This '90s Salad-Inspired Pizza Topping Deserves A Comeback

There are two kinds of pizza toppings: The ones we expect, and the ones we don't. Over time, a handful of ingredients have come to be synonymous with the idea of pizza. Along with cheese, no one would bat an eye if they saw pepperoni, mushrooms, bacon, or onions on a pizza. Even pineapple, divisive though it may be, is still understood as a pizza topping. Less well-known or widely accepted is the Caesar salad pizza, which briefly rose to prominence in the 1990s.

The history of Caesar salad dates back to 1924, but the origins of Caesar salad pizza are a little murkier. One Redditor recalled working at Olive Garden in the mid-1990s when a salad pizza was on the menu. Others were confident it was a white pizza topped with Caesar salad. A user on Facebook remembered making Caesar salad pizzas back in the 1990s as well. The idea of the pizza had spread around a bit, but it never gained the prominence of something like Hawaiian or Supreme.

There are many potential ways to make a Caesar salad pizza. It's easy enough just to cook a cheese pizza and put Caesar salad on top. A more elevated version uses garlic and Caesar dressing as a base, topped with cheese, basil, lemon, and grilled chicken. After the pizza is done, toss some romaine with salad dressing, then add that before slicing it up. Some extra-grated Parmesan or crispy bacon can round out the flavor. You get classic cheesy pizza goodness with a burst of crunchy freshness.

We have a recipe for Caesar salad pizza you can follow if you aren't sure how best to approach it. Remember, the idea seems off-putting to some people, but we're not cooking the lettuce. That's going to go on fresh, cold, and crisp at the end. Other toppings are really up to your discretion, whether you want chicken, more Parmesan cheese, or extras like onion, pepper, or even olives. The only real rule for this pizza is to keep the dressed romaine lettuce as a cold salad added on top of the pizza before slicing.

With a white sauce or a Caesar dressing as a base, this is a lot like eating a Caesar salad with warm breadsticks. The hot cheese, chicken, and other toppings are a nice accent that a fresh Caesar salad doesn't usually have. It's giving you the best of both worlds. Where does it rank among all pizza toppings? That's for you to decide.

If you're not sure about making your own, there are a few places you can go to get a Caesar salad pizza. Mellow Mushroom makes one with an oil and garlic base, and also includes pesto chicken and feta. Pepperoni's Pizza in New York has a fairly simple version with just cheese, dressing, lettuce, and chicken. Pappo's Pizza uses fresh garlic and mozzarella along with Caesar dressing and chicken, then tops it with fresh salad and optional anchovies. While it doesn't seem like many of the big pizza chains offer a Caesar salad pizza, a lot of smaller local ones do have it on the menu. It's worth looking around if you're curious.