Mellow Mushroom Inspired - O-O-Mushetta pizza

The O-O-Mushetta Pizza

(Organic, Onion, Mushroom & Feta Pizza)

My new family favorite!

Recently, on a vacation, my husband and I experienced our all time favorite pizza. This was no regular pizza-It was a yeast crust topped with caramelized onions, multiple types of mushrooms, 2 types of cheese, a garlic oil base, a drizzle of truffle oil, and was finished with garlic aioli. My friends....I am talking about the Holy Shiitake pizza from Mellow Mushroom. To me, The Mellow Mushroom is a fantastic place. They have a "hippie" vibe and serve organic, fresh items with TONS of vegan and vegetarian options. Craving this pizza, I decided to look up the nutritional information...bad idea. This culinary masterpiece that we love so much is certainly not an option for our new healthy eating plan! 1 small slice has about 680 calories and 40 grams of fat...YIKES.

Something had to be done...I want my pizza! 

Last week, I found a recipe from a fellow blogger over at Farm Fresh Feasts. Her recipe had caramelized onions and gorgonzola cheese and looked delicious. So, I decided to take a little inspiration from pizza and a huge inspiration from the mellow mushroom and came up with a more "figure friendly" pizza than the Holy Shiitake. It may still be a splurge item but it tastes FANTASTIC and a much healthier option because of a few upgrades!

Introducing the O-O-Mushetta! 

Its organic and healthier than my restaurant favorite!

 1. The Crust - we started with a whole wheat crust. If you need a yeast free whole wheat crust..click HERE. Bake the crust at 425 degrees for about 10 minutes before adding the sauce and toppings.  You can always use a store bought crust to make this quicker but making your own only takes about 5 minutes!

2. The sauce - The sauce for this pizza is pretty simple! It is garlic oil infused with crushed garlic. If you want to make this on your own, simply take some EVOO and add crushed or minced garlic. Shake it up and sit in the fridge for a few hours to allow the flavors to develop. If you want a QUICK FIX... Use some light italian dressing! It has tons of flavor and is a great substitute.

 3. The toppings - Some of the best parts of this pizza are the toppings and there are only 2. Caramelized onions and Sauteed mushrooms! To keep my pizza on the healthy side, I caramelized and sauteed in coconut oil instead of butter. You can do it with spray, butter, evoo, vegetable oil, etc!

Thin slices!

Finished Onions

Do you need to know how to caramelize onions? Its pretty easy! 
 

• Thinly slice onions and toss with some salt and pepper
• Heat pan to medium heat and add a slight amount of oil - I used coconut oil
• Keep onions moving and they will eventually take on a rich brown color as the natural sugars work their way out of the onion.  

4. The cheeses - As you can see, there isn't a ton of cheese on this pizza. I went for some more flavorful cheeses so I could use less. This pizza is topped with crumbled feta and shreds of white cheddar. I added some chopped chives and then put the pizza in to finish for about 10 minutes in the oven.

5. The finish - Could be the best part as well as the part to go sparingly on! This garlic aioli is simply a homemade mayo blended with crushed garlic, salt & pepper. For a homemade mayo, you only need 3 ingredients...click here for the recipe! I simply added a little drizzle to the top of the pizza...a little goes a long way!

That's it! An amazing pizza and I made it in about the same time that it would have taken for a delivery pizza. This is definitely an easy one that can be a part of our every week routine. This recipe proves that all you need is a bit of inspiration and a few ingredients to make your own healthy masterpiece! My husband loved it so much that he posted pictures to facebook - that is a first!

I hope this recipe inspires you to create your own healthy masterpiece and that you making your favorite splurge items...a bit healthier!