Salad Pizza. It’s a thing. Adding salad greens to the top of your pizza is the perfect combo of the acidic vinaigrette, melted cheese and crispy crust. Trust me and give this Salad Pizza a go!
Are you ready for some football?! I know I am! College football started a couple of weeks ago, but professional football starts today. My Miami Dolphins are due for a good season. I always start the season off hopeful. And this season is NO different! Tua, our quarterback, is young but definitely gives me hope. & what goes together with football? FOOD!
I love a reason to make food fun and festive – just look at my ‘football’ cheese board. And while football season is 17 weeks long, it can involve foods each week that aren’t always the healthiest – wings, nachos, burgers . I do think we can always put a different spin on the menu each week that we munch on. & don’t get me wrong, I’m not saying that you can’t have any one food – but the frequency sometimes can make a difference. Football is on Saturday with college football, all day Sunday, and even Monday night football. Changing the menu up and having a few different options can help with the frequency. Enter Salad Pizza!
Salad Pizza
- Pizza Dough – I was gifted a bread maker and this is my go-to recipe. This recipe (the recipe not the BBQ pizza) is my go-to, although if I ate chicken this would be a delicious pizza. I make this dough and it makes enough for four 12-inch pizzas. Dough freezes amazingly and is then ready to go any time you want to make a pizza! If you’re not making your own homemade pizza dough, not to worry. Many supermarkets these days sell pizza dough and are quite tasty!
- Pesto– I love making homemade pesto up! It really is delicious and IMO doesn’t compare. I switch out the green (even though basil is traditional) and even the nut, depending on what I have. Pine nuts are expensive, so I will switch out commonly and use almonds or walnuts. I freeze the extra in these souper cubes (not sponsored, just a fan) and that way the pesto doesn’t turn brown, but also because it makes a lot and a little pesto goes a long way!
- Fresh Mozzarella & Goat Cheese– I use not only mozzarella but also goat cheese for this pizza. You can use whichever cheese you prefer when making pizza, but the fresh mozzarella pairs really nicely with the pesto. The goat cheese gives it just that bit of tang and leaves you wondering where it’s coming from. Yes, I use real cheese on the pizza. I probably only use half what other recipes use. But in all honesty it still is quite tasty with the amount I use. You can use more – you do you!
- Mixed Greens– I use a mix of salad greens for the topping. Arugula would work quite nice just by itself. Again, this is all in what you prefer for in your salad. And if you don’t like salad, this might just be a way to start!
- Vinaigrette – A simple mix of olive oil and red wine vinegar. That’s how simple it is to whip together a homemade vinaigrette. You can add a little lemon juice to take it up a notch – and the lemon would pair nicely here because of the lemon in the pesto. I chose to keep it simple. I used champagne vinegar once and that is definitely out of this world. But keeping it real, champagne vinegar is quite expensive. The takeaway here is that any vinegar will do. Even balsamic.
How To Make Salad Pizza
I normally eat my salad and my pizza separate. And then one day I mixed the two together and the rest is history. My nephew might not think this is ‘pizza’ because of the greens. But I wouldn’t have it any other way. Delicious!
- Roll out the pizza dough: The key to being able to roll out your pizza dough is that it has to be room temperature. Believe me I’ve tried many times to roll it out only then for it roll back. No need to get frustrated, just a little planning in advance to set it out.
- Pesto: Spread your pesto out on the pizza dough. Believe me when I say a little pesto goes a long way. You can always add a few dollops later if you want more. And if you’re not into pesto, by all means use a pizza sauce instead.
- Add the Cheese: I try to spread the cheese as evenly as possible and make sure the mozzarella and goat cheese are rotating so each piece will get both cheeses!
- Vinaigrette: Whisk together your olive oil and vinegar. Add a little black pepper, minced garlic, and shallots too!
- Toss your greens: Toss your greens with the vinaigrette and top your pizza with the greens. When I make this for myself, I do eat all these greens on my own – so feel free to make more if people like salad!
HERE ARE A FEW MORE RECIPES FOR YOUR GAME DAY!
Print Salad Pizza
Salad Pizza. It’s a thing. Adding salad greens to the top of your pizza is the perfect combo of the acidic vinaigrette, melted cheese and crispy crust. Trust me and give this Salad Pizza a go!
- Total Time: 25 minutes
- Yield: 8 1x
Ingredients
- 1 pound pizza dough
- 4 ounces mozzarella cheese, fresh
- 2 ounces goat cheese
- 1/4 cup pesto
- 2 cups mixed greens
- 1 tablespoons olive oil
- 1/2 tablespoon red wine vinegar
- 1/8 teaspoon black pepper
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 450 degrees F. Grease a large baking sheet with olive oil.
- Roll – on a lightly floured surface, roll the pizza dough out until it is pretty thin (about a 10-12 inch circle). Transfer the dough to the prepared baking sheet. Spread the dough with pesto and top evenly with mozzarella and goat cheese.
- Transfer to the oven and bake for 10-15 minutes or until the crust is golden.
- Whisk – meanwhile, in a medium bowl, whisk together the olive oil, red wine vinegar, and black pepper. Add the mixed greens and toss to combine.
- Remove the pizza from the oven and top with the mixed greens. Enjoy!
Notes
*There are so many pizza variations out there! I went with a white pizza here and used pesto as the ‘sauce’. If you’re not a fan of having the greens ON the salad, I encourage you to have some salad with your pizza. Or a nice veggie platter to munch on during the game. Glad it’s football season again!
- Prep Time: 10
- Cook Time: 15
- Category: Dinner
1 thought on “Salad Pizza”
Never thought to add the salad to the pizza. Best of both worlds!