This Caesar Salad Pizza combines the famous Caesar salad with a simple cheesy pizza to create a delicious 30-minute meal. We’re using a shortcut (naan bread) in place of regular pizza dough to have dinner on the table in a flash!
Caesar Salad Pizza in 30-minutes
Say hello to another short-cut naan bread pizza recipe! These Margherita Pizza and Pesto Pizza recipes are both frequently made in my home and now we’ve got another to add to the rotation: Caesar Salad Pizza!
These pizzas are so fast to make, relatively healthy, delicious, and the whole family loves them. Making pizza crust from scratch is not too difficult or time consuming, but it does require raising time and a longer bake time. So, these “cheater” pizzas are a lifesaver and one I rely on frequently.
Naturally, we change up the pizza flavors and toppings often to keep dinnertime interesting. So when there’s a combo the whole family is begging for more of, it shows up here. These Caesar salad pizzas are just that — loaded with flavor and totally crave-worthy.
How to make Caesar Salad Pizzas with naan bread
- Start by grilling or sautéing chicken breast– nothing too fancy here. I simply drizzle the uncooked chicken with olive oil and sprinkle on salt, pepper, and lemon pepper. Cook the chicken, allow it to slightly cool, and then thinly slice. Alternatively, use rotisserie chicken to save even more time.
- Next, toast the naan bread with a little olive oil. For these pizzas, I always use Stonefire® naan (not sponsored). You can choose from original, whole-grain naan, or roasted garlic. Any of these works for this pizza, but we prefer the original or roasted garlic. In our local grocery store, the naan bread is typically in the bakery section with fresh loaves of bread and rolls.
- While the naan bread is in the oven, thinly slice the mozzarella cheese and grate the Parmesan cheese.
- On top of the toasted naan bread, divide out the mozzarella cheese, thinly sliced chicken, and Parmesan.
- While the pizza is baking, the Caesar salad can be assembled. Chop the lettuce and toss it with the Caesar dressing. And if you like, add in some more Parmesan flakes and croutons.
- Let the pizzas cool a bit out of the oven and then top with the salad. Cut into slices and enjoy!
Caesar salad dressing
I’m obsessed with the Caesar salad dressing recipe I’ve included in the recipe, but it does add to overall prep time for this recipe. I usually make a double batch of the dressing and use it on a few other recipes throughout the week, so if the dressing is already prepped in the fridge, these Caesar salad pizzas come together quickly.
If you don’t want to make your own dressing or want to keep things as simple as possible, I recommend Marzetti’s® Caesar Salad dressing (not sponsored). It is typically found in the produce section of the grocery store or with refrigerated dips and dressings.
Quick Tip
How is Julius Caesar connected to Caesar salad? Well, he’s not! Caesar Cardini invented this salad. He was an Italian immigrant who operated restaurants in Mexico and the United States.
Caesar Salad Pizza tips
- Thoroughly dry the romaine lettuce before tossing it with the dressing. If the salad is at all wet from being washed, it will water down the dressing and the pizza.
- If time permits, chill the washed (and dried) lettuce and also the Caesar salad dressing. Add this topping straight from the fridge.
- Not too much cheese: Go lighter than you might think on the mozzarella cheese. Since the crust isn’t very thick, the cheese can easily overload it. I recommend very thin slices and about 1.5 ounces total of mozzarella cheese per pizza.
- Grate the Parmesan cheese with a microplane. This gives the cheese the best possible texture and it melts perfectly over the naan bread.
- Watch closely: Ovens differ, naan bread differs, etc. so watch the pizzas carefully. As soon as the cheese melts, pull them out.
- Eat quickly: Don’t let these pizzas sit around for long after being baked or they will get soggy. Eat them fresh from of the oven!
Variation ideas
- Add some heat by sprinkling red pepper flakes on top.
- Add freshly minced garlic — sprinkle on right after adding the olive oil (before baking for the first time). A sprinkle of garlic powder would also work.
