Tossed Salad Pizza

A salad pizza splits the difference between lunch-salad virtue and pizza indulgence. The base is Italian bread shells topped with melted mozzarella, baked just until bubbly. Then a whole Caesar-dressed salad with tomatoes, red onion, kalamata olives, and crumbled feta piles on top of the hot cheese.

The hot-meets-cold contrast is the entire point. The bread shell and melted cheese come out of a 450°F (230°C) oven, while the dressed salad is cold and crunchy. Combined in one bite, you get warm and cool, crispy and melty, earthy greens and punchy olives all at once.

Dress the salad just before topping the pizza, not earlier. Greens tossed in dressing too soon collapse into a sad wilted pile. Timing is everything here: dress, top, slice, serve, all within about 2 minutes.

Kitchen Tips

• Use Roma or plum tomatoes, not watery slicers. Wet tomatoes turn the salad layer into soup by the time you finish the second slice.
• Thinly slice the red onion and soak briefly in cold water to tame the raw bite if you’re serving to onion-shy eaters.
• Bake the bread shell on the middle rack directly, no pan. Direct heat on the shell gives a crisp underside that stands up to the salad on top.

Variations

• Swap the Caesar for a balsamic vinaigrette and add arugula for a peppery Italian twist.
• Top with crumbled bacon or grilled chicken for a hearty main-course salad pizza.
• Use pita bread or flatbread as the base if Italian bread shells aren’t available.