Roasted Garlic White Pizza Sauce Recipe

It's hard to argue that homemade pizza needs any improvement, but if you're looking to switch it up, consider swapping your red sauce for a white version. Mashed recipe developer Feta Topalu brings us this delectable, roasted garlic white pizza sauce recipe, and it's bound to become a new favorite. While raw garlic might be a little more divisive, it takes on sweet layers of complexity once roasted. Pair that with Parmesan cheese and herbs, and you may never make tomato sauce again. 

Topalu shares, "This pizza sauce reminds me of a favorite pizza I order from a local eatery," and describes that along with the white garlic sauce base, "it's layered with mozzarella, provolone, seasoned ricotta, roasted tomatoes, feta, fresh Roma tomatoes, sweet onions, and finished with chopped fresh basil." While you don't have to follow that exact combination, it's certainly a tempting motivation to make this savory sauce.

For this recipe, you'll need a whole head of garlic and olive oil to roast it. Then, get unsalted butter, all-purpose flour, whole milk, and grated Parmesan cheese. To season the sauce, Topalu uses dried oregano, dried basil, dried parsley, kosher salt, and fresh black pepper. If you like spice, she suggests, "Add some heat to this pizza sauce by adding a pinch of cayenne pepper or red pepper flakes."

First off, preheat your oven to 350 F. Then, place the garlic head on a cutting board, and slice off ¼ inch off the top. Drizzle the entire head with olive oil, and wrap it in tin foil. Once the oven is at temperature, bake the garlic for 30 to 40 minutes until the cloves are soft. Topalu explains that "The extra step of roasting the garlic before adding it [to the sauce] gives this white pizza sauce sweet caramelized flavor notes."

Once the garlic is ready, remove it from the oven and let it cool slightly. Then, squeeze the cloves into a medium-sized bowl, and use a fork to mash them into a smooth paste.

Next, set a saucepan over medium-low heat and add the butter. Once it melts, whisk in the flour and cook the mixture for 1 minute. Now, pour the milk in and continue to whisk. Bring the contents of the saucepan to a boil, then reduce the heat. Simmer the mixture for 3 to 5 minutes until it has thickened. 

Add the grated Parmesan, roasted garlic paste, oregano, basil, parsley, salt, and pepper, and keep mixing until the cheese has melted. Remove the saucepan immediately from the heat to prevent the sauce from burning.

You'll want to use the sauce immediately or store it "in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days."

Our recipe developer shares, "Even though sauce can take any ordinary pizza and make it exceptional, don't stop there! Use it in calzones, [as a] dip [for] breadsticks, between layers of lasagna, or in mac and cheese!" We may just have to make an extra batch just to try all these delicious combinations.