Favourite pizza topping combos?

[AmandaEd]

I can go "haute" but I can also go as trailer-park as they come with my favourite pizza topping combinations. What are your faves?

[slacker]

Anchovies and green bell peppers.

[swissfoodie]

Bacon, ricotta, spinach and mushrooms and preferably on a thin crust.

[Marianna215]

Spinach and onions!

[SarahEats]

I love buffalo chicken pizza (made by cooking chicken in Frank's hot sauce and slathering the crust with blue cheese dressing) but my new favorite is broccoli pizza with dollops of ricotta. I cook the broccoli with red pepper flakes so there's a slight kick.

[roasted138]

That sounds delicious! How do you cook the chicken in the hot sauce.

[okeefej1]

Here is a good recipe if you like buffalo chicken! (calzone!)
(Get a bag of buffalo chicken in the freeze section or get some from the deli.)
roll out you dough for a large pizza.
Put cut up chicken, blue cheese crumbles, franks hot sauce, mozzarella cheese and if you want to make your calzone juicier in the middle add some blue cheese dressing. I do not measure anything out but you want to have a nice stuffed calzone.
Fold the dough in half, pinch the seam and bake!

Enjoy!!! This is called a blue zone!!!

[Kitchen Queen]

Alfredo sauce, shrimp and sliced tomatoes. YUM!

[Jim Washburn]

1. Anchovies and green olives
2. Alfredo sauce, artichoke hearts, garlic, and jalapeños

[luv2bake]

More "haute" - homemade white olive oil with spinach, garlic, and feta cheese

More traditional - pepperoni, ground (breakfast) sausage and/or ground beef, and jalapeno

Also bacon pizza.

[another_adam]

haute:
- very thinly sliced potatoes, anchovies, and artichokes
- grape and gorgonzola, a la a recent bon appetit issue
- curry yoghurt sauce with green onions (tandoori chicken optional), a la zante's in SF

comfort:
- kimchi!

[GDSinPA]

Raw potatoes? Hmm. Sounds interesting.

[another_adam]

If sliced thin enough (we're basically talking mandoline thin here) and tossed with a little olive oil and seasoning, they get plenty cooked enough in a pizza-hot oven!

[penguinista]

This is a pain to make, but roasted potatoes, caramelized onions, rosemary and some kind of pepperoni or sausage...

[luv2bake]

YUM-MY! Even without the meat.

[ll2115]

mmm! I agree with the carmelized onions...and thinly sliced salami, arugula, some tiny sweet tomatoes...

[cooknKate]

spinach, chicken and garlic, no tomato sauce

sun dried tomatoes, roasted red peppers, and fresh mozzarella on a crust spread with olive tapenade

fresh veggies (any combination) on a crust topped with thin tomato slices (again, no tomato sauce)

and for my standard pizza toppings:
sausage and green peppers

[swsidejim]

Italian Sausage and mushrooms

or

italian sausage, italian beef, green peppers, and giardineria peppers..

[AnneM]

goat cheese or feta with either julienne roasted peppers or sundried tomatoes

[ElizabethHenton]

Balsamic soaked figs, sliced razor thin. Artichoke hearts and fennel under parma proscuitto with a generous sprinkling of gorgonzola and drizzled virgin olive oil

[andlulu]

Veggie Pepperoni
Onions
Red & Yellow peppers
Fresh Mozz
Pink Sauce
Cream Cheese (thin layer spread onto pizza dough before sauce)
Artichokes
Feta
Shrimp

I don't put this all at once just combinations of some.

I do always put pink sauce & cream cheese though - the textures are incredible.

[BJE]

what the heck is "Pink Sauce"?

[andlulu]

red sauce that has been mixed with cream, sour cream..etc.

[mels]

Eggplant and crumbled Italian sausage
Pepperoni and chopped Kalamata olives
Bacon (precooked) and broccoli
Mushroom, onion (both precooked) and peppers

[shanagain]

Pepperoni and mushrooms (lightly sauteed in olive oil, fresh, or even canned) and a drizzle of good extra virgin olive oil.

[foodrocks]

Bacon and green olives. Smoked Andouille sausage.

[RShea78]

-----

For me is a blend of "real pork" smoked sausage and a regular seasoned breakfast type. Combo meat, in other words.

If anyone has used the smoked sausage it is a rather rich topping. It is a must to press the grease out, to the point of being dry and crumbly. Purnell makes a bulk chub and others make smoked links. Links need to be ground in a food processor prior to parboiling. Parboiling will assist in pressing out the grease if cheese cloth or from some clean scrap cloth.

