10 Strange and Interesting Pizza Recipes
Remember the days when Hawaiian (ham and pineapple-topped pizza) or barbecue chicken pizza were considered out there and "speciality"? You can now get that kind of pizza everywhere, and there are pizza shops dedicated to far, far more interesting combinations. Here are some of the stranger pizza recipes out there. Why not make them at home? Almost every grocery store sells pre-made pizza dough (or you could make your own) to get you started.
Greek Salad Pizza
Combining a classic Greek salad and pizza dough, this is an interesting choice that mixes a lot of strong flavors and is served cold. It features hummus, Persian cucumbers, tomatoes, red onion, Kalamata olives, and feta. Some recipes call for pita bread and not pizza dough, but when you're making something that uses hummus as sauce, it seems difficult for the rules to be hard and fast on this one. Surprisingly, we found it to be quite good (if it does have a strong flavor) and to be an interesting alternative to the traditional sauce and cheese we're all so used to.
Bacon and Egg Pizza
Pizza? For breakfast? Who has done that since college? Gourmet chefs, that's who! And it's incredibly popular, especially for brunch. Using homemade pizza dough, bacon, egg, parmigiana cheese, and spices to season, the recipe for this pizza is super easy and will impress guests (and family members - even picky eaters.) You can make individual pizzas or whole pizzas - depending on your mood and who you are feeding.
Thai Chicken Pizza
Once again, mixing cultures, we have Thai chicken pizza. It uses duck sauce or plum sauce in place of the standard tomato sauce, and calls for marinating the chicken with a mixture of hot sauce, peanut butter, and seasoning. This gives you a unique pizza that is will touch just about every one of your taste buds and make them tingle. Thai food doesn't usually involve cheese, but pizza does (so you will be using some Monterey Jack or provolone cheese for this one). Topped with cucumbers, scallions, cilantro, and sprouts, this might be one of the most interesting pizzas around.
Cheeseburger Pizza
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Perfect for those times when you have no idea what you want to eat, we embrace the cheeseburger pizza that combines two favorites and uses bread as the dough. Again, use what you like, but to make it more pizza-like, we'd recommend pizza crust. Spread the bread with marinara sauce and cover it with ground sirloin and cheddar cheese. Add onion, cherry tomato slices, and even lettuce. I think we can all agree, though, that cheese is the key to both cheeseburgers and pizzas.
Lemon and Smoked Mozzarella Pizza
Lemon? On Pizza? It's more likely than you think. This truly strange pizza recipe uses the tanginess of lemons to balance the flavor of smoked mozzarella for a unique pizza you'd likely find on the streets of Italy. With no additional ingredients other than olive oil, salt, and pepper, it's a simple and strange pizza that somehow works. Pizza connoisseurs will love this interesting pizza that isn't like any other.
Mexican Pizza
Oh yum! The perfect combination of cultures for pizza! Use fresh pico de gallo (or pureed black beans) as the sauce and top with guacamole and sour cream, plus mozzarella (or cheddar, or any cheese you like) for topping. Add pickled or sauteed onions, chicken, jalapenos, tomatoes, or anything you like. Even avocado works. Get creative, or follow a tried and true recipe. This is definitely something you won't be able to order from your local pizza place.
Roasted Cauliflower Pizza
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When you think of pizza, you don't think of roasted cauliflower, but here we are. Perfect for vegetarians and full of flavor, it's a simple recipe. First, roast your cauliflower (tossed with olive oil, pepper, and salt) for about 20 minutes. Then roll out your crust and top with the cauliflower and, if you like, breadcrumbs. It's a flavorful pizza that's a great appetizer or a main dish for a pizza party with friends where not everyone eats meat.
Deli Pickle and Hot Pastrami Pizza
Wow… take your pizza dough, and collect your ingredients - ricotta cheese, mozzarella, dill pickles and pastrami, yellow mustard, and caraway seeds. The ricotta and mustard serve as a sauce, and the rest as toppings. Is it good? Hard to say. We were not brave enough to try this one - it was just a bit too strange. But it does seem like the perfect combination between a deli pastrami sandwich and a pizza.
Kangaroo Pizza
Perhaps not something you'll find on most (any?) menus in the United States, kangaroo pizza is a popular meal in Australia (they even rank which is best!) Try to figure out what some of the ingredients even are, as it calls for pizza dough, caramelized onion in place of sauce, beetroot (cooked, obviously), crumbled feta, kangaroo, a lemon, and baby rocket, which is an arugula-like lettuce. (It should be noted the lemon and lettuce are not cooked into the pizza and more of a garnish. We don't want to get too crazy now, do we?) If you're curious, kangaroo reportedly tastes like a mix between venison and buffalo.
Seafood Pizza
At first glance, this looks like something you might order during the Super Bowl or after a long day at work. And then you realize there's something different about it... something that is definitely outside the comfort zone of pepperoni or extra cheese. There's... something else on there. And it's seafood. Shockingly, there are many variations on seafood pizzas, including tuna pizza (even we couldn't go there), but this seafood pizza is strange yet not entirely horrifying. It has a lot of standard ingredients but lacks something important: sauce. You just put some cheese on the dough, mix some shrimp and crabmeat with sauteed garlic and add it, then cover it with more cheese. However, you serve it with cocktail sauce. Because of course you do.
Fortunately, whether or not you like seafood, there are tons of crazy pizza options out there to try. No need to settle for plain old pepperoni again!