Salad Pizza: Crunch & Color

Pizza and salad are one of those pairings that just make a lot of sense. The lightness of greens cutting through the greasy goodness of pizza creates a complete meal. So why not just make salad pizza? Done, right? I’m all in on this idea.

If you’ve ever been curious about trying out the crunchy pizza life, summer is the perfect time to start. With an abundance of fresh greens, fruits, vegetables and herbs to choose from, you can let your creativity run wild. There’s really two ways to go about making a salad pizza. The first is that the salad can be the star of the show, with the crust, minimal cheese and other toppings acting as a base to hold and transport it. This can be a fun presentation, piling the greens up high and spiking the salad with beautiful ingredients. Pick a base cheese that complements the salad and then let the mound of greens and vinaigrette do the work.

The other option is minimal salad to complement the pizza itself. I do this a lot without thinking about it: finishing a pizza with arugula tossed in extra virgin olive oil; a “hot salad” of wilted kale or spinach under the melted cheese; or fresh tomatoes tossed with herbs and smothered in stracciatella. The main thing is to not get hung up on greens being essential as there are so many more ways and ingredients that a salad can be composed of.

There are a few key components of a salad pizza to really make it special. Like any good pizza, it’s important to have a variety of flavors and profiles to balance it and make it pop. Think sweet, salty, sour, bitter, crunchy, chewy, creamy and soft. Luckily there are so many fruits and vegetables during these hot summer months to choose from. A lot of produce is fantastic in its raw form during its growing season but it’s also fun to use different cooking methods, like roasting, marinating, sautéing and frying to change the flavor and texture. Each method produces a wildly different taste and texture to add to a salad pizza.

The different components of a salad pizza are:

• The base. What style pizza dough are you using? Will it be thick and pillowy? Thin and crispy? Light and airy? The type of base will determine how heavy the toppings can be and whether your customers will eat it with a knife and fork or simply folded around the salad.

• The cheese or sauce.

I tend to like a light layer of cheese baked onto my crust for a salad pizza, but you could also add in a marinara or pesto to meld with the salad. Things to think about are if you want this component to really stick out or simply act as a vehicle for the salad to sit on. You can use a bold cheese that complements the other flavors or a mellow one to blend in.

• The greens.

So many to choose from! The basics are always great, like arugula, spinach, kale or butter lettuce. If you want to go outside the traditional box there are options, such as stinging nettles, dandelion or beet greens, frisée or ridicchio and purslane. You also can exclude the greens completely and make another vegetable the main ingredient.

• The jewels.

These are the fruits, veggies, nuts, seeds and herbs that round out the salad and give it lots of texture and, of course, flavor. The addition of fresh herbs can go a long way. Chives are one of my favorites for turning an ordinary salad into a flavor bomb. You can also do fresh oregano or basil.

• Finishers.

If your pizza doesn’t have a super strong cheese or sauce on its base, it’s nice to finish it with a memorable cheese or really nice extra virgin or infused olive oil. A bold vinaigrette is also in this category and can carry the entire pizza. This will be the first thing to hit your taste buds so go for quality over quantity.

The fun part of putting salad on pizza is that there are no boundaries. You can take something as basic as Caesar salad and spin it into a decadent pie using spicy fried chicken pieces, house Caesar dressing and finishing with smashed sourdough croutons. Sound too complex? A classic cheese slice can be made into something new by throwing on a simple arugula, fresh lemon juice, extra virgin olive oil and sea salt salad. It cuts through the grease and adds a nice bite.

As much as I would like to joke that salad on pizza is not true pizza, the fact that it draws attention to vegetables as the star of the dish makes me want to love it. I’m all for a pepperoni slice every day, but I don’t think everyone gives veggies enough credit as pizza toppings apart from on a supreme pizza. Yes, olives, mushrooms and bell peppers are great. But have you tried fresh roasted chilies and Brussels sprouts? They are next level.

If you don’t use a ton of greens on your pizzas already, salad pizza is also a great way to start cross utilizing different ingredients. In my shop, I use spinach in a salad as well as on multiple pies. The same goes for kale and arugula. Kale is great both baked onto the pizza or put on post oven, just remember to massage those greens if it isn’t being cooked on.

A few salad pizza combinations to get you excited and your creative juices flowing:

• Kale Caesar with Italian white anchovies and Parmesan crisps.
• Watermelon radish, walnuts, strawberries and arugula with a poppy seed vinaigrette.
• Tomato salad with fresh oregano, garlic and burrata.
• Summer squash marinated in gremolata with stracciatella and toasted pumpkin seeds.

Salad pizza is a great item to try out on any summer menu. It’s the perfect way to showcase the abundance of produce, get creative and nudge everyone to eat their greens. Just remember to keep it balanced, include some herbs and finish it on a high note.

Summer Squash Salad Pizza

For this pizza, I marinated raw squash in gremolata to give it a burst of flavor. Don’t be afraid to add a few more fresh herbs or an extra clove or two of garlic to really draw attention. This part of the dish should be in your face bold with the stracciatella to smooth everything out and the pumpkin seeds to add a little extra crunch.

Get the Summer Squash Salad Pizza recipe.

Audrey Kelly owns Audrey Jane’s Pizza Garage in Boulder, Colorado.