Chef notes
I've always loved pepperoni pizza since I was a little kiddo and I have been itching to develop a simple plant-based pepperoni substitute for years! The meaty mushrooms really soak in the full, robust flavor, and since it is hard to find a fierce plant-based and gluten-free bread these days, I am obsessed with these beautiful bagels. I also had a ton of fun working with my sweet husband to create this tasty tune and song, so we love to jazz this recipe up with different grilled vegetables, sauces and herbs on the regular.
Technique tip: Make sure to keep moving the mushroom pepperoni in the pan with extra butter to make sure it doesn't burn.
Swap option: You can swap mushrooms with chickpeas for extra protein.
Ingredients
- 2-3 trumpet mushroom stems
- 3-5 tablespoons vegan butter
- 1½ tablespoons minced garlic
- 2 tablespoons steak or pork seasoning
- 1½ tablespoons apple cider vinegar
- 1½ tablespoons maple syrup
- 1½ tablespoons vegan Worcestershire sauce
- 1½ tablespoons smoked paprika
- 2-6 gluten-free bagels, preferably Little Northern Bakehouse brand
- 1 cup pizza sauce of choice
- 1-2 cups vegan cheese
- 1/2 cup chopped fresh basil or microgreens, for garnish
- vegan feta cheese, for garnish
- 2 tablespoons crushed red pepper flakes, for garnish
Preparation
For the mushroom 'pepperoni':
1.Preheat the oven to 415 F and line a baking sheet.
2.Slice the trumpet mushroom stems into thin, pepperoni-sized circles.
3.In a large pan, on medium-high heat, melt vegan butter and sauté the mushroom slices on both sizes.
4.As you sauté the mushrooms, add in the minced garlic, steak or pork seasoning, apple cider vinegar, maple syrup, vegan Worcestershire sauce and smoked paprika. Make sure every mushroom is well-covered in butter and seasoning.
For the loaded pizza bagels:
1.While the mushrooms are cooking in the pan, lay out the bagel halves, cut side facing up, next to each other on the lined baking sheet.
2.Spoon on pizza sauce to every bagel half and then add on vegan cheese. Make sure they are well-covered.
3.Once the mushroom pepperoni is a bit crispy, soft and cooked through, add them on to the loaded bagels. I like to add 3 to 4 pepperoni per bagel half.
4.Bake the baking sheet of pizza bagels for 8-16 minutes or until the cheese is melted on top.
5.Garnish with fresh herbs, vegan feta cheese and crushed red pepper.
