While on vacation last month, we had a discussion with our friends about favorite foods. Without hesitation, I always say pizza. There were several mentions of Mediterranean cuisine and Indian (there were four Brits at the table) and a couple votes for Italian. When it was my friend Ehren’s turn to answer, he said Carbonara was his desert island dish. Suddenly I had a vision of Carbonara pizza which I shared with the group (to which everyone emphatically replied, “Yessssssss!”), but it only took a moment of thinking about it to know it would be a difficult marriage.

There is a subtlety to carbonara, an exacting science, that doesn’t really translate to the big, bold flavors of “almost-impossible-to-mess-it-up” pizza. This pizza doesn’t taste just like Carbonara, but the elements are all there. And those elements are good. Creamy, cheesey, eggy, bacony goodness. And some green scallions to add just a bit of color.

Needless to say, this pizza has been a big hit every time I’ve made it. Perhaps I should ask more people what their favorite dish is and create more recipe mash-ups!

Carbonara Pizza

Serves 4

8 ounces thick-cut bacon, cut into 1-inch pieces and cooked
4 large (7-inch) naans or pocket-less pitas
8 slices provolone cheese
1 cup  thinly sliced scallions greens
4 large eggs
Parmesan cheese, shaved
Pepper to taste

Adjust oven rack to lower-middle and upper positions and heat oven to 425 degrees.

Meanwhile, fry bacon in a large skillet over medium-high heat to partially render some of the fat, about 3 minutes. Remove with a slotted spoon and drain on a paper towel-lined plate.

Place naan on  a large baking sheet. Top each with 2 slices of provolone, 1/4 cup scallions, and a portion of the bacon. Bake for 5 minutes. Remove pizzas from oven, crack an egg into the middle of each pizza. Return pizzas to upper oven rack and continue to bake until crust is crisp and golden brown, about 5 minutes longer.  If egg needs further cooking, turn oven dial to broil and cook until white is just set, about 1 minute. Remove pizzas from oven and top with a little shaved parmesan and pepper. Let stand for a few minutes, cut, and serve.