Why the trouble, you probably are asking... It is 3 times better than a bacon and regular sausage pizza. The smoked sausage is a trade off from the bacon in this recipe.

Green pepper and onion is a second favorite combo topping, but after the combo meat.

-----

[marshmallow78]

Artichoke hearts and mushrooms

[lollya]

sauerkraut and pineapple
mashed potatoes, diced fresh tomatoes, garlic and droplets of feta.

[coleyas]

Ham and pineapple, hands down.

[amopdx]

gorgonzola, art hearts, prosciutto, red onion, tomato

or
sundried tomato, kalamata olives, art hearts, spinach, feta on pesto base

[Pampatz]

eggplant, fresh tomato, basil and feta on thin crust with alfredo sauce
carmelized onion with red sauce and mozzarella on thick cracked black pepper crust
Pepperoni & mushroom on thick crust

[mepolo]

Italian sausage, peppers - both sweet & hot, and onions...extra cheese!

[ngardet]

Layered olive oil, sage leaves, paper thin sliced potatoes, salt, pepper and fontina on thin crust.

[chef chicklet]

cheese/fresh basil/rosemary and cold tomatoes

[saridt]

Mozzarella, spinach, artichoke hearts, garlic & red onion w/red sauce on a very thin crust

[eric2]

Carmelized onions, kalamata onions (finely chopped), asiago and parmesan. No sauce.

[geg5150]

peppers and ham

But my absolute fave is plain ol' cheese with plenty of crushed pepper.

[cheesymama]

Pesto, wood roasted artichokes, sundried tomatoes, proscuitto. Now I have to go make pizza!

[mrbozo]

Parsley pesto (with a 2 to 1 ratio of pecorino to Parmesan) as a base, topped with thinly sliced zucchini and chopped anchovies.

[othervoice]

I used to be a pepperoni w/extra cheese until I found this combination.

grilled chicken breast
mushrooms
red/green bell pepper
thin sliced red onion

all layered on a bed of white garlic sauce, (similar to Alfredo) with thick crust.

[Aromatherapy]

Shredded canned tomato (no sauce), carmelized onions, very thinly sliced thin-skinned orange. Top cooked pizza with anchovies, olives, or proscuitto.

[eleaticstranger]

My mom's a fan of pepperoni, green pepper, and black olive. That's pretty good. I go for straight pepperoni (boring, I know), though in Hawaii I got turned on to pepperoni and pineapple. It's great, though not the sort of thing I have too often...

[rockhopper]

Tomato sauce and mozzarella.

[Bill on Capitol Hill]

Ham and green olives or ham and pepperoncini.

[slynnkiino]

mozzarella, ricotta, anchovies, red pepper flakes (no tomato sauce). But it must be on a good NY-style pie.

--Sarah
http://www.avenuefood.com

[Chocolatechipkt]

Trader Joe's roasted red pepper-artichoke heart spread makes a great pizza topping (also good mixed into pasta.) I use that instead of sauce sometimes. Artichoke hearts by themselves are great too.

[GDSinPA]

Tomato and bacon

Sausage and pineapple

Garlic, olive oil, lime, avacado, and fried green tomatoes (no red sauce)

[NovoCuisine]

Sardines, red onions, black olives.

It's my standby topping list, something I can get when I order pizza just about anywhere. I enjoy trying different things where I can get it, but if someone's ordering a pizza that's my request. Now, ask me if my friends usually comply.

[Scagnetti]

Believe me, you do a disservice to a good pizza by putting a bunch of glop on it. What's a good pizza you say? One that's made with the proper ingredients:
- Homemade dough using high gluten flour
- Tinned San Marzano DOP tomatoes or close substitute
- Quality mozzarella

See the folks at this site, that's where I learned it.
http://www.pizzamaking.com/

[piccola]

I agree that you shouldn't put too much stuff on a single pie, but as far as ingredients go, I say all's fair. But I'm a sucker for wild mushrooms.

[primebeefisgood]

The very best pizza I've ever eaten was at a place in Redlands, CA. (Named the Gay 90's, I think, but, it has been 33 years, and, my memory may be fading) --They had large chunks of Italian sausage, pepperoni, onions, peppers, and CHASHEWS; it was fabuous, and has taught me that cashews belong on pizza!

[Jabber95125]

Your memory is pretty good...EXCEPT there were no peppers on that pizza...it was sausage, pepperoni, onions and cashews. It was called the "Dave's Special".....and I've been on a quest since I moved from Redlands in 1983 to find anything as good. So far, I've failed. It was the Holy Grail of Pizzas, the Best There Ever Was.....and mimicked but never duplicated at other Inland Empire pizzerias....I've tried pizza at the famous NY and Chicago establishments and everyplace else from coast to coast without finding an equal.

