Greetings from sunny Seattle! That is to say, it’s sunny as I type this. What it will be doing when you read it is anyone’s guess. Seattle is unpredictable exciting like that. Rather like the Mushroom Pizza Bites you’ll find a bit further down the screen.
Unlike Seattle, you may have noticed that I am fairly predictable in the kitchen and tend to work in themes. One week I’m all about blueberries, the next I’ve gone gaga on turkey, then I’m crazy over cranberries, and suddenly along comes a large splash of lemon. I am not entirely sure why this is so, but it seems reasonable to suggest that I buy too much of whatever ingredient it is for the first idea, and then have to think up other ideas to use up the rest. I hate to see good food go to waste. Another possible explanation is that once I get an idea about flavor combinations, or a theme, or some new technique for using something, my brain darts off in a myriad different directions about all the possibilities that offers up. I am all for making the most of everything. Strike while the iron’s hot!! As they say.
A week or so ago I went on a bit of a stuffed mushroom fest. It wasn’t intentional when I started out, but after I had so much fun with the Mushroom Tuna Melt, every time I saw a mushroom I wanted to stuff it with something. Those Portobellos with Tuna Salad were really good, and I didn’t even miss the whole bread part of a traditional Tuna Melt.
So at the grocery store a few days ago I was staring at some mushrooms – wondering, as you do, what I could stuff them with – and before I knew it, my brain was being sabotaged by the word ‘P I Z Z A’. Who knows. Anyway, I thought it would be fun to make individual pizzas out of Portobellos; then I thought how much more fun it would be if they were bite-sized pieces of pizza.
Like this. I give you Mushroom Pizza Bites.
Aren’t they fun?
I love eating food with my fingers – not very British of me, I know – but the messier I can get when eating, the better it is as far as I am concerned. These totally fit the messy-to-eat bill. More to the point, they’re scrumptious.
Being single – with kitties that are not the least bit interested in eating mushrooms – I made this like a personal pan pizza and scarfed down the whole thing. You could also serve it as a side – two mushrooms each for 4 people, or 4 pieces each for a couple of you.
I used Trader Joe’s Sweet Italian Style Chicken Sausages, but by jove you can use any pre-cooked sausage you darn well choose. I say pre-cooked because you really only heat the meat through under the broiler (grill), so pre-cooked sausages makes these super-easy, and ensure that the meat is cooked properly. Look for sausages that have no added sugar, no starchy fillers, no artificial ingredients, and are high in protein. Like sausages should be.
These are super-fun, super-fast, and super-flavorful – everything that your mouth and brain need to forget there’s no pizza dough involved. All of the upside, none of the downsides. We love that!
You can adapt these by topping your pizza bites with whatever you fancy – as long as it’s KETO of course.
Have yourself some mushroom fun today!
Mushroom Pizza Bites
Author: Carrie Brown | Prep time: 5 mins | Cook time: 15 mins | Total time: 20 mins | Serves: 1 – 4
What You Need
- Coconut oil spray
- 8 large white mushrooms, stalks removed
- 8 TBSP tomato basil pasta sauce (unsweetened)
- ¼ tsp guar gum
- 1 oz / 28g mozzarella cheese, grated
- 1 oz / 28g strong cheddar cheese, grated
- 2 sausages of your choice, pre-cooked and sliced thinly
What You Do
- Spray an ovenproof serving dish with coconut oil.
- Place the mushroom upside down on the dish in a circle, with one in the center.
- Place the dish under the broiler (grill) for 5 minutes.
- Meanwhile, in a bowl, shake the guar gum slowly into the tomato sauce while whisking well.
- Mix the two grated cheeses together in a separate bowl.
- Carefully remove the dish of mushrooms from under the heat.
- Spoon a tablespoon of tomato sauce into each mushroom.
- Sprinkle the cheese mix evenly over the mushrooms.
- Place 2 – 3 slices (depending on size) of sausage on top of each mushroom.
