Garlic Pizza Sauce
This creamy garlic pizza sauce is a delicious, flavorful base for my favorite pizzas, pastas and chicken and sausage dishes.
I created today’s dish to go with the Garlic Pizza recipe, but the more I make it and use it, the more I realize just how versatile this sauce can be. To date, I’ve used it on pizza, like Dill Pickle Pizza, with pasta, meatballs and even in a lasagna.
It is the perfect substitution for any recipe that calls for Alfredo sauce!
When making the garlic pizzas, I always grab a couple extra naan or flatbreads to use up some of the extra sauce. Just spread a few spoonfuls onto a flatbread, top with cheese and bake – super easy cheese bread!
However, when I use this sauce with pasta I prefer to make it a little thinner. This recipe is closer in consistency to gravy. Although awesome on pizza, it can take away from the texture of a pasta dish and make it heavier than usual.
If that’s the case, just use 1 TB of flour instead of 2 in this recipe.
It will make the garlic pizza sauce seem very thin at first, but it thickens as it simmers and cools.
Making the roux
A good start to any yummy, creamy sauce, soup or gravy is with a roux. All it involves is mixing flour with butter or oil and gradually adding liquid.
A very helpful tip I learned from J Kenji Lopez Alt is to let your butter/oil and flour mixture cook for about 60-90 seconds. It cooks off any unwanted flour taste and ultimately makes for a smoother sauce.
Another tip for getting a smooth (and not lumpy) sauce is to gradually add your liquid and whisk constantly. In this recipe, I would add 1/2 c of the half and half at a time.
And if you’re new to making sauces at home, don’t fret! The more you practice the easier it becomes, and once you get a good understanding of roux, you’ll soon be creating your own sauce recipes at home.
What will you use this garlic pizza sauce recipe on? Let me know in a comment below!
Until next time. X
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Garlic Pizza Sauce
Garlic Pizza Sauce
This creamy garlic pizza sauce is a delicious, flavorful base for my favorite pizzas, pastas and chicken and sausage dishes.
- Total Time: 15 minutes
- Yield: 1 cup 1x
Ingredients
- 1 Tbsp olive oil
- 4 cloves (2 tsp) garlic, minced
- 2 Tbsp All Purpose flour
- 1/4 tsp Italian seasoning
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 1/4 tsp pepper
- 1 1/2 cups half and half
- 1 Tbsp grated Parmesan cheese
Instructions
- In a small saucepan over medium-low heat, place the olive oil and the minced garlic.
- Cook for 1-2 minutes, whisking constantly so the garlic doesn’t brown.
- Add the Italian seasoning, salt and pepper and stir.
- Sprinkle in the flour and whisk quickly until it is a thick paste.
- Let cook and bubble for another 1-2 minutes.
- Stir in the half and half 1/2 cup at a time, whisking constantly.
- Add the Parmesan cheese and stir, then turn the heat to low and let simmer 5-10 minutes to thicken.
- Serve warm or refrigerate in an airtight container for up to 5-7 days until ready to use.
Notes
tools
- small saucepan
- whisk
- airtight container
Garlic takes on a different flavor when it is browned – be careful not to burn it.
This sauce has a consistency like gravy. If you prefer a thinner sauce, use only 1 Tbsp of flour.
Half and half is half cream, half milk and sold near coffee creamers in US grocery stores. This can be substituted with 3/4 cup milk and 3/4 heavy cream.
- Prep Time: 5 minutes
- Cook Time: 10 minutes
- Category: Sauce
- Method: Stove
- Cuisine: Italian American
- Diet: Vegetarian
Recipe adapted from Nellie Bellie
Can’t wait to try the garlic sauce
This is our go to recipe for homemade pizzas. It has just the right amount of flavor to it to complement the toppings.
I made this recipe for the first time to use on my bagel pizzas and it is so simple and delicious . Thank you
We made pizza at home tonight and I was tasked with making the garlic sauce for it. This recipe is amazing and it comes together very much like white gravy if you’re familiar with that. I didn’t have half and half so I substituted with just a cup of whole milk and it turned out great.
Just made this tonight. So yummy!! Just wondering if I can freeze leftovers?
This was really good! My cloves were pretty big, so it was so extra on the garlic! 🙂 I made this with gluten free flour and it turned out great. Wonderful on flatbread pizza with Italian sausage and arugula!
We use this recipe for mushroom/onion pizzas