Grilled Pizza Portobellos with Lemony Cashew "Ricotta" | The First Mess (2024)

Portobellos

• ¼ cup balsamic vinegar
• ¼ cup avocado or olive oil
• 1 clove of garlic, finely minced or grated
• 1 teaspoon tamari or coconut aminos
• sea salt and ground black pepper, to taste
• 6 large portobello mushrooms, stems removed and gills scraped out with a spoon

Lemony Cashew “Ricotta”

• heaped ½ cup raw cashews, soaked for at least 1 hour
• 1 tablespoon nutritional yeast
• 1 teaspoon light miso (I used a chickpea-based one)
• ½ teaspoon lemon zest
• 1 tablespoon lemon juice
• 2-3 drops of maple syrup
• ¼ teaspoon garlic powder
• ¼ teaspoon onion powder
• 5-6 tablespoons of water

Assembly

• tomato sauce, fresh basil & other pizza toppings of choice
• fresh ciabatta buns, if making sandwiches

• I have two of these portobellos stacked in the photo of the sandwich setup–mostly for the photo but also because I am also a big eater. One portobello per sandwich is certainly enough :)
• For a nut-free option, try soaked sunflower seeds in the ricotta. The texture will be more grainy though.
• I kept my pizza portobellos classic with red sauce, the ricotta & basil, but any pizza topping is fair game.
• You could roast these if you don’t have a grill. Just preheat the oven to 400 F, line a baking sheet with foil or parchment, and roast the portobellos for about 25 minutes, flipping them and filling them with the toppings at the halfway mark. They should be slightly darker in colour and soft.

• In a large, shallow bowl, whisk together the balsamic vinegar, oil, garlic, tamari, salt, and pepper. Place the portobellos in the balsamic marinade and flip them over to coat. Flip them so that the bottoms are facing up and spoon marinade into the caps. Set aside for 20 minutes, or up to 2 hours.

• Make the ricotta. Drain and rinse the cashews. In a food processor combine the cashews, nutritional yeast, miso, lemon zest, lemon juice, maple syrup, garlic powder, onion powder, 5 tablespoons of water and salt to taste. Pulse the mixture until the cashews are finely chopped. Then, run the motor on high until you have a smooth, lightly textured ricotta-like mixture. Add more water by the teaspoon if necessary and scrape down the sides of the food processor bowl. Check ricotta for seasoning and set aside.

• Preheat a grill to high. On a tray or large platter bring out your portobellos, the ricotta, any pizza toppings you’re using, and a flipping spatula. Place the portobellos on the grill top side facing down. Close the lid and grill for 3-4 minutes, or until slightly collapsed and charred on the edges. Flip the portobellos over.

• Spoon tomato sauce, ricotta, and add any other toppings to the portobellos. Close the lid and cook for 3-4 minutes. Once filling is bubbling and portobellos are totally soft, juicy-looking, and evenly charred, carefully remove them from the grill. Serve pizza portobellos on their own or on fresh toasted ciabatta.

Course: Main Course, Sauce, Side Dish

Diet: Gluten Free, Vegan, Vegetarian