of a large sliced onion, 1 tablespoon brown sugar, 1-2 tablespoons of balsamic vinegar, and salt.
Occasionally stir and add water as the liquids cook down, until the onions become very soft and translucent, and the balsamic glaze is thick and caramelly, about 10-15 minutes.
Step 5
Add the sliced mushrooms, garlic, and thyme to the pan.
Cook for an additional 5-10 minutes or until the mushrooms have reduced in size and are soft and tender. Your kitchen should smell amazing at this point.
Step 6
Place a piece of parchment paper onto a rimless cookie sheet, pizza peel, or large cutting board (so you can easily slide the pizza on the parchment into the oven).
Put the dough onto the parchment and form it into your desired shape. The dough will be soft enough for you to do this with your hands.
Step 7
Slide the parchment onto the inverted baking sheet in the preheated oven and bake the pizza crust for 6-8 minutes or until you start to see the slightest hint of brown.
Step 8
Slide the parchment with the pizza crust back onto a rimless cookie sheet or pizza peel to transfer it to your counter to add the toppings.
Step 9
Cover the crust with an even layer of mozzarella cheese, being sure to bring it within about an inch of the edges.
Spread the caramelized onions and cooked mushrooms evenly over the mozzarella cheese. Add the goat cheese, feta, olives, and green onions.
Step 10
Turn the oven down to 425.
Slide the parchment back onto the inverted baking sheet in the oven and bake the pizza for 18-20 more minutes, or until the toppings are golden brown.
Step 11
Make the arugula salad. In a large bowl, whisk together the olive oil, rice wine vinegar, honey, Dijon, shallot, walnuts, and salt and pepper.
Add the arugula to the bowl and lightly toss it in the dressing until it is evenly coated.
Step 12
Top mushroom pizza with the arugula salad.
Use a vegetable peeler to shave Parmesan cheese over the salad, and add fresh black pepper. Slice and enjoy!
About Baking Pizza on Parchment Paper
Parchment paper is generally rated for anywhere between 420-450 degrees, depending on the kind you use. But lots of recipes call for using it in a 500 degree oven, and other cooking sites recommend it, like this one.
I’ve found that a 500-degree oven was a bit too hot to handle the parchment paper throughout the entire baking process. The paper turned darker than I was comfortable with and started to fall apart at the touch.
I split the difference, with good results, by par-baking the crust at 500, then turning the oven down to 425 for the rest of the bake.
If you’re at all worried about the parchment paper burning at 500, bake your crust at 425 and add a few minutes onto the time.
Expert Tips
You want a really hot oven for this pizza. You can even start preheating it up to an hour ahead of time.
Adding water to the onions as the liquids cook down speeds up the caramelization process and keeps them from burning.
Cover the crust with cheese up to within about an inch of the edges.
Use a vegetable peeler to shave shards of Parmesan over your salad.
Recipe FAQs
Yes. Mushrooms are mostly made up of water and release the liquid when cooked. Cooking the mushrooms before putting them on pizza releases the liquid so it doesn't make your pizza soggy.
There could be a few culprits causing a soggy pizza:
Uncooked toppings. Raw vegetables will release water as the pizza cooks and can cause it to become soggy.
Unbaked crust. The crust could also be to blame. If you put your toppings right onto the dough, the dough can absorb the moisture. Par-baking the crust before adding your toppings provides a dry barrier to keep that from happening. A layer of cheese between the crust and the toppings also helps.
Too many toppings. Mounding your pizza too high with toppings seems like a good idea, until you pull the soggy mess from your oven. When you add your favorite pizza toppings, don't cover every square inch of the dough. Cheese is the only exception. It absolutely should cover every square inch. My trick is to put on fewer toppings than I think I should, and then it’s about right.
No. If you don’t have a pizza stone, but want to create a sizzling hot surface to get a nice crispy pizza crust, you can place an inverted rimmed baking sheet in the oven and let it heat up as you preheat the oven. Just be sure to prepare your pizza on a piece of parchment and unrimmed baking sheet or pizza peel so you can slide it on and off of the hot baking sheet.
