Pizza Salad
Turn Your Home Into a Pizzeria
Happy Pizza Salad Monday!
I woke up thinking about this salad this morning and how it is the perfect summer meal idea. Now I know it isn’t “officially” summer yet, but to me anything after Memorial Day is summer.
We often try to avoid turning on our ovens in the summer, but sometimes after a day of swimming, gardening, day camp, or other fun outdoor activities a frozen pizza just hits the spot.
Typically, Fridays in our house are Frozen Pizza Fridays. If you’ve ever been to a pizzeria, you know they have that specific sort of side salad that perfectly compliments a hot, cheesy slice.
This Pizza Salad is that side for Frozen Pizza Friday. The beauty of this recipe is you can make it earlier in the day and then dress it while your pizza cools.
The other good news is that some of the ingredients come in jars and you will have them on hand for several uses. I also like to plant chives in the Summer JUST to make this salad.
Let’s Talk Frozen Pizza
Obviously this post is more about the salad than the frozen pizza, but I wanted to share that the Mama Cozzi brand of frozen pizza from Aldi is one of my new favorites.
For one, it is STILL very affordable (I am sure you have seen the price of groceries lately). It also cooks up very quick and very crispy.
In fact, it reminds me of my all time favorite frozen pizza, the old Chef”s Kitchen brand frozen pizzas that Jewel-Osco used to sell. I keep a few of these in the freezer for last minute meal ideas.
This isn’t an advertisement for Aldi, by the way, I just thought I would share my deep thoughts on Mama Cozzi.
The Salad Dressing
The salad dressing I use for this particular recipe is by a brand called Garlic Expressions. It is a little pricey but we LOVE it.
You can find it in most grocery stores.
I like the chunks of garlic in the jar. When the dressing is gone, I use the garlic to make garlic bread or a nice bruschetta.
I do want to report that there is a garlic vinaigrette at Aldi that is very comparable if you’re working on a budget.
Any garlic heavy vinaigrette will do for this recipe. I also like to add mayo to the dressing to make this creamier, but if you want to cut some calories you can omit this step.
If you recently saw my BLT Pasta Salad recipe, you can also add a couple of teaspoons of the tomato powder to this dressing as well for some extra pizzaz.
Pizza Salad Recipe
Now for the long awaited recipe.
Below is a full recipe that is also printable. I hope you enjoy this recipe as much as we do. Cheers to Summer!
Pizza Salad
A perfect side salad to go with frozen pizza or any pizza. This is a easy yet hearty salad that hits all the right notes. It will take your average Friday Pizza Night to next level status. I love this meal idea for the Summer. Especially after a day of swimming, it just hits the spot.
Ingredients
- 1 head of iceberg lettuce
- 1 medium red onion
- 1 package or a handful of fresh chives
- 1/2 cup of sun dried tomatoes
- 8 slices of provolone cheese
- 6 to 8 peperoncini plus a splash of juice from the jar
- 1 tablespoon (or more) of dried italian herbs
- 1/2 cup of a garlic or salad vinaigrette (we like the Garlic Expressions brand)
- 1 tablespoon of mayo
- 1/2 cup parmesan cheese
- salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
- Wash and air dry your iceberg lettuce and cut and tear into bite sized pieces. I like to leave it in the bowl in the fridge for a bit so it is ice cold.
- Slice your red onion and add to the lettuce.
- Add your peperoncini to the bowl and drizzle a little of the juice from the jar on the salad. You can also cut the peppers up, but we like them whole.
- Chop your sun dried tomato into small pieces and sprinkle over the whole salad. You can also use diced tomatoes if you don't want to grab the sun dried.
- Dice your cheese and add to the salad.
- Sprinkle the whole salad with the chives, finely sliced.
- In a jar add your salad dressing and the mayo and whisk or stir until well combined and creamy.
- Season the whole salad with the dried italian herbs and salt and pepper.
- When ready to serve, drizzle with the dressing, the the parmesan cheese.
Notes
I make this salad in the morning and then when I am ready to eat, I bake my pizzas and dress the salad. It is the perfect Summer meal.