A healthy twist on pizza, this Portobello Pizza makes a delicious dinner. Stuffed with sausage flavored tempeh and sautéed onions and peppers, it's a vegan and gluten-free meal the whole family will love.

Portobello pizza with sautéed onions and peppers

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Recently I created a Kid-Friendly Dinners round-up with the goal of finding the best comfort foods that kids would love that were also secretly healthy. There's a lot of good recipes on that roundup and I recommend you check it out. However good the roundup is, it's missing a very important recipe.

Why, it's missing these portobello pizzas, a recipe that I created for my toddler over 7 years ago, and one of the very first recipes I ever made for this blog.

As I was updating this old recipe, I reread what I had originally written:

"Foods that she used to love - tofu, beans, potatoes - she now empties out onto her bib stubbornly waiting for something sweeter. We spend a lot of time these days playing "who's more stubborn" which is not fun for either of us.

So I started thinking about foods that kids just can't say no to and top on that list was PIZZA. Not only is it loved by nearly every kid, but pizza is also the perfect way to disguise healthy foods. So I made these for dinner: baby portobellos for the crust, filled with pizza sauce, seasoned tempeh, and veggies.

And she ate it up!"

And 7 years later, it is still the perfect kid-friendly dinner.

Tempeh sausage, onions, and tomatoes on cutting board

Table of Contents show

Recommended Ingredients & Equipment

Not only do kids love this recipe, but it also tends to be a fan-favorite amongst you! This recipe is vegan, gluten-free, keto, low-carb, and downright delicious! Plus they are loaded with protein and packed with flavor for a pizza night you can feel great about.

Ingredients & Substitutions

Portobello Mushrooms
Olive Oil
Dried Herbs & Spices - basil, oregano, paprika, garlic powder, onion powder, sage, salt
Pizza Sauce
Garlic
Veggies - I used red bell peppers, red onion, and cherry tomatoes but feel free to swap veggies in and out.
Tempeh - There is a variety of tempeh. I like multigrain the best. My go-to brands are Lightlife and Trader Joes. Don't like tempeh, check out my alternative suggestions.
Soy Sauce - Use Tamari for gluten-free.
Vegan Worcestershire Sauce
Toppings (Optional) - vegan parmesan and red pepper flakes.

Recommended Equipment

For this recipe, you will need a baking sheet, a chef's knife, cutting board, sauté pan, and basic kitchen utensils. (<<affiliate links)

Check out the full list of my recommended kitchen tools and gadgets.

How to Make Portobello Pizza

Step One - Bake the Mushrooms

Brust the portobello mushrooms with olive oil, sprinkle with Italian spices and bake at 400F for 10 minutes until the mushrooms are fragrant and tender.

Step Two - Make the Tempeh Sausage

Make the tempeh sausage by sautéing tempeh crumbles, soy sauce, Worcestershire sauce, and spices over medium heat. Sauté until tempeh is slightly browned.

Step Three - Sauté Veggies

Sauté onions, peppers, and garlic until the onions are translucent and fragrant.

Step Four - Assemble and Bake

Assemble the pizzas with pizza sauce, tempeh sausage, and the onion/pepper mixture. Bake for an additional 10 minutes. Serve with vegan parmesan and red pepper flakes.

Serving and Storing

Serve these pizzas immediately. Serve with a large Caesar Salad or Tomato Soup.

Store the components of this pizza separately. The tempeh sausage and sautéd veggies can be made 1-2 days beforehand and stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator.

Frequently Asked Question

Can I use something other than tempeh?

If you are avoiding soy or don't like the taste of tempeh, you can substitute another plant-based protein instead. A few of my favorite substitutions are:

Lentils
Chickpeas or other beans
Storebought sausage alternatives

To prepare lentils and other beans, add cooked beans to the sauté pan along with the other ingredients for this tempeh sausage and cook until the beans are browned and fully seasoned.

Can this recipe be grilled?

Yes! In fact, for summer BBQs, I recommend it.

To grill these mushroom pizzas, par-bake the mushrooms on the grill while preparing the sausage filling and sautéed vegetables. Once the pizzas are assembled, return to the grill for an additional 10 minutes until the bottoms are charred and cooked all the way through.

More Vegan Portobello Recipes

More Vegan Pizza Recipes

Vegan Banh mi Pizza
BBQ Chickpea Pizza with Vegan Ranch
Roasted Vegetable Pizza with Cauliflower Alfredo Sauce
Grilled Pizza Margherita
Eggplant and Caramelized Onion Pizza

Portobello Pizza with Tempeh Sausage

A healthier twist on pizza, this Portobello Pizza makes a delicious dinner. Stuffed with sausage flavored tempeh and sautéed onions and peppers, it's a vegan and gluten-free meal the whole family will love.

5 from 1 vote

Print Pin Rate

Prep Time: 20

Cook Time: 20

Total Time: 40

Servings: people

Calories: 276kcal

Author: Sarah McMinn

Ingredients

Portobello Pizza

4 large portobello mushrooms
3 tablespoon olive oil, divided
½ tsp. dried basil
½ tsp. oregano
¼ teaspoon salt
1 cup vegan pizza sauce
1 batch Tempeh Sausage, recipe follows
½ small red bell pepper
½ small red onion
3 cloves garlic, thinly sliced
8-10 cherry tomatoes, halved

Tempeh Sausage

6 oz tempeh, crumbled into small pieces
1 tbsp. soy sauce
1 teaspoon vegan Worcestershire sauce
1 tsp. oregano
¾ tsp. paprika
½ tsp. garlic powder
½ tsp. onion powder
½ tsp. sage
2-4 tablespoon water

Toppings

2 tbsp. vegan parmesan, optional
red pepper flakes, optional

US Customary - Metric

Instructions

Preheat the oven to 400F. Wash and destem the portobello mushrooms. Place on a baking sheet and brush 2 tablespoons of olive oil on the tops and bottoms. Sprinkle with basil, oregano, and salt. Bake for 10 minutes until mushrooms are tender.
While the portobello is baking, make the tempeh sausage. Heat 1 tablespoon of olive oil in a large sauté pan over medium heat. Add tempeh crumbles, soy sauce, Worcestershire sauce, and spices. Sauté for about 5 minutes, until tempeh is slightly browned. Add water and cook until all the water has absorbed and the tempeh is cooked all the way through.
Remove from heat and set aside. Return the pan to medium heat and add onions, peppers, and garlic. Sauté for 5-7 minutes until the onions are translucent and fragrant.
To assemble the pizzas, fill each portobello with ¼ cup pizza sauce. Top with tempeh sausage, mounding the top. Cover with the onion/pepper mixture and cherry tomatoes. Return the pizzas to the oven for an additional 10 minutes.
Serve with vegan parmesan cheese and red pepper flakes.

Notes

Serving and Storing - Serve these pizzas immediately. Serve with a large Caesar Salad or Tomato Soup. Store the components of this pizza separately. The tempeh sausage and sautéd veggies can be made 1-2 days beforehand and stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator.

Variations - If you are avoiding soy or don't like the taste of tempeh, you can substitute another plant-based protein instead. A few of my favorite substitutions are:

Lentils
Chickpeas or other beans
Storebought sausage alternatives