This kale caesar pizza is topped with a hearty layer of mozzarella as well as a kale caesar salad complete with crispy chickpeas seasoned with smoked paprika.

Mozzarella and Kale Caesar Pizza with Crispy Chickpeas

Ten year old me would be wide-eyed, slack-jawed, and – honestly now – downright horrified at the prospect that I would someday eat salad on a pizza.

And, WILLINGLY at that.

Mozzarella and Kale Caesar Pizza with Crispy Chickpeas

It was the kind of thing my mom would always order on Friday pizza night and my brother and I would be like “WHY MUST YOU RUIN EVERYTHING GOOD WITH SALAD?!?!”

Mozzarella and Kale Caesar Pizza with Crispy Chickpeas

That was then, this is now and I’m 30 and I kind of like salad.

Oh, how times have changed.

But also kind of stayed this same, because this is absolutely nothing like the salad pizza I remember my mom eating when I was a kid.

Mozzarella and Kale Caesar Pizza with Crispy Chickpeas

That was literally salad piled on top of pizza dough.

This is pizza dough crust piled high with melted mozzarella and then topped slivers of Caesar-drenched lacinato kale, olive oil-crisped smoked paprika-seasoned chickpeas, and the sexiest parmesan shavings you ever did see.

TOTALLY DIFFERENT.

And definitely not pizza salad history repeating itself.

Definitely, definitely not.

Mozzarella and Kale Caesar Pizza with Crispy Chickpeas

Mozzarella and Kale Caesar Pizza with Crispy Chickpeas
 
This kale caesar pizza is topped with a hearty layer of mozzarella as well as a kale caesar salad complete with crispy chickpeas seasoned with smoked paprika.
Yield: 4 servings
Ingredients
For the pizza crust
  • 1 tbsp active dry yeast
  • pinch of sugar
  • 1 cup lukewarm water, divided
  • 3 cups bread flour
  • 2 tsp sea salt
  • 2 tbsp olive oil
For the pizza topping
  • 8 oz mozzarella, grated
  • 1 bunch lacinato kale, stems removed and leaves thinly sliced
  • ½ cup Caesar dressing
  • 2 tbsp olive oil
  • 14 oz canned chickpeas, drained
  • 1 tsp smoked paprika
  • salt and black pepper, to taste
  • parmesan shavings, to garnish
Instructions
  1. In a small bowl, combine the yeast with a pinch of sugar and ¼ cup lukewarm water, stirring to combine. Let sit for 5 minutes. If it becomes foamy, then the yeast is alive and raring to go! If not, then the yeast is probably dead or too old and your dough won't rise, so go buy more.
  2. In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the bread hook attachment, combine the flour, yeast/water mixture, remaining ¾ cup water, olive oil, and salt. Stir on medium speed until dough comes together. Stir on medium-high speed for five minutes. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and let rise in a warm place until doubled in size, about 2 hours.
  3. Heat oven to 500F.
  4. Rub a 12-inch pizza pan with olive oil. When the dough has risen, spread it out over the prepared pan. Top with the grated mozzarella, leaving a ½-inch crust around the edges. Place in the oven and bake for 10-12 minutes or until the bottom of the pie starts to brown.
  5. Meanwhile, toss together the kale slivers and Caesar dressing in a medium bowl. Massage the dressing into the kale for 2-3 minutes, or until the kale softens.
  6. Heat the olive oil in a medium pan over medium-high heat. Pour the chickpeas into the pan along with the smoked paprika and a pinch of salt and black pepper, to taste. Saute for 5-6 minutes, or until crispy. Add to the bowl with the kale and toss until well combined.
  7. Once pizza is done, remove it from the oven and top immediately with the kale mixture. Cut into 8 slices, top with parmesan shavings, and serve warm.
Notes
An Eats Well With Others Original

Check out these recipes for more fun ways with Caesar:

Kale and Brussels Sprout Caesar Salad with Parmesan Toasts

Caesar Salad with Polenta Croutons

Fusilli Caesar Salad

Kale Caesar Salad with Hard-Boiled Eggs

Crunchy Kale Caesar Salad

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8 Responses to Mozzarella and Kale Caesar Pizza with Crispy Chickpeas

  1. Haha my childhood self would be doing the same thing, but now I cannot wait to dig in!

  2. Julia says:

    Way I see it, if the toppings are even the slightest bit healthy, that makes the whole thing GO for mega consumption. I’m 200% on board with a kale caesar pizza, yes ma’am! And those crispy chickpeas are playing some serious tunes to my heartstrings.

  3. Pam says:

    Oh yeah… this is totally my kind of pizza! As a kid I would have laughed this pizza off the table…Now I would gobble it down!

  4. Kate says:

    I love both your version of salad pizza and your mother’s version. I’m easy. I love salad on pizza.

  5. Sues says:

    omg this is my dream pizza. For real; Caesar salad pizza is my favorite!! I made a super similar salad to this last week (with lacinato and crispy chickpeas!) and put it on a piece of naan and it was heaven.

  6. This is so creative! My husband doesn’t like kale, so I will try it with spinach instead. Thank you!

  7. Two things I love in life are pizza and kale ceasar salads… match made in heaven!

  8. Zainab says:

    Hhahah! I will eat pizza no matter what’s on it!

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