Portabella Spinach Pizza

I love farmers’ markets, vegetable stands, and my local Stop and Shop vegetable aisle. Anything that displays fresh produce, strange as it sounds, really makes me happy. Maybe it’s all the bright colors on display or the possibilities of good yummy things to be made that are healthy, I’m not entirely sure. Even though I may have Chocolate Frosted Donuts in my cart, the moment I see the beautiful fresh produce display, I aspire to eat healthy and fill my cart beyond what I will ever really make. As a result, I would often find my fridge full of produce that needed to be used or it would inevitably be trashed. This is how the stuffed portabella came to be included in my lunch and dinner repertoire.

 4 extra large portabella mushrooms

1 ½ tbsp. extra virgin olive oil

½ red onion, diced

1 ½ cups frozen spinach, defrosted

1 crushed garlic

1 ½ tsp. kosher salt

1 large tomato diced or can of diced tomatoes

1 ½ cup grated mozzarella cheese

 Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

 To prepare the mushrooms:

 Using a spoon, clean out the inside of each portabella, removing the black underside and keeping the mushroom whole and intact. Using a damp paper towel, wipe each mushroom to clean any dirt or debris. Lay out the portabellas top side down onto a small baking sheet. Make sure to spray your baking sheet with non-stick spray first.

  In a small frying pan on med-high heat, sauté the onions in the olive oil until they turn limp and translucent. Add the spinach, garlic and salt and sauté for another 3-4 minutes.  When spinach has cooled down slightly, it is time to assemble. Assemble by placing a heaping spoonful of spinach into the center of portabella. Lay the diced tomatoes on top of the spinach, sprinkle liberally with mozzarella cheese.  Place stuffed mushrooms in hot oven, and bake for about 8-10 minutes or until the cheese has turned golden bubbly brown. Serve hot. Optionally drizzle marinara sauce on top or serve on the side as a dipping sauce.