[Alicia]

A homemade crust spread with olive oil, sliced garlic, and basil; then topped with feta, black olives, pickled banana peppers, cubed fresh tomatoes, and red onions (if you fancy them, I perper without).

[thinks too much]

Homemade crust with olive oil, garlic, carmelized onions, blue chees and toasted walnuts or hazelnuts.

[NeNePie]

I put a feta walnut pizza - thin crust, olive oil base, mozzarella, feta, drizzled after cooking with walnut oil and sprinkled with toasted walnuts, no tomato sauce - on the menu at my pizza restaurant. Only one person has dared order it in the three months or so it's been on the menu. What a shame, because nuts really work on certain pizzas. On the other hand, the goat cheese/pine nut combinations sell really well.

[repartee]

pyrogy pizza - potato, bacon, garlic and sour cream but i live in japan where they have wild and wonderful toppings. squid and black olive with shiso isn't bad at all.

[Jimbosox04]

Mine would be Roasted Red Peppers and Chorizo with a touch of Feta

[mrsmegawatt]

Carmelized onions and prosciutto

[fayehess]

My favorite pizza of all time is either Naples style san marzano tomatoe, buffalo milk mozzarella and fresh basil and beautiful extra virgin olive oil, or boscaiolo, which is done in one of the best pizzarias in Italy, in Perugia no less, called Metropolitano. (I think the owner and pizza makers (both the dough guy and the equally important wood burning oven guy) are from Naples, so there you go.) The pizza is fresh artichoke, mushroom, roasted red pepper, roasted eggplant, fresh moz., basil, and parmigiano reggiano. The serve it with the perfect dry, and just a little bit frizzante, white wine. It's giving me a heavy heart just thinking about the place. fayefood.com

[Jpan99]

When ordering out, eggplant and carmalized onions...or mushroom, onion and meatball.

At home, I make grilled pizza in the summer with vidalia fig and onion sauce from Stonewall Kitchen, prosciutto and goat cheese.

[rekha]

thin base. puttanesca sauce, pepperoni, anchovies, capers, green olives, chillie flakes, raw red onion. yum yum.

[bakergal]

(No sauce) Smoked mozzarella + sauteed onions + black pepper. In the hot oven, the onions get brown and crisp on the ends, and, oh so good!

[GrillNextDoor]

Chicken, carmelized onions and crumbled blue or smoked gouda on bbq sauce
OR
fried eggplant rounds with olives

[Bunson]

linguica and pastrami if I want extra meaty richness
beef and onion
fresh tomato and fresh garlic
and sometimes I just feel like extra cheese, extra sauce, and an ice cold pepsi

[wino22]

LOTS of goat cheese, roasted peppers, fresh basil, and mozzarella.

Gorgonzola, bacon, dried apples, and red onion.

Pesto sauce with dollops of ricotta cheese, sun-dried tomato, fresh tomato, and carmelized onion.

[scuzzo]

I like your ideas a lot!

[bigmackdaddy]

Crumbled Wise BBQ an Onion & Garlic potato chips, or a room temp can of Franco American spagetii, or HoJo's (or the like) fried clams pan fried in a ton of butter with some garlic powder,or extra cheese, onions and pepperoni slightly burnt on top. Sometimes a combo of the above. Always with a well done crust.

[jfood]

half smokey bacon, half sausage/peppers

please do not get jfood started on foo-foo pizza with pineapple, hazlenuts, and all the other stuff. it's perfectly acceptable as a food concept but please do not use the name pizza.

[TexasToast]

Not a CPK fan then jfood?

I like a bit of pinapple and banana peppers with some baby spinach.

TT

[Lyndalh]

I had this combo at Woodfire Pizza in Sydney years ago (mid nineties) and have never forgotten how good it was. Black Forest Ham with Brie, tomato salsa and sliced avocado. More like a wood fired flat bread really but man it was good!

[Pylon]

grilled chicken, bacon and tomato...maybe some spinach, if it is laying around.

[Agent Orange]

Grilled chicken, roasted red peppers, and sun-dried tomatoes on a pesto sauce.

[litchick]

Tonight's "farmer's market" pizza, from bottom to top: garlic & herb crust; thinly sliced rounds of cousa squash; thinly sliced fennel; diced mushrooms; chopped scallions; seeded diced fresh tomatoes, left to marinate for 30 min with minced garlic, e.v. olive oil, good balsamic, salt, pepper, parsely, and sage; chunks of spicy lamb sausage (also from the farmer's market); aleppo pepper flakes; a drizzle of olive oil; and after it emerged from the oven, a sprinkling of finely fresh chopped basil, thyme, and chives. Yum!

