BLT Pizza

Need a new idea for pizza night?  Why not try the tried an true BLT as a pizza pie?  This fun pizza would also make a super easy appetizer for a bay shower or family gathering.

Ingredients:

• 9 strips of bacon
• 2 tablespoons Dijon mustard
• 4 ounces of thinly sliced Havarti cheese
• 2 ounces of Parmesan finely grated
• 2 medium tomatoes halved, seeded, and diced
• 1 tablespoon mayonnaise
• 1/2 teaspoon lemon juice
• 1/2 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
• 2 cups shredded lettuce
• favorite pizza dough... We use Pillsbury refrigerated pizza dough.

Directions:

1.  Heat oven to temperature on the pizza dough packaging... usually 450 degrees.

2.  Slice bacon into 1/2 inch pieces and fry until done but not crispy.  It will finish cooking as the pizza bakes.

*I prefer to cook the bacon in strips and then crush with my fingers after the grease has drained.  The bacon gets cooked more uniformly and the crushed bacon is a bit finer.

3.  Take out your baking sheet or pizza stone and coat with olive oil.

4.  Open the can of pizza dough and roll out into a 11 inch circle.  Use your fingers to press and dimple the dough.  Coat the surface of the dough with Dijon mustard making sure to leave about a 1/4 inch border around the outer edge of the pizza.

5.  Place thin slices of Havarti cheese on the dough.  Sprinkle on the Parmesan as well. Add the diced tomatoes and bacon.

6.  Bake the pizza  according to package directions rotating once during cooking.

7.  Mix together the mayonnaise, lemon juice and Worcestershire sauce.  Toss mixture with the lettuce.

8.  Remove pizza from oven and allow to cool for 5 minutes.  Evenly coat with lettuce mixture.  Cut the pizza and serve.

Though I already altered the recipe ever so slightly, here are some additional changes I will make:

• I will be using turkey bacon and lite/reduce fat ingredients for everything.
• If I am making this for children I will use regular mustard. I will also mix the lettuce with a coating of lite miracle whip salad dressing and no other ingredients.  There is a strong possibility that I will omit the tomatoes as well.

What are some of your favorite ways to make pizza? 

What's your go to appetizer to take to a party?

SOURCE: altered from Family Fun March 2011