The 3-Ingredient Snack My Kids Can’t Get Enough Of

Staying within the bounds of what’s familiar is important when you’re offering a new food to kids. Thankfully for these mushrooms, the appeal of pizza and all the melted cheese and sauciness that entails is an easy win.

I started serving these pizza mushrooms as a finger-food snack after school. They were more robust than the simple roasted mushrooms my son loves, and they provided a fresher alternative to Bagel Bites. They’re as customizable as regular pizza, so even the mushroom skeptic in your home may be tempted to try them by being given the option to pick a few favorite toppings.

I love pizza mushrooms because they come together in just a few minutes and make a wonderful snack for cold afternoons when everyone’s stuck inside. In my house, we eat these right from the sheet pan.

Key Ingredients

Creminis (also called baby bellas) are my preferred mushrooms. They cup the sauce and toppings nicely, and because they’re thick, they stay firm enough to eat by hand. Shiitakes are great here too, but only if you’re using a wire rack. Otherwise, they tend to get waterlogged because they lie so flat on the tray.

The mid-Atlantic cook in me prefers Don Pepino brand pizza sauce, but your favorite store-bought or homemade sauce will work just as well. This recipe doesn’t use a full container of sauce, unless you’re more than doubling it, so save the rest for future pizzas. Leftover sauce will last up to a week, or you can freeze it for up to three months. 

Recipe Tips

• Bake on a rack: A wire rack keeps the mushrooms from getting soggy. 
• No rack, no problem: If you don’t have a wire rack, after baking for 15 minutes, remove the pan from the oven, carefully tilt the pan, and spoon off any liquid. Return the pan to the oven for 5 to 10 minutes until the remaining liquid has nearly evaporated. The mushrooms will not overcook.
• Topping options: Add any pizza toppings you like to this recipe. I love mini pepperoni, cooked crumbled sausage, and dried herbs. Add toppings after spooning on the sauce, but before the cheese. The cheese will help keep the toppings from falling off.
• A fresh finish: I like to garnish my mushrooms with fresh basil right out of the oven.
• Don’t toss the stems: Save your mushroom stems for stock or dice them up and add to your next stir-fry.
• Cook’s snack: Don’t forget to save a pinch of cheese for a little treat.