- Place the mushrooms back under the heat for a further 10 minutes or until the cheese is melted and the sausages lightly browned.
- Be very careful, the serving dish will be very hot!
Top Recipe Tips
- If you’re tomato sauce is very thick you can omit the guar gum.
- You can use any cheeses you prefer or have on hand. I used a mix of mozzarella for meltiness, and strong cheddar for flavor.
- You can buy uncooked sausages and pre-cook them yourself. Buying pre-cooked simply makes this a super-fast dish to put together. On a weeknight I’m all about super-fast.
- Add more cheese if you are looking to increase your fats.
- Don’t forget to use your oven mitts when putting the dish in and out of the oven.
- Check out the Ingredients Guide for information on ingredients.
- Where Are The Macros and Nutritional Info?
Helpful Cooking and Recipe Links
- Come laugh and learn with us over at The Kitchen Podcast
- Come hang out in The Keto Kitchen Facebook Group
- For lots more great recipes check out our scrumptious cookbooks!
Podcast Episodes
Wedsv5th street grill turkey sausage at Costco is great! Super flavorful and precooked! Great to buy and have in the fridge/freezer. Plus it would be great in this recipe!
SaharaYUM!
carrieHA! Sahara Pirie!!! 😀
Suzie priceMade these this weekend – and as I was eating, I thought, “this is brilliant!” That’s because it is so easy, so tasty, so quick and very SANE. The perfect answer to pizza. Brilliant ideas and recipes from brilliant carrie!
carrieGlad you loved them, Suzie!!
KeriCan I use xanthan gum instead of guar gum? I don’t have guar gum…
carrieHi Keri – in this instance yes you can sub out xanthan for guar. Enjoy!
MVPI made these tonight with Baby Portabellos instead of white mushrooms because I couldn’t find any large enough, and it was AMAZING!! Even my almost 2 year old went nuts on them. She ate two all by herself!
carrieHURRAH, MVP!!! We LOVE, LOVE, LOVE SANE almost 2-year-olds! 🙂
MeganAny thoughts on possible alternatives to the mushroom part of this awesome recipe? I have a house full of mushroom-dislikers (unless they’re chopped up into tiny bits). But I am always on the lookout for a tasty pizza replacement!
carrieThick, lightly baked slices of zucchini, Megan!
MaryI’m going to try and make these, but I need some help with an ingredient I never heard of–guar gum. I’m assuming it’s a spice since I need only 1/4 t. Can I find it at a Kroger, which is comparable to your QVC. Oh yes, and a great big hi and I do miss the lovely Pacific Northwest and even the more lovely people out there!.
carrieHi Mary! Guar gum is a powder made from a bean. I use Bob’s Red Mill brand and you can find it in most grocery stores with the other Bob’s Red Mill products. Most stores carry it these days. Hope that helps! I miss you, too!!
JillThis was really good, though I didn’t use the guar gum since I didn’t have any. I also made some with pesto/chicken/Parmesan since I had that on hand. Thank you; my family and I really liked it, even my 80 year-old mother!
carrieHurrah, Jill!! Thanks for stopping by 🙂
JodiI haven’t tried these yet but they look AMAZING! I am just discovering this whole new way of eating. I have the book and I am blown away at this entire system. I can’t wait to get started! Going shopping this weekend and My mother is doing this with me. We are going to shop together and cook together. I’m printing all the recipes and putting them in a binder, by category so we can stay organized and do our meal planning. Thank you to you and to Jonathan for sharing this wonderful system!
carrieWelcome Jodi!! So happy to have you join our merry little gang.
Mushroom Pizza Bites - Ketovangelist Kitchen - KETO / LCHF / LowCarb[…] can catch up on the Mushroom Pizza Bites story here. You could even read it while your bites are in the […]
Betsy SchroederHi Carrie, is the mushroom pizza bites recipe still available online? The link isn’t working for me. I realize it’s from a while ago. We are looking to do pizzas for our (Canadian) Thanksgiving this weekend and would love some keto friendly versions of pizza.