Big Kahuna Pizza — When Pri’s Adobo Inspires a Night of Big, Shared Food

Made friends this week. Three women from the neighborhood — all Marine wives, all with young kids. Emily is from Texas, has a three-year-old and a newborn, and makes the best cornbread I've ever tasted outside Norfolk. Jessica is from Oregon, has twins Caleb's age, and is an ER nurse who works nights. And Priscilla — Pri — is from the Philippines, has been a Marine wife for twelve years, and cooks adobo that could end wars. We met at the playground. The way military wives always meet — kids running, mothers watching, 'how long have you been here?' and within twenty minutes you know each other's duty station history. Pri invited us for dinner. Her adobo — chicken and pork braised in vinegar and soy sauce and garlic — was served over jasmine rice with pickled vegetables. It was the kind of cooking that makes you want to take notes. 'My lola taught me,' Pri said. 'In Quezon City. She said the adobo is the test. If you can make adobo, you can make anything.' Every culture has the test dish. Mom's fried chicken. Soo-Jin's short ribs. Elena's enchiladas. Pri's adobo. Caleb and Pri's daughter Maya became instant friends. They played dinosaurs for two hours. Maya's dinosaurs had Filipino names. Made my version of Pri's adobo the next night — adapted, Rachel-ified. Not as good as hers. Not yet. New city. New friends. New recipes. The kitchen collects people.

Pri’s adobo set a bar I’m still chasing — layered, patient, built on years of her lola’s teaching. I wasn’t ready to attempt it a second night in a row and fall short again. What I wanted was something loud and generous and impossible not to share, something that said come to the table the same way her kitchen did. Big Kahuna Pizza was exactly that — piled high, a little chaotic, the kind of dinner that makes kids loud and adults linger. It’s not adobo. But Pri would understand it.

Big Kahuna Pizza

Prep Time: 20 min | Cook Time: 18 min | Total Time: 38 min | Servings: 6

Ingredients

• 1 lb store-bought or homemade pizza dough, room temperature
• 1/2 cup pizza sauce
• 1 1/2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese
• 1/2 cup cooked chicken breast, shredded or diced
• 1/3 cup diced ham
• 1/3 cup pineapple chunks, drained and patted dry
• 1/4 cup sliced red onion
• 1/4 cup sliced green bell pepper
• 1/4 cup sliced black olives
• 1/2 cup sliced cremini or button mushrooms
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
• Red pepper flakes, to taste

Instructions

1. Preheat oven. Place a pizza stone or inverted baking sheet in the oven and preheat to 475°F (245°C) for at least 30 minutes.
2. Prep the dough. On a lightly floured surface, stretch or roll the dough into a 12-inch round. Transfer to a piece of parchment paper.
3. Brush the crust. Brush the outer 1-inch border with olive oil, then sprinkle with garlic powder and oregano.
4. Add the sauce. Spread pizza sauce evenly over the dough, leaving the oiled border bare.
5. Layer the cheese. Scatter 1 cup of the mozzarella evenly over the sauce.
6. Load the toppings. Distribute chicken, ham, pineapple, red onion, bell pepper, mushrooms, and black olives evenly across the pizza. Top with the remaining 1/2 cup mozzarella.
7. Bake. Slide the pizza (on parchment) onto the hot stone or baking sheet. Bake for 15—18 minutes, until the crust is golden and the cheese is bubbling with light brown spots.
8. Finish and serve. Remove from oven, let rest 2 minutes, then slice and finish with red pepper flakes if desired. Serve immediately.

Nutrition (per serving)

Calories: 380 | Protein: 22g | Fat: 13g | Carbs: 44g | Fiber: 2g | Sodium: 740mg