KathEats Presents "Branch Out" with Green Mushroom Pizza
Please welcome KathEats back with the perfect post for the start of Spring. Seeing as tomorrow begins a new month and most parts of the country should start seeing a little more green around, we thought this was the perfect post and recipe for the season. And we’re with Kath- time to branch out!
Make this your month to try a new mushroom! Button mushrooms are ubiquitous, versatile and packed with antioxidants, but there are a host of other kinds of mushrooms just waiting for you to put in your cart.
Shiitake mushrooms are native to East Asia, so you may have had them at your favorite Japanese restaurant before, such as in miso soup. They have a longer stem, which is woody and often removed, and a subtle smoky flavor. You can find them fresh in most grocery stores these days, but they are also available dried, where they will last in your fridge or freezer for many months. Serve ‘em in a stir-fry or a brothy soup.
The fan-shaped oyster mushroom grows in layers that look more like a beautiful white flower than a fungus. But peek underneath and you’ll find the usual ’shroom gills. Oyster mushrooms do have a hint of a seafood flavor, but don’t worry, they’re not fishy fishy. And did you know The oyster mushroom is also one of the few known carnivorous mushrooms? Cool, huh!
Creminis are my favorite kind of mushroom. I like to think of them as “buttons with flavor.” They are a similar shape to button mushrooms but have a darker color and a deeper flavor. They are also know as baby bellas and have a similar hearty flavor without the meaty texture of full-size portabellas.
The following pizza recipe calls for 8 oz of any mushroom mix you like. You can’t go wrong!
Green Mushroom Pizza
Serves 4, 2 slices each
This recipe calls for exotic mushrooms, but button would be perfectly fine if that’s what you have on hand.
Ingredients
- 1 lb whole wheat pizza dough, such as Trader Joe’s
- 8 oz of mixed mushrooms, such as shitake, oyster and cremini, sliced
- 10 oz bag spinach (or the equivalent washed and trimmed)
- Small handful fresh basil leaves
- 1 tsp oregano
- 1/2 cup plus 2 tbsp crumbled feta cheese
- 8 oz part-skim mozzarella cheese
- 1/2 tsp red pepper flakes
- Cooking spray
1. Roll out dough according to package directions. Set oven to recommended temperature.
2. Sautee spinach in cooking spray until wilted. Set aside.
3. Sautee mushrooms in cooking spray until tender and beginning to brown
4. Combine spinach, basil, oregano and 1/2 a cup of feta in a food processor and pulse until well mixed.
5. Spread spinach onto pizza crust.
6. Top with sauteed mushrooms, mozzarella and additional feta.
7. Finish with red pepper flakes.
8. Cook according to crust directions, until cheese begins to brown.
9. Cut into 8 slices with a pizza cutter and enjoy!
