Fresh herbs and vegetables are always a great addition to any meal, but when you add garlic to the mix, you really can’t go wrong. This delicious snow peas recipe is a perfect side dish for a light and fresh lunch or dinner.

I have long loved sugar snap peas and about two years ago made a recipe for some sugar snap peas with a bit of spice to them. But for some reason, I haven’t really ever gotten into snow peas.

That changes now.

The key to this garlic butter and basil snow peas recipe is having fresh ingredients. If you happen to have a garden and grow the ingredients yourself, then you are in for a truly fresh treat. But you can also find the ingredients at a farmer’s market or grocery store as well.

So, gather everything up and get ready for a simple and delicious side dish.

What Are Snow Peas?

Snow peas are small, crunchy vegetables. With a mild flavor and crunchy texture, what makes snow peas special? Well, it is their thin skin.

Not because they get offended easily, but because their skin doesn’t contain an inedible membrane like most peas. Snow peas have edible pods. So they can be eaten whole without shelling.

Snow pea pods are commonly available in spring and again in fall. However, this can vary widely depending on your local climate. They are a cooler-season crop but (despite their name) don’t actually grow in the snow.

Though the pods are typically eaten fresh, they are also often cooked in stir-fries. Which is kind of how we’re using them in this recipe.

Prep Your Ingredients

Before you begin cooking, it’s important to properly prepare your ingredients to ensure a successful and delicious dish. For this recipe, you’ll need to slice the garlic, chiffonade the basil, wash the snow peas, and remove any damaged pods.

To prep the ingredients for this snow peas recipe, we’ll start with the peas themselves. Wash the snow peas thoroughly. To wash the snow peas, place them in a colander and rinse them under cold water. Then, remove any damaged or discolored pods and discard them.

For a chiffonade, we want thin strips of basil leaves. Begin prepping the basil by washing it. Pat the leaves dry and then stack about 5 leaves together.

Then roll the stack of leaves up tightly. Using a sharp knife, slice the roll crosswise to make thin strips. Look at the example photos above for a simple demonstration.

For the garlic, I decided to go with thin slices for this basil snow peas recipe. I wanted the garlic to have enough of a presence to feel like a full ingredient rather than just a small flavor addition. First, peel off the skin and then slice off the ends of the garlic. Then, using a sharp knife, delicately slice the garlic into thin pieces that almost look like little garlic rounds.

Cook the Snow Peas

With the ingredients all prepped, it’s time to actually start cooking. Which begins with a pan and some butter.

Melt the butter over medium heat in a large frying pan and then add in the sliced garlic.

Stir everything around to coat the garlic in the butter.

Let the garlic saute for a few minutes until fragrant. Keep stirring them around occasionally to get a more even cook.

Now add in the washed snow peas. Stir them around to mix them with the garlic and coat them in the butter as well.

Even though we’re cooking the snow peas, we don’t want them to get too soft. They should still retain a nice bite and crunch when we eat them. So timing on the cook is key.

Saute the garlic and snow peas for

We still need a little pop of flavor for this snow peas recipe.

So add in the cut basil, salt, and pepper for the last few minutes of cooking in the pan. This will give it all just enough time to meld together the flavors without overcooking the fresh herbs.

You should end up with a buttery, garlicky  savory side dish of just barely cooked snow peas and basil.

Plate and Garnish the Snow Peas

Everything’s cooked and ready to eat. But we now have to show it off well. Let’s plate and add some finishing touches. Look below for some ideas for plating and garnishing your garlic butter and basil snow peas.

For serving the snow peas, you could arrange them on a serving platter or individual plates. You can stack them neatly or scatter them in an artful way. Or just pour them straight from the frying pan into a serving bowl with a spoon or tongs.

Try adding some extra garnish to add some fresh flair to the dish. If you have any leftover basil or other herbs, chop them finely and sprinkle them over the snow peas. This will add some color and freshness to the dish.

Or mix it up and add a little citrus. For a tangy and bright flavor, you can grate some lemon or lime zest over the snow peas. This will also add some texture and contrast to the dish. Or just serve the snow peas with some lemon wedges on the side. Squeezing the lemon juice over the snow peas will add some zing and balance to the dish.

With these plating and garnishing tips, your garlic butter and basil snow peas will not only taste delicious but also look stunning on the plate. Enjoy!

What to Serve with This Snow Pea Recipe

Though this snow pea recipe is delicious, it isn’t a