- For a lower-calorie Caesar salad pizza, use a lite Caesar salad dressing.
- Instead of cooking or grilling chicken for these pizzas, use leftover chicken from another recipe or purchase a rotisserie chicken from the store. We like lemon-pepper-seasoned chicken best on these pizzas.
Quickest Caesar Salad Pizza prep
While there are lots of shortcut ideas throughout the post, here’s the ultimate short-cut mash-up: get a lemon pepper seasoned rotisserie chicken, naan bread, and a Caesar salad kit (typically found with bagged lettuce and other salad kits). With all these shortcuts, you can have Caesar Salad Pizzas on the table in about 15 minutes!
How many servings does this recipe make?
While I’ve done my best to include measurements in the recipe, this pizza recipe is more a matter of adding however much of whatever you like. Eyeball the amounts to fill up the naan bread. This recipe is also easy to scale up or down, so you can make as many pizzas as you’d like. In our home, the boys share one pizza, my husband can eat one plus a half of another, and I’ll usually eat one full pizza.
More super-fast recipes
- Chicken Salad served on croissants
- Quiche Lorraine in a pre-made crust
- Egg Skillet with potatoes and peppers
- Creamy Pesto Pasta with sun-dried tomatoes
- Red and White Pasta only four ingredients
Caesar Salad Pizza
Equipment
- Blender
Ingredients
Caesar Salad Dressing
Pizzas
- 1 7-ounces chicken breast see note 1
- 1 teaspoon olive oil for the chicken
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon lemon pepper
- 1 (8.8-ounce) package naan bread
- 1 teaspoon olive oil divided
- 3 ounces whole milk mozzarella cheese very thinly sliced
- 4 tablespoons finely grated Parmesan cheese
- 1 head romaine lettuce
- Toppings as desired see note 2
Instructions
- Add all the dressing ingredients to a blender jar. Blend until smooth. Taste and adjust any flavors to personal preference. Cover the finished dressing and place it in the fridge to chill and intensify.
- Pat the chicken breast dry with a paper towel or napkin. Cut the chicken in half horizontally to create two equal-sized pieces. If needed, pound the chicken to ensure even thickness. Drizzle about 1/2 teaspoon of olive oil on each side, then season evenly with salt, pepper, and lemon pepper on both sides.
- Cook the chicken on a grill or pan for 3-5 minutes per side over medium-high heat, or until the juices run clear. It’s fine if the chicken isn’t fully cooked through to 165°F since it will cook further in the oven. Once done, remove it and tent with foil. Let it cool for 5 minutes before slicing very thinly.
- Preheat the oven to 400℉. Set the naan bread on the cookie sheet. Lightly drizzle with olive oil, about 1/2 teaspoon per naan. Bake in the oven for 2 minutes and then remove.
- While naan is baking, thinly slice the mozzarella and grate the Parmesan cheese. Remove the naan bread from the oven after 2 minutes and evenly spread the mozzarella cheese across the top, about 1/3 cup per naan bread. Evenly spread the sliced chicken across the top. Sprinkle about 2 tablespoons Parmesan cheese across the top of each pizza.
- Return pizzas in the oven for 6-8 minutes, or until cheese is melted.
- Coarsely chop the Romaine lettuce. Wash and thoroughly dry. Toss with the prepared dressing, add as much as you'd like. Chill until ready to eat.
- Cut the pizza into slices and generously spoon the salad over each slice. Add optional croutons and additional Parmesan cheese. Drizzle any additional dressing over the pizza if desired. Serve immediately.
Recipe Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
What a great idea. I love pizza and Caesar salad so why not put them together. Also love the time cutting ideas to keep this a great weeknight recipe. Thanks!
This is my favorite salad. And it’s AMAZING as a pizza. I never thought of having it that way before. Thanks for this creative and delicious idea!
Mmm..two of my favorites!! Who knew caesar salad on pizza would be so good!
This looks AMAZING, and so does everything on your site…my kind of food!