This parasol mushroom recipe turns big, round mushroom caps into delicious pizzas. The forest makes the crust; you bring the toppings.
Ours are topped with mozzarella, prosciutto, a little bit of pesto, and fresh vegetables, and they’re super quick and easy to make. No dough, just two short trips to the oven, all done in 30 minutes. Naturally gluten-free, great for a keto diet, and a cool addition to your wild mushroom recipes.
Parasol mushrooms are actually pizza mushrooms
Fall is the season of wild mushroom recipes, and parasol mushrooms are usually the first ones to pop up. In large quantities. For foragers, they’re the starting whistle of mushroom hunting season. When they show up, sometimes already in summer, I already know we’ll spend the next month in the forest.
Besides fried parasol mushroom rolls and breaded cutlets, this is the recipe to brighten up your menu when you come home with a full basket. Don’t forget, the caps need to be fully open to become little pizzas. If still closed, stand them in a jar of water overnight, and they’ll probably be ready by morning.
You might think parasols are too watery to hold a pizza. Well, I thought so too. But the trick is in the process. They go into the oven twice: first to sweat out the water, then to bake into a pizza you can actually pick up by hand.
Unlike other mushroom pizzas, like this pizza with porcini mushrooms, these are naturally gluten-free and very low-carb, so they make a perfect light-ish dinner. Pile on your favorite toppings and plenty of mozzarella. Margherita, capricciosa, whichever you dream of, it all works.
Where parasol mushrooms grow
Parasol mushrooms (Macrolepiota procera) are among the biggest mushrooms in Europe. Some will show off with a cap as wide as a dinner plate. You’ll find them from June to November in mixed forests, along forest edges, and in sunny meadows.
Shaggy parasols (Chlorophyllum rhacodes) look very similar, but DNA studies have moved them into a separate genus. Both are edible, though shaggy parasols can be upsetting for some.
The mushroom you see is only the fruiting body. Most of the organism consists of hyphae growing through the soil. When they appear, often after a heavy rainfall, they resemble egg-shaped drumsticks, and eventually expand into broad umbrellas.
These mushrooms grow in groups, but unlike most wild mushrooms, they’re not mycorrhizal; they feed on dead leaves and other rotting plant material. Sometimes they form fairy rings or round patches. When the center runs out of food, they move outward, and the patch grows wider every year.
With caps that big, they’re the easiest mushroom to find in fall. And where there’s one, look around. There are almost certainly three more nearby. The ones you want for dinner have a snakeskin pattern on the stem and a double ring you can slide up and down.
What fits on a parasol pizza crust
PARASOL MUSHROOMS – We used four parasols, one mushroom per person, but you can make more. Pick the biggest, flattest caps in the basket. Bigger crust, more toppings.
MOZZARELLA CHEESE – Any cheese hiding in your fridge will do. Mozzarella just melts best and gives you the stretchy, ooey-gooey cheese pull.
PROSCIUTTO – Thin slices of salty prosciutto and mild, nutty parasols are a great match. Skip if you’re vegetarian.
PESTO – Completely optional. Use just a little, or it will drown out the mild parasol flavor. A dab, not a dollop.
TOMATO – We dice a fresh tomato into small cubes because it’s nice to bite into something juicy and fresh. Canned works too, as long as it’s not too runny.
PEPPER – Optional, and it goes on top. Swap it for zucchini or whatever you have.
OLIVE OIL – Just a little, mixed with the garlic for the first trip to the oven and to grease the baking sheet.
GARLIC – We use a clove per mushroom, and that’s the bare minimum. Garlic powder is a handy shortcut because it slips between the gills more easily.
OREGANO – It wouldn’t be pizza without oregano, would it? However, they’ll still taste great without it.
SALT & BLACK PEPPER – Like the garlic, they need to land between the gills, not just on top.
PARSLEY – A little fresh green on top. Skip it if you don’t have it.”
*Full ingredient list and detailed instructions are in the recipe card bellow.
How to make parasol mushroom pizzas
STEP 1: Preheat the oven to 400°F (200°C). Clean the mushrooms and cut off the stems. Don’t wash them; just brush off the grit and any forest leftovers by hand. Parasols grow tall, so they don’t carry much dirt around, and bugs don’t seem to like them much either. Chop the garlic and mix it with a little olive oil.
STEP 2: Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper and brush it lightly with oil. Lay the mushrooms on it, gills facing up. Season with salt and pepper, and tuck the garlic between the gills. Bake for 10 to 15 minutes, just long enough for them to release the water and brown a little. Your crust is professionally pre-baked.
