1. Chicken Alfredo

Who says you can’t combine your love of Italian cuisine with your love of pizza? Instead of tomato sauce, slather your pizza crust with white Alfredo sauce. Top the sauce with shredded chicken breast, diced tomatoes and mozzarella cheese. Cook the pizza until it’s hot and gooey, then sprinkle with minced basil leaves just before serving. This is one of my very favorite pizza combinations.

2. Nacho Pizza

It’s very hard for me to turn down a plate of nachos. For that matter, turning down pizza isn’t all that easy either. Combining the two is the answer to your prayers if you can commiserate with me here. Cook your pizza crust, then cut it into chip-sized pieces. Pile on tomato sauce and your favorite pizza toppings and bake the pizza nachos until the cheese is melted. I’d pile green onions, mushrooms, olives and prosciutto on mine.

3. Barbecue Chicken

Barbecue chicken pizza is gaining in popularity and I’ve seen it on many pizza restaurant menus. It’s a tasty twist on the old classic. Instead of tomato sauce, the crust is layered with barbecue sauce, diced chicken, green onions and sometimes there’s some crumbled bacon in there too. Red onion, red bell pepper and pineapple are other options to enhance the taste and add a bit of nutrition to your pie. Top the whole thing with cheese and cook before enjoying a slice.

4. Squash and Cheese

I love squash, so where better to put it than on a pizza? It’s also a great alternative to the many less than healthy pizza toppings you see in restaurants. Start with your favorite crust, brush with olive oil, then layer on thin slices of zucchini or yellow squash and spoonfuls of goat cheese. Top the pizza with a few spoonfuls of chopped tomatoes and bake until the cheese gets soft and spreadable.

5. Arugula and Cheese

I’ve seen it tons of times, and the hype is worth it. Topping your pizza with peppery arugula enhances the other flavors and lends a new taste to a favorite meal. Spread your crust with diced tomatoes and thin slices of fresh mozzarella cheese. Once the pizza is fully cooked, pile it with arugula just before serving. You won’t be sorry!

6. Smoked Salmon and Cream Cheese

If you’re a fan of thin and crispy crust, you’re in for a treat. Spread your crust with soft cream cheese, then pile it with thinly shaved slices of smoked salmon. Sprinkle on some capers, diced tomatoes, sliced red onions and a few sprigs of fresh dill. I’d eat this combination for breakfast any day.

7. Eggs and Greens

It sounds strange, but a fried egg on your pizza is a taste you’ll come back to again and again. Cover a cooked crust with ricotta cheese, a pile of arugula or radicchio and some freshly shaved Romano cheese. Sprinkle the combination with fresh lemon juice and top each slice with a cooked fried egg and salt and black pepper.

If you can’t get enough pizza, but are tired of your standby combination of toppings, try one these simple ideas for a fresh taste. What is your favorite combination? I’m positive I haven’t listed them all.