The first seventeen years of my life I despised any variation of salad from a big bowl full of lettuce to nothing more than a single iceberg wedge; now I am a convert to the many possibilities of salad! Caesar salad was my first real foray into my salad-eating adulthood, which is a bit ironic (see: It can also be entirely unoriginal (refer to: anchovies) but also highly formulaic (as in: how many croutons are required per lettuce leaf?). Now I eat all sorts of salads so when the notion of this pizza salad was suggested I was more than willing to contribute to the creation of getting the taste and feel of pizza in a salad.

What Is Pizza Salad?

Pizza salad is what occurs when you melt the flavors of a pizza on top of a scoop of lettuce, minus the dough base of course. I chose to use a mixture of lettuces because of their different flavors and textures, which I elevated the pizza factor with the vinaigrette using tomato paste, dried oregano, and garlic powder.

Recipe Variations

The toppings described in the recipe below are the set of the most popular ingredients with something for everyone; however, the recipe is as versatile and diverse as pizza and salad. Here are some fun ideas to play with to make this recipe your own:

• Spike it up using a sprinkle of chile flakes or chopped pepperoncini
• Replace the fresh mozzarella balls with shredded mozzarella cheese
• Omit the pepperoni thereby making the food a vegetarian dish
• Sprinkle your preferred croutons or use garlic bread as an exchange for breadsticks
• Replace the tomato paste in the vinaigrette with marinara sauce which has been prepared earlier
• Substitute some of the iceberg or romaine lettuce with spinach
• Add halved cherry tomatoes
• You can add other favorite toppings such as green olives, fresh or bottled button mushrooms, anchovies, crisped sausage, or bacon pieces

Can I Make This Salad Ahead?

Like most salads, this is best eaten immediately, but if you are intending to use that 'time-saving' excuse then go ahead and make this ahead of time. Here's how:

1. Prepare the dressing as described above and place the remainder in the refrigerator in the airtight container or the jar for up to three days. It is mostly shaken before use and hence one should shake the drink really well before consuming it.
2. Place all the salad ingredients to a large bowl and put the lettuce at the very top. Do not mix.
3. Wrap and store in refrigerator up to twenty four hours.
4. Just before serving mix the salad with the dressing.

This recipe is for 4 people as the main course and for 8 people as a side salad.

Ingredients

For the dressing (makes 1 cup):

• 1/4 cup red wine vinegar
• 1 teaspoon tomato paste
• 2 teaspoons Dijon mustard
• 1/2 teaspoon sugar
• 1 1/2 teaspoons dried oregano
• 1 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1 teaspoon black pepper
• 3/4 cup of olive oil and use the extra virgin one

For the salad:

• 6 oz Pepperoni slices/ Sausage
• 5 ounces mini mozzarella balls (or large mozzarella balls, which have been cut into quarters)
• 2/3 cup sliced black olives
• 1 cup sliced red onion
• 2 cups of bell peppers – cored, seeded and cut into little pieces of your favorite colors – yellow, red or green
• 4 'packed cups' of shredded iceberg lettuce
• 4 dense cups chopped hundred percent romaine lettuce
• 1/2 cup fresh, grated Parmesan cheese, finely grated

Method

Make the dressing:

Take the red wine vinegar, tomato paste, Dijon mustard, salt, pepper, sugar, dried oregano, garlic powder and olive oil and place them in to a resealable jar or an airtight container. Shake really well to combine. For more salt, pepper and sugar if necessary; it should be a very tasty and a smooth vinaigrette.

Prepare the salad ingredients:

Include pepperoni, Mozzarella cheese, black olives, onion, bell pepper and two lettuces in a large bowl.

Toss and serve:

After that is done, shake the dressing really well once more before you are ready to serve. Use about half then pour it over the bowl with the salad and mix until everything is coated well and proportionately. You might add more dressing to it if you need and keep whatever is left in a jar in refrigerator for up to 72 hours. Sprinkle the Parmesan cheese on the salad and give it right away with warm breadsticks.