STEP 3: Take them out and remove the water. There might be quite a lot. Gently press each mushroom too; they usually hide a little extra liquid. Then top them with diced tomato, a few small dabs of pesto, and a sprinkle of chopped parsley.
STEP 4: Shred the mozzarella and spread it over the toppings, right to the edges but not past them so it doesn’t stick to the sheet.
STEP 5: Add a generous layer of thinly sliced prosciutto.
STEP 6: Chop the pepper into small chunks and scatter them over the prosciutto. Finish with a light sprinkle of oregano.
STEP 7: Put them back in the oven for another 10 to 15 minutes, until the mozzarella is bubbly and golden brown and the prosciutto sinks into the cheese.
STEP 8: That’s it! Serve them straight from the oven, while the cheese is still soft and stretchy. You can also cut them into smaller pieces and pile them on slices of warm homemade bread. And of course, a bowl of salad and a glass of good wine never hurt.
Tips and tricks to remember
Get the right mushrooms. This matters most in the US, where the shaggy parasol is easy to mix up with the false parasol (Chlorophyllum molybdites). Not a mushroom to experiment with. Mature false parasols develop greenish gills and drop a green spore print, but young ones can be hard to tell apart. When in doubt, leave it out.
Wait until they’re pizza-size. Sometimes you’ll find young parasols with round, closed caps. You have two options: leave them in the forest and come back the next morning (a bit risky, I know), or pick them with the stems on, stand them in a jar of water outside, and let the pizza crust rise overnight.
Bake them twice. If you pile cheese and toppings on fresh parasols, you’ll get a watery pizza you can’t pick up. Give them a quick roast first, and pour off the liquid they release.
Tuck the seasoning between the gills. Especially the garlic. The gills soak up all the goodness, so the mushrooms taste much better than if you just sprinkle everything on top.
Get creative with the toppings. Try different cheeses or smoked meat. For a vegetarian version, maybe zucchini, caramelized onions, and olives. An egg on top sounds great, too!
Storing leftovers (if that ever happens)
These pizzas are best eaten fresh, but every now and then a few survive for longer. I keep them in the fridge and eat them the next day, no problem.
Just don’t freeze them; thawed parasols turn soft and watery. Instead, make so many that you get tired of them. Then wait until a new batch of delicious pizza crusts pops up next season.
Questions you might have
Yes. Parasol stems aren’t poisonous, but they’re tough, woody, and fibrous, so most people toss them as cooking doesn’t make them tender. You can use them to make stock, though.
No, the skin is thin and tender, and the brown scales on top are perfectly edible. Peeling them is a lot of fuss for nothing, and you’ll probably tear your pizza crust in the process.
More wild mushroom recipes
Parasol Mushroom Pizzas
EQUIPMENT
- 1 large baking sheet
- 1 piece of parchment paper
INGREDIENTS
- 4 large parasol mushrooms
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 4 cloves garlic
- 2½ cups mozzarella cheese
- 3.5 oz prosciutto
- 3 tbsp pesto
- 1½ tbsp fresh parsley
- 1 tomato
- 1 green or red pepper
- 1 tsp salt
- 1 tsp black pepper
- ½ tsp oregano
INSTRUCTIONS
- Set the oven to 400°F (200°C). Wipe the parasol caps clean by hand without rinsing, and cut off the stems. Mince the garlic (4 cloves) and combine it with the olive oil (1 tbsp/15 ml) in a small bowl.
- Cover a baking tray with parchment and grease it with a thin film of oil. Place the caps on the tray, undersides up. Sprinkle with salt and black pepper, and work the garlic oil into the gills.
- Roast for 10 to 15 minutes, until the caps have shed their juices and taken on some color.
- Pour the liquid off the tray and press down lightly on each cap to drain what remains. Spoon the diced tomato (1 medium) over the caps, then add the pesto (3 tbsp/45 ml) in small spoonfuls and the chopped parsley (1½ tbsp).
- Grate the mozzarella (10.5 oz/300 g) and cover each cap with it, stopping at the rim so it stays off the parchment.
- Drape the prosciutto (3.5 oz/100 g) over the cheese, followed by the diced pepper. Season lightly with dried oregano.
- Return the tray to the oven for another 10 to 15 minutes, until the cheese has melted and browned in spots.
- Serve hot, whole or cut into wedges, on their own or on slices of warm bread.