No, Salad On Pizza Is Not The Same Thing As Pizza Salad

Did you know that it's possible to combine pizza and salad to achieve very tasty results? We're not referring to pizza salad here — instead, we want to bring your attention to another tasty dish: salad pizza. Wondering what the difference between salad pizza and pizza salad is? Salad pizza, much like it sounds, refers to a pizza pie that's topped with fresh, green leaves and other veggies. On the other hand, pizza salad consists of pizza toppings mixed in with salad greens to make the dish tastier, but without any of the carbs of pizza dough. 

The really great thing about cooking pizza in general is that you can get creative and add almost any kind of topping in order to experiment with flavor and texture. So, why not try topping your pie with a healthy and delicious serving of salad? If you still aren't convinced, let's take a look at what makes salad on pizza a winning and well-loved combination.

Much like they sound, salad pizzas are pizzas with salad used as toppings. Though it may seem like a strange idea, take it from New York Times Bestselling author and chef Gaby Dalkin, who wrote about the winning combination on her website: "I know, you're thinking Salad Pizza is weird. But let me tell you, that slightly acidic punch from the vinaigrette on top of melty gooey cheese and perfectly charred pizza crust — it's a match made in heaven."

If you're interested in creating your own salad pizza, the standard procedure is fairly simple. Just cook your favorite kind of homemade pizza in the oven, on a grill, or using a pizza stone. Then, mix up your favorite salad and dressing, and place the dressed salad on top of the cooked pizza before serving. The warmth of the pizza will soften up the crunchy freshness of the salad as the leaves wilt, making it easier to eat. You could even enjoy your pizza crust by dipping it into any leftover salad dressing, like this basic vinaigrette.

"Insalata di pizza" is a known and popular dish in Italy, the birthplace of pizza. The contrast of the flavors and textures of these two dishes results in a truly memorable meal. It's also a great way to use up any leftover salad before it goes bad.

As opposed to the dish shared above, pizza salad is a regular leafy salad made with pizza toppings to add a strong, pizza-like flavor to it. The dish became famous on social media when actress and talk show host Drew Barrymore shared her version of it, touting it as an option for days "when you're trying to, like, not eat the bread." Scraping off all the toppings (vegetables, cheese, and sauce) from her pizza slice, she then mixed them with a salad containing very similar ingredients. Explaining the procedure, she said: "I just take the top of the pizza and a little salad, which has basically all the same toppings as the pizza, and then I make a pizza salad."

This dish caused much commotion after Barrymore shared it, with people both loving and hating the idea. Whatever side of the spectrum you're on, there's no harm in trying to make your own pizza salad. You can get creative by adding ingredients of your choice to your pizza salad: think ham, prosciutto, different kinds of cheeses, olives, artichoke hearts, diced bell papers, mushrooms, mozzarella balls, and more.