Thyme Mushroom Pizzas with Herbed Goat Cheese & Roasted Garlic Chickpea Sauce
Don’t let the long recipe name fool you! If you’re a mushroom fiend like I am, then you’ll go crazy for these super easy, ultra-satisfying pizzas. The star of the show is the herbacious mushrooms, which are slow-cooked for eight hours with burgundy wine, vegetable broth, butter, Worcestershire sauce, garlic, thyme and salt + pepper. Usually I eat these mushrooms as a side, but once you slice them they’re killer as a topping.
Along with the tasty mushrooms, these pizzas feature herbed goat cheese (yum) and a roasted garlic chickpea sauce (even yummier). The combo is incredible! You got umami from the mushrooms, richness from the sauce and tanginess from the goat cheese. Prepare to devour.
Whenever we make pizzas at home, we tend to use frozen garlic naan from Trader Joe’s. However, feel free to use whatever crust you want! Make sure it’s crispy, and you’ll be good to go.
INGREDIENTS
24 oz. button mushrooms, wiped clean
1 1/2 cups Burgundy wine (or any dry red wine)
2 c. vegetable broth
2 T. butter
1 T. Worcestershire sauce (can use vegetarian version or sub for soy sauce)
1 t. salt
1 t. garlic powder
1 t. dried thyme
Lots of fresh cracked black pepper
Pinch of salt
Small log of herbed goat cheese
8 cloves garlic, peeled
8 T. olive oil
1 - 15 oz. can chickpeas, drained & rinsed
Pizza crust of choice
STEPS
1) Add the mushrooms, wine, vegetable broth, butter, Worcestershire sauce, garlic powder, dried thyme, salt and pepper to a slow cooker. Cook on low for eight hours.
2) Add the peeled garlic and olive oil to a small pan over high heat. Use a small bowl or ramiken to tilt the pan so the garlic is fully submerged in the oil. When the garlic starts to bubble as if it’s being deep-fried, reduce the heat to low. Allow the garlic to cook in the oil until the cloves are completely softened, about 30 minutes. Use a slotted spoon to remove the garlic cloves and place them in a food processor. Be sure to save the garlic-infused oil!
3) Drain and rinse the chickpeas and add them to the food processor with the garlic cloves. Pour in half of the garlic-infused olive oil and add one mushroom. Purée until smooth.
4) Cook the pizza crust according to package directions. Spread on the roasted garlic chickpea sauce. Slice the mushrooms and sprinkle them onto the pizzas, then use your hands to crumble the goat cheese over the top. Broil until the cheese is a bit bubbly and browned.
