Spark inspiration from some of the best pizza mashups of all time

Your pizza kitchen is an experimental food lab. Creativity in pizzerias has never been higher, and we love to see it. Mashups are a perfect way to get outside of the traditional pizza toppings mindset and experiment. Inspiration can come from other cuisines, famous dishes, local favorites and beyond.

The key to a successful mashup is to create local and regional buzz and leave your guests either wanting to see the special again or see it on the regular menu. Getting started with a mashup is easy, you can go with classic mashup favorites and put your spin on it or you can drill down to a local focus and create something unique to your area.

Here are three inspirations for pizza mashups to test in your kitchen:

1. Collaborate with another in-demand restaurant or other food purveyor.

Want to create demand for your monthly or weekly special? Partnering with another restaurant or food purveyor can create instant buzz in your community and help you stand out from every other pizzeria in the country. This is also a fantastic way to create a collaborative spirit within your restaurant community. Executed effectively and area restaurants will line up with partner with you on your next mashup.

Besides your pizzeria, of course, who has lines out the door for that one dish? There are restaurants near you that are the go-to for certain items. What foods are people in your area going crazy for on social media? Peruse review sites for other hot local restaurants and their popular dishes.

 Besides restaurants, there are plenty of other food purveyors to partner with for your next mashup. Maybe it’s a farmer’s market, butcher, bakery, cheese shop, specialty grocery, food truck and more. Take an inventory of what is available to you and what will work for your customers.

2. Recreate a local favorite.

This can be anything. What is your community known for? In Baltimore, it may be crab cakes. New Orleans has both the po’ boy and muffuletta. More iconic foods include: Cincinnati/chili, Boston/clam chowder, Chicago/Italian Beef, Key West/key lime pie, Nashville/hot chicken, and the list goes on. Here in Louisville, it’s the Hot Brown. The what? Traditionally served on toast, it features turkey, a mornay sauce, bacon, sliced tomato and shredded cheese baked until golden brown. Look around your area and you’ll find that it’s known for something from fried chicken or barbecue to perogies or cheese curds.

3. Add your spin on some of the all-time best mashups.

There are some pizza mashups that have a proven record to be hits in many markets. You can lean into these “classics”. But I encourage you not to go basic. Let your pizzeria’s culinary prowess shine.

• Chicken & Waffles. This breakfast mashup has become a classic with so many opportunities to change it up, from using hot chicken to using large Belgian waffles
• Poutine. A Canadian favorite of cheese curds, French fries and brown gravy has lots options, including adding brisket.
• Philly Cheesesteak. With or without Cheese Wiz, this one is an absolute favorite and has made many regular menus.
• Taco Pizza. This classic mashup can be altered to any taco style, from carne asada and chorizo to carnitas and birria.
• Chicken Tikki Masala. This mashup is growing in popularity. Check out a recipe below for you to experiment with.
• Smash burger Pizza. Everyone knows a cheeseburger pizza, but people are all about smash burgers. See what you can come up with here.
• Jalapeno Popper Pizza. This might just be the best appetizer turned pizza. The addictive flavors have so many possibilities.
• Italian Beef. The Chicago favorite is fantastic as a pizza. Offer it with hot or mild giardiniera.

Chicken Tikki Masala Pizza

This pizza provides the perfect opportunity for you to partner with your best local Indian restaurant or specialty grocery. Collaborate with them on the tikki masala sauce. This saves on labor and provides a great cross-collaborative marketing opportunity. Work with them to find a heat level that works for your clientele. You can always go lower on heat and offer to intensify the heat by request. In this recipe, there is a marinade for the chicken. This is another area you could partner with the Indian restaurant, as well. Experiment with this pizza to find the right balance. Go as traditional as you want with the mashup or apply your culinary creativity.

Get the Chicken Tikki Masala Pizza recipe.

Denise Greer Is Executive Editor at Pizza Today.