Pizza Beer Bread Salad

Layered salads are always a potluck favorite. Not only do they feed a crowd, but they are so simple to put together! This pizza beer bread salad is a pizza-inspired riff on our popular chili cornbread salad recipe. Crumbled beer bread (which you can easily make from a store-bought mix) is a stand-in for the pizza crust. The crumbled bread is layered with some of our favorite pizza toppings, including tomatoes, green peppers, olives, pepperoni and, of course, mozzarella cheese. A creamy, tangy, pizza sauce–flavored ranch dressing brings it all together.

Pizza Beer Bread Salad Ingredients

• Beer bread mix: To make prep as easy as possible, use a prepackaged beer bread mix. Along with the dry mix, you will need unsalted butter and a 12-ounce beer. I recommend using a light lager, such as a pilsner. To give the bread a little pizza flavor, stir Italian seasoning, garlic powder and onion powder into the batter.
• Pizza ranch dressing: A pizza-inspired ranch dressing made with mayonnaise, sour cream, buttermilk, pizza sauce, Italian seasoning, ground parsley, minced garlic, crushed red pepper flakes, salt and pepper helps to bring all the salad flavors together. It adds a subtle tang and red sauce flavor of its own to the salad.
• Cannellini beans: Also known as white kidney beans, these mild legumes add a punch of protein to the pizza beer bread salad.
• Fresh veggies: A combination of chopped plum tomatoes, green peppers and sliced green onions adds a fresh flavor and toothsome crunch to the salad.
• Pepperoni: What’s pizza without a little pepperoni? Use mini pepperoni, or cut full-size pepperoni into quarters to make bite-size pieces.
• Roasted red peppers: Chopped roasted red peppers add a sweet and slightly smoky flavor to the salad.
• Black olives: You will need a small can (2-1/4 ounces) of sliced black olives for this salad. The olives add a briny, savory flavor to the salad—just like they do to a supreme pizza.
• Mozzarella cheese: This recipe calls for bagged shredded mozzarella, but you could use fresh mozzarella pearls or bite-size pieces of fresh mozzarella instead.

Directions

Step 1: Bake the beer bread

Preheat the oven to 350°F. In a large bowl, whisk together the beer bread mix, Italian seasoning, onion powder and garlic powder. Stir in the beer until the batter is just combined (it will be lumpy). Transfer the batter to a greased 8-inch square baking pan. Drizzle it with the melted butter. Bake the bread until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean, 30 to 35 minutes. Cool it in the pan for 10 minutes before removing it and transferring it to a wire rack to cool completely.

After the beer bread has cooled, cut it into quarters. In a small bowl, crumble one quarter of the bread, and set it aside. Cut the remaining beer bread into squares.

Step 2: Make the dressing

In a small bowl, stir together the mayonnaise, sour cream, buttermilk, pizza sauce, Italian seasoning, dried parsley, minced, garlic, crushed red pepper, salt and pepper.

Step 3: Layer the salad

To assemble the salad, sprinkle 1 cup of the reserved crumbs into a greased 3-quart baking dish. Layer with half each of the beer bread cubes, prepared dressing, beans, tomatoes, green pepper, onion, pepperoni, roasted red peppers, olives and cheese. Repeat the layers. Cover and refrigerate the salad for at least two hours before serving it.

Pizza Beer Bread Salad Variations

• Add your favorite pizza toppings: This pizza beer bread salad is endlessly customizable with your favorite pizza toppings. A few ideas include adding cooked Canadian bacon, sauteed mushrooms, fresh chopped basil or caramelized onions to the mix.
• Panzanella vibes: Panzanella is a classic Italian salad made with cubed or torn pieces of dry, crusty bread. For a beer bread pizza salad with a panzanella-like flavor, swap the pizza ranch dressing for a classic panzanella vinaigrette by whisking together 2 tablespoons of red wine vinegar, 2 tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil, 1 teaspoon of Dijon mustard, 1 minced garlic clove, 1/2 teaspoon of salt and 1/4 teaspoon of pepper.
• Make it spicy: If you’d like your pizza bread salad to have a little more heat, increase the amount of crushed red pepper flakes in the dressing. You could also add chopped pepperoncini or even sliced jalapenos.

How to Store Pizza Beer Bread Salad

Leftover pizza bread salad should be stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator.

How long does pizza bread salad last?

Pizza bread salad is best consumed within three to four days of making it.

Can you make pizza bread salad ahead of time?

You can make pizza bread salad up to one day in advance of serving it. It will still be edible if stored longer than that, but its texture will suffer.

Pizza Beer Bread Salad Tips

How can you make beer bread from scratch?

Our five-star honey beer bread recipe only requires four simple ingredients: self-rising flour, sugar, honey and beer.

What do you serve with pizza beer bread salad?

This pizza beer bread salad is a delicious side dish to share at a summer potluck or barbecue along with grilled meats such as bratwurst, burgers or saucy barbecue chicken.

Can you double this recipe?

If you’re looking to feed a large crowd, you can easily double this recipe. (Only double the amount of beer bread crumbles used for layering—you won’t need more than one package of beer bread.) Simply switch out the 8×8-in square dish for a 13×9-inch dish. Opt for a deeper dish if you can, as the layers get tall quickly!

How do you keep pizza beer bread salad from getting soggy?

To prevent a soggy salad, do not make this pizza beer bread salad more than 24 hours in advance. Over time, the bread will soak up the dressing and moisture from the other ingredients. This makes it incredibly flavorful, but the texture could be a little off-putting.