You'll find all the flavors of your favorite vegetarian pizza in this pizza salad! It's a healthy vegetarian salad recipe that uses tomatoes, herbs, mozzarella pearls, homemade croutons, and more to taste like pizza.
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I'm gonna go way out on a limb and say that this salad tastes just like pizza.
It even smells just like pizza. It has all the elements of a pizza except you're also eating a ton of leafy greens and feeling darn good afterwards.
Pizza salad
How can we achieve such culinary magic that allows salad to taste like pizza? Fresh mozzarella pearls give you that fresh cheese taste in easy to portion spheres.
Whole grain bread is toasted and rubbed with garlic which fills the whole room with that pizzeria aroma. Finally it's topped with an herby balsamic dressing that seems purely Italian.
This is a super easy recipe that makes a great summer dinner, work or school lunch, or side dish to just about anything (including real pizza!). It's easy to customize to what you have on hand or your personal taste, but let me show you how I like to do it!
Ingredients
For the salad
- Grape tomatoes
- Olive oil
- Kosher salt
- Freshly ground black pepper
- Baby arugula
- Baby spinach
- Basil leaves
- Kalamata olives
- Red onion
- Fresh mozzarella pearls
- Parmesan cheese
- Sourdough or whole grain bread
- Garlic
For the dressing
- Balsamic vinegar
- Olive oil
- Garlic
- Dried parsley
- Dried oregano
- Kosher salt
- Freshly ground black pepper
How to make pizza salad
- Heat olive oil in a medium pan over medium heat. Add the tomatoes, season with salt and pepper, and cook, stirring occasionally, until they begin to burst and brown. Remove from the heat and allow to cool slightly.
- While the tomatoes are cooking, assemble the dressing. Combine all dressing ingredients in a mason jar and shake until thoroughly combined.
- In a large bowl, toss arugula, spinach, basil, olives, red onion, mozzarella, and cooled tomatoes. Divide between two plates.
- Toast the bread, then rub each warm slice with the cut side of the garlic. Cut the bread into cubes and place cubes and Parmesan cheese on top of the plated salad. Serve with small cups of dressing.
Top tips
Making croutons
I'm using a cheater way to make croutons by just toasting the bread and cutting it into cubes. This leaves the croutons a little softer (like pizza crust!). If you prefer a super crunchy crouton, check out how to make croutons by my friend Melissa.
Don't add dressing until you're ready to eat
Dressing causes leafy greens to wilt, so I recommend adding the dressing right before eating. If storing leftovers, store the dressing separately from the salad.
Not all parmesan cheese is vegetarian
This is a vegetarian salad, but keep in mind that not all parmesan cheese is vegetarian because it is made with animal rennet. If this is important to you, make sure you look for a cheese made with vegetable rennet.
How to store pizza salad
Leftover salad can be stored covered in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. Store the dressing separately in a small mason jar or other covered container in the refrigerator for up to a week.
Tips for customizing pizza salad
- Use store bought croutons
- Skip the croutons entirely to make this salad gluten-free
- Swap the tomatoes for sun dried tomatoes
- Use your favorite combination of leafy greens such as romaine or spring mix
- Cook the onions with the tomatoes to tone down their flavor
- Add roasted chickpeas for protein
- Top with a drizzle of homemade pesto
FAQ
Pizza salad is made up of all the same flavors as a real pizza, but in whole food form. I'm using ingredients like red onion, tomato, mozzarella, spinach, and arugula.
Fresh mozzarella is usually sold in the fancy cheese section of the grocery store. It comes in a lot of different sizes. I chose to use the smallest (pearls).
If you see larger sizes of fresh mozzarella or burrata, you're probably close! If you can't find the pearls any of these would make a great substitute (just cut them into bite size pieces).
I use a regular vegetable peeler to shave my parmesan cheese into slices. This makes a really nice, thin sheet, but you could also just slice it with a knife if needed.
More vegetarian salad recipes
- Kale and Sweet Potato Salad
- Warm Kale and Quinoa Salad
- Vegetarian Autumn Grain Bowl
- Winter Salad with Butternut Squash
- Rainbow Quinoa Salad
- Southwest Salad
- Panzanella Salad
- Strawberry Spinach Salad
- High Protein Fresh Vegan Salad with Hummus
- Healthy Green Salad with Sriracha Peanut Dressing
- Vegan Quinoa Salad with Balsamic Tofu
- Israeli Couscous Salad with Pistachio Pesto
If you make this recipe, be sure to rate it, leave a comment, or tag #theliveinkitchen on Instagram!
Recipe
Pizza Salad
Ingredients
Salad
- 1 cup grape tomatoes
- 1 teaspoon olive oil
- coarse kosher salt
- freshly ground black pepper
- 2 cups baby arugula
- 2 cups baby spinach
- 8-10 basil leaves, torn into bite sized pieces
- 14 Kalamata olives
- ¼ small red onion, thinly sliced
- 30 fresh mozzarella pearls
- 14 small slices shaved Parmesan cheese
- 2 slices sourdough or whole grain bread
- 1 garlic clove, halved
Dressing
- ¼ cup balsamic vinegar
- 2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
- ¼ cup olive oil
- 1 garlic clove, pressed
- 1 teaspoons dried parsley
- ½ teaspoon dried oregano
- coarse kosher salt, to taste
- freshly ground black pepper, to taste
Instructions
- Heat olive oil in a medium pan over medium heat. Add the tomatoes, season with salt and pepper, and cook, stirring occasionally, until they begin to burst and brown, about 10 minutes. Remove from the heat and allow to cool slightly.
- While the tomatoes are cooking, assemble the dressing. Combine all ingredients in a mason jar or small bowl and shake or whisk until thoroughly combined.
- In a large bowl, toss arugula, spinach, basil, olives, onion, mozzarella, and cooled tomatoes. Divide between two plates.
- Toast the bread, then rub each warm slice with the cut side of the garlic. Cut the bread into cubes and place cubes and Parmesan cheese on top of the plated salad. Serve with small cups of dressing.
Baby June says
As a pizza lover, I can confirm that this salad looks incredible. Would totally eat that for a healthy lunch 🙂
Donna says
This pizza alternative looks SO yummy! Hope to try it!
Lindsay Moe says
Thanks Donna, I hope you do!
Amina | PAPER/PLATES says
This is such a great idea — satisfying the pizza craving without the guilt. Plus, gorgeous photos!
Lindsay Moe says
Thank you Amina!
Lynn @ Order in the Kitchen says
this is so creative! I love it!
Lindsay Moe says
Thanks Lynn!