[firecooked]

Corn (fresh cut from the cob), spicy Italian salami, a few thin sliced onions... thin crust with a bit of olive oil and fontina cheese. A wonderful sweet - spicy taste.

[rcallner]

I like the basics best (i.e. a great marguerita) - BUT - when I'm cooking, and I don't claim to be a great pizza cook, there's something pretty fabulous about a base of homemade pesto covered with butterflied prawns, mushrooms, fresh parmesan.

[rcallner]

and fresh mozzarella

[jnk]

I make a couple of pizza's that I like, the first using caponata instead of tomato sauce and the other (my favorite) is crushed whole canned tomatoes (get rid of as much of the liquid as you can), moz and smoked oysters (yup, the ones in the flat can). Sounds odd, but it's delicious.

[ChocolateStar]

Jalapeno pepper and pineapple is always a hit at my house.

[skechada]

My favorite lately is grilled chicken (seasoned with garlic, olive oil, salt and pepper), ricotta cheese, basil, and bacon over red sauce and mozzarella parmigiano. Of course, I usually "hide" the basil under the cheese layer to keep it flavorful.

And a bacon and carmelized (or not) onion pizza is fantastic, too.

[jinet12]

My everyday favorite is good ol pepperoni...but occasionally there is just nothing better than a pizza topped with goat cheese, arugula, and red onion...Ummm

[Emme]

Right now it's garlic olive oil topped with gruyere, caramelized onions, baked butternut squash slices, then baked, and five minutes before done, add fried (in butter) sage strips and parmesan bread crumbs and return to over to brown.

Also love sundried tomato tapenade, grilled garlic eggplant, ricotta cheese, fontina, mozzarella, and parmesan.

[bakergal]

Emme, that first one sounds divine! I MUST try that. Do you leave the skin on the squash? Are the Parm breadcrumbs made from Parm bread, or are they plain breadcrumbs mixed with Parm? Sorry for all the questions, but I want to get this right. Thanks for your help!

[Emme]

I peel the butternut squash, then slice it into rounds, layer it on a baking sheet, and bake until almost done.

While it's baking, I heat olive oil in a pan, and stirfry it with garlic. I also caramelize the onions separately. At the same time, I heat some butter and sometimes combine with olive oil in a pan and fry the sage strips until crispy.

Take pizza dough and spread with garlic olive oil. Layer on gruyere, then caramelized onions, butternut squash rounds, a little more gruyere (can also add mozzarella if you like), then bake til almost done. I mix up regular bread crumbs (or pankos if I've got em) with grated parmesan cheese. Sprinkle the cheesy crumbs and the sage strips on top of the pizza and bake til golden brown. [Personally I can't stand blue cheese, but for my best friend who loves it, I will also add blue cheese crumbles when I add the crumbs and sage.]

Happy Pizza-ing! Hope that helps!

[bakergal]

Thanks for such good details, Emme. That just keeps sounding better and better! And the weekend is coming up -- how fortunate!

[ArikaDawn]

When I lived in Palm Beach I always got the chicken spinaci at my fave pizza joint. It consisted of extremely garlicky olive oil, mozzarella, baby spinach, grilled chicken, finely diced bacon, incredibly thinly sliced onion, and very finely diced tomatoes. And yes, the dice size and degree of slice made ALL the difference =)

[bakergal]

So many of you have mentioned spinach as a favorite ingredient. Is that raw spinach or cooked spinach? Is it mixed with oil or garlic or anything? Is it chopped or shredded? Sorry, but this is just all new to me (obviously!).

[TexasToast]

Sauteed in some garlic, butter, olive oil, with a dash of nutmeg and a squeeze of lemon. It just makes it so much more interesting.

Or, you can use baby spinach and just let the heat of the pizza wilt it.

TT

[bakergal]

Thanks, TexasToast. I'll have to try both ways. The whole idea is very intriguing...

[rcallner]

Second that recommendation for the spinach - sauteed and juicy, it's wonderful on pizza

[fyoulady]

I only use a very thin layer of red sauce, mozzarella and goat cheese, pesto on top, baby shrimp and chopped black olives YUMMMMM

[cats]

Bacon, Banana,Garlic,Feta+Buffalo Mozzarella!

[Megiac]

Haute: I just like a simple margherita with tomatoes (not tomato sauce!), buffalo mozarrella, and basil.

Basic: Pepperoni, tomatoes, and onion

[Chew on That]

I usually do one ingredient pizzas with my favorite ingredients: pineapple or mushroom, but I've never tried the two together!

