lemon garlic white sauce for pizza

I suppose that pizza is not the only thing this lemon garlic white sauce might be good with but it pairs so perfectly with winter vegetables like brussel sprouts or cauliflower that I haven’t used it for anything else. 

Roasted the garlic mellows the garlic flavor enough to allow you to use a whole head of garlic (yes, not a clove) without being overwhelmed while the lemon adds a bright note perfect on a winter pizza. Add a dash of fresh herbs and the other winter essentials like cheese and butter and you’ve got a white sauce worth working out for.

This is enough white sauce for two 11-14” pizzas. I made one pizza on a pizza pan and one in an 11 1/2  inch cast iron skillet. The pizza recipe will hopefully be coming soon but in the meantime feel free to wing it with your own pizza dough or store bought (my pizzas had 12-14 ounces of dough each  so the store bought dough would be close enough for pizza or horseshoes or hand grenades), fresh mozzarella, parmesan, and a quarter portion of ina garten’s balsamic brussel sprout recipe per pizza, just cut the brussel sprouts into thinner portions for easier snacking. Or extend the winging it with your own toppings like the ever classic spinach or even leeks or potatoes (like on my favorite winter spring tart!) or prosciutto, swiss chard, bacon, chicken, artichoke hearts?!. 

lemon garlic white sauce for pizza

options and disclaimers

garlic

I like garlic, if you are adverse a) you might not like this recipe b) you might find that roasted garlic has almost none of the heat of raw garlic c) try adding a clove or two before you commit to the entire head of garlic

because I love garlic I minced half the garlic and left the rest in larger chunks

never roasted garlic? this post from Tori Avery is far more detailed than I will ever get- how to roast garlic five ways (not included my favorite trick where I tuck it under the winter squash I’m roasting.

thickening

I used milk so I added just a little bit of flour to the butter if for some reason you want your white sauce to be gluten free use cream instead of milk (all or sub out a cup of the milk for heavy cream) and omit the flour. If using cream the butter may not be needed but might be desired.

lemon garlic white sauce for pizza

a garlic lemon white sauce for topping your pizza

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Prep Time 15 minutes mins

Cook Time 5 minutes mins

Total Time 20 minutes mins

Course Side Dish

Cuisine American, Italian

Servings 2 pizzas

Ingredients

  

1x2x3x

• 1/2 stick unsalted butter
• 1-3 teaspoons of flour I usually err on the less side of things but if you are used to thicker sauces you can add more, or none at all if you want this gluten free
• 1 1/2 cup milk 2% or whole
• 1 small head of roasted garlic-minced or mashed
• a pinch of dried herbs basil oregano or italian blend or 1 teaspoon minced fresh basil or oregano
• 1/4 cup cream cheese
• 3/4 cup freshly grated parmesan or romano cheese
• the juice and zest from one small lemon or half of a big one about 2-3 tablespoons of juice and zest to taste, I like to put some in the sauce and reserve some more for the pizza

Instructions

 

• melt butter in medium skillet over medium heat
• add flour and whisk to combine, let bubble for a minute or two before adding the milk. whisk until smooth
• add the garlic and the herbs
• then add the cream cheese and grated cheese and turn down the heat a bit, whisk often until the cheese is melted and combined
• add lemon juice and half the zest, whisk to combine.
• taste and add salt if necessary
• remove from heat and allow to cool before spreading
• can be stored covered and refrigerated for up to a week

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