Eat This: Pesto Mushroom Pizza

Basil screams summer! I love the fresh smell of it - but don't have a garden. So, when I get married in a couple of months - and start my spring garden - the first herb I'm going to plant is basil.

But, thank goodness for the grocery store! I wanted to make this pizza and knew that I could find jarred pesto that would do the trick. The result: my soon to be husband raved about it that night, finished off all the leftovers, and still raves about it!

You can of course make this entirely from scratch - or go the semi-homemade route which is what I did.

• 1 pizza dough (I used regular boboli pizza crust, just because I couldn't find whole wheat)
• 1 cup prepared pesto - or make your own.
• 1 lb cremini mushrooms, sliced
• 3 T unsalted butter
• Olive oil to cover bottom of saute pan
• 1 1/2 cups grated cheese: aged provolone (a must, 3/4 cup), 1/2 cup grated mozzerella, 1/4-1/2 cup shredded parmesan

Follow directions for the pizza dough (for length of time and temperature of oven).

Spread pesto on the dough as liberally as you would like it. I would go less, just because the crust gets oily if you use too much (is too much pesto ever a problem?)

Saute sliced mushrooms in butter and olive oil (wash mushrooms with a damp paper towel prior to slicing them). Put the burner on medium and let them just hang out and saute down and get nice and tasty! (This is the best way to eat mushrooms in my opinion.)

Top the pizza with mushrooms - yes all of them, though it will look like a lot.

Then top with cheese - glorious cheese. The aged provolone pairs so well with the nuttiness of the mushrooms. A must for any cheese lover!

This may just become a monthly staple in the Campbell home!

The above picture was taken outside a little cafe in Juneau, Alaska on a recent cruise.