[mixmastermidori]

I've had prosciutto and marscapone pizza, but I can't remember what else was on it. Is fresh basil and olive oil enough, or should I add other cheeses? Thanks!

[mariekeac]

The way I've always had it at italian places was with tomato sauce & mozzarella. They were just very thin crust pizzas with a very thin layer of the tomato sauce & a little sprinkle of mozzarella. tasty!!

[Beignets]

reading all the creative responses, mine is terribly boring, but here's my combo:

cracklin' bacon -- HAS TO BE cracklin'
blackened chicken or shrimp
thinly cut pineapple, sometimes briefly charred before it's cut

on a thin crust pizza. oh, and the sauce has got to be fresh, not canned tasting.

amazingly enough, i've successfully trained my local pizza parlor to do this for me. Of course, they charge quite abit extra.

[TexasToast]

Bacon is good, but lately, TT's been using oak-roasted cherry tomatoes which when crisp, have tons of smokey flavor, but less calories than bacon.

TT

[evansmom]

There's a place where I live that does ground beef, tons of prosciutto, red pepper, onion, cheddar, and provolone on a thick crust with some dried basil in it. I might choose that one for my last meal it's so good.

[jword2001]

extra cheese, mushrooms, olives, and onions....on a thin crispy ny style crust

[scuzzo]

Spinich sauteed with garlic and crumbled bacon, with Fontina.

[scuzzo]

Mix chopped garlic, EVOO and a bit of apricot jam for a THIN sauce, add cooked chicken, scallions and a white cheese.

[scuzzo]

Thousand island dressing for sauce, a little sauerkraut, corned beef or pastrami, and topped with Swiss cheese!

[rcallner]

Seriously?! On pizza?

[podunkboy]

Whole-wheat sourdough crust, alfredo sauce, chopped spinach, sliced mushroom, red bell pepper, mozzarella & asiago cheese, and a little ground black pepper. My kids like the homemade pizza so much we rarely buy pizza out anymore. I never thought I'd get them to eat spinach on a pizza, and now they ask for it.

[cecibean]

Gorgonzola dolce with toasted pignoli nuts, carmelized onions and a touch of balsamic. OR carmelized mushroom and onions, fresh thyme, talleggio cheese on a whole wheat crust. The nuttiness of the crust is a perfect complement to the cheese....now I have to make a pizza. @!@%&*!&#

[Amanita]

Classicism and simplicity: onions, green or red bell peppers, tomato sauce, parmesan, mozzarella, oregano, and olive oil.

[EllenMM]

Pesto, topped with artichoke hearts, lots of good feta cheese and grated parmesan. Sometimes I add sun-dried tomato pieces, or sauted onion, cooked until golden.

[holy chow]

Curry powder and olive oil base with kale, mozzarela, enochi mushrooms, onions and a smokey meat (ham works well).

[reannd]

All right, here's a fun fall pizza I read from a restaurant in town now that I may need to go check out so I can replicate:

Local veggie pizza: Delicata squash puree, bok choy, red beets, bell peppers, candy onions, Donnay chevre & mozzarella

[alltummy]

my absolute favourite: I cut butternut squash into small cubes, than roast with olive oil, fresh sage leaves and whole cloves of garlic. Then I top dough with a tangy tomato sauce, the squash mixture, and small dollops of goat cheese, along with some more fresh sage leaves. I could eat it forever!

[spazita]

Homemade thin crust, top with pesto , add mixture of mozza and fresh parmigiano. Top with meditteranean veggies ( diced fresh tomato, artichoke hearts, julienne tri-colour peppers, sliced red onion, marinated in garlic olive oil and basil), more cheese mix, black kalamata olives, chopped sun-dried tomato. YUM!!

[missheatha2002]

My favorite is BBQ chicken pizza. You spread your favorite BBQ sauce right on the pizza crust, top with mozzarella cheese and either baked or grilled strips of chicken. You can add peppers, onions or whatever toppings you like (think summer bbq)

[greenstate]

Call me a stick in the mud, but so many of these haute toppings, although delicious, are better suited to a panini. To me the best pizza ia a thin crunchy crust slathered with
marinara sauce, vedalia onions, succulent sausage and topped with a thick layer of mozarella and provolone cheese. Drooling....

[jmullen1251]

pizza's on the brain since i'm making it tonight for din - i do a variation of a pizza that i've seen on the boards - i roast and then mash butternut squash and garlic cloves together. that's used as a base. i then top with carmelized onions, fried sage, goat cheese and sometimes prosciutto-i'm so freakin hungry right now...