7 Unexpectedly Tasty Topping Combinations for Your Next Pizza
No dish lends itself quite as well to improvisation, customization and personalization as the pizza. The first pizzas didn’t even have tomato sauce! It wasn’t until about 300 years after the inception of the word pizza that tomatoes were incorporated into Italian cuisine following the discovery of the Americas. This means that the pizza really is a blank canvas, and despite the prevalence of the typical pizza paradigm of crust, tomato sauce and mozzarella cheese, the art of pizza customization has flourished worldwide. The practice is so widespread that a make your own pizza restaurant is probably not as far as you may think. If you don’t know where to start, give these uncommon combinations a try.
The Tastiest Uncommon Pizza Topping Combos
- Gorgonzola, Applewood Bacon and Fresh Spinach is a pizza combination that remains simple, but will amaze you in the flavor and texture departments. The crisp, bland flavor of spinach has always been a great base for the pungent and squishy gorgonzola, but the applewood bacon adds another level of crunchiness with a taste profile that stacks up to the cheese.
- Ricotta with Sausage and Caramelized Onions may sound like too much flavor in one bite, but when paired with wheat bread and mushrooms this pizza dish becomes a complete experience. The wheat bread and mushrooms offset the overbearing flavors of the three main ingredients and add nuance to every bite.
- Garlic and Extra Virgin Olive Oil Sauce with Mushrooms and Mozzarella is standard fare in some Mediterranean countries, but add pear chunks and the dish becomes something else entirely. The contrast in flavors may be shocking initially, but it only lasts until you realize how great it tastes. Pear chunks with mozzarella baked on top is an uncommon but unexpectedly tasty treat.
- Alfredo Cream with Ricotta, Chicken and Applewood Bacon on Wheat Bread makes for a hearty pizza with many levels of flavor and a guaranteed full tummy afterwards. Everybody knows that everything tastes better with bacon, and it’s common knowledge that alfredo sauce and chicken make love to each other. With the addition of ricotta to the mix the pizza gets very decadent, so bake it all on wheat bread to make yourself feel better.
- BBQ Sauce and Sausages with Pineapple and Pear Chunks tastes so delicious that once you’ve had it you’ll wonder why you don’t eat more fruit on pizza. The BBQ sauce doesn’t clash at all with the pineapple and pear chunks, and the sausages make it extra juicy and flavorful.
- Artichokes with Gorgonzola and Jalapenos on Fra Diavolo Sauce is fiery pizza dish that requires a courageous soul to consume. Those brave pizza patrons are rewarded with a deep and delicious flavor profile.
- Pesto and Meatballs on Gluten-Free Bread with Caramelized Onions and Fire Roasted Red Peppers may sound like a contradiction, but the singular flavor they combine to make is anything but. The herbs, spices and garlic in the pesto are a natural flavor enhancer for the meatballs, and the gluten-free bread provides a nice counter-texture for the tasty onions and peppers.
If you are to truly become a personalized pizza connoisseur you must frequent a make your own pizza restaurant that consistently receives fresh ingredients, quality meats and makes its own dough and sauces daily from scratch. That’s the only way you can experience the melding of flavors that make tailor-made pizzas an art-form in itself. My Pie Pizza is a great example of a make your own pizza restaurant that excels in all of the criteria. They craft their pies out of Phoenix, Arizona and feature all of the listed ingredients.