Every pizza needs a gooey melty cheese. Mozzarella is clearly the most popular. But you could definitely use different cheeses to complement the flavors of your pizza. Cheddar, Fontina, Gouda, Jack, provolone, ricotta — they’re all good choices. When it comes to adding cheese over your toppings, you can think about some of the harder or crumblier cheeses like Parmesan, goat cheese, feta, or blue cheese.
Crust, sauce (if you're using it), cheese, toppings, more cheese. Final answer.
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Easy Portobello Mushroom Pizza
Ingredients
Pizza Dough
- 1 box Jiffy pizza dough mix
- ½ cup warm water
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- flour, for kneading dough
Quick Caramelized Onions & Mushrooms
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- ½ large onion, sliced
- 1 tablespoon brown sugar
- 2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
- salt
- 8 ounces baby bella mushrooms, sliced
- 1 clove garlic, minced
- 1 tablespoon fresh thyme
Pizza Toppings
- 2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese
- ¼ cup goat cheese (Boursin is also really nice!)
- ¼ cup feta cheese
- ⅛ cup kalamata olives, sliced
- 3 green onions, sliced diagonally
Arugula Salad
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 2 tablespoons rice wine vinegar
- 1 teaspoon honey
- 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
- 1 small shallot, finely chopped
- 1` tablespoon chopped walnuts
- salt and pepper
- 5 ounces arugula
- 1 ounce Parmesan cheese, shaved
Instructions
- Invert a rimmed sheet pan onto the middle rack in the oven (this will act as a pizza stone), then heat the oven to 500 to heat the pan and the oven at the same time. You can start preheating the oven up to an hour before you start baking your pizza to get the oven nice and hot.
- In a medium bowl, mix the pizza crust mix and water together. Stir until it becomes a very soft dough. Cover and let it sit for 5 minutes in a warm place.
- Turn the dough out onto surface covered with all purpose flour (the dough will still be very loose at this point) and knead a few times. Return the dough to the bowl, drizzle olive oil over it, cover it and let it sit for 5 more minutes.
- In a large skillet with a heavy bottom on medium to medium-high heat, add 2 tablespoons olive oil, ½ of a large sliced onion, 1 tablespoon brown sugar, 1-2 tablespoons of balsamic vinegar, and salt.Occasionally stir and add water as the liquids cook down, until the onions become very soft and translucent, and the balsamic glaze is thick and caramelly, about 10-15 minutes.
- Add the sliced mushrooms, garlic, and thyme to the pan. Cook for an additional 5-10 minutes or until the mushrooms have reduced in size and are soft and tender. Your kitchen should smell amazing at this point.
- Place a piece of parchment paper onto a rimless cookie sheet, pizza peel, or large cutting board (so you can easily slide the pizza on the parchment into the oven). Put the dough onto the parchment and form it into your desired shape. The dough will be soft enough for you to do this with your hands.
- Slide the parchment onto the inverted baking sheet in the preheated oven and bake the pizza crust for 6-8 minutes or until you start to see the slightest hint of brown.
- Slide the parchment back onto a rimless cookie sheet or pizza peel and transfer it to your counter to add the toppings.
- Cover the crust with an even layer of mozzarella cheese, being sure to bring it within about an inch of the edges.Spread the caramelized onions and cooked mushrooms evenly over the mozzarella cheese. Add the goat cheese, feta, olives, and green onions.
- Turn the oven down to 425. Slide the parchment back onto the inverted baking sheet in the oven and bake the pizza for 18-20 more minutes, or until the toppings are golden brown.
- Make the arugula salad. In a large bowl, whisk together the olive oil, rice wine vinegar, honey, Dijon, shallot, walnuts, and salt and pepper.Add the arugula to the bowl and lightly toss it in the dressing until it is evenly coated.
- Top the pizza with the arugula. Shave Parmesan cheese over the salad. Top with fresh black pepper.Slice and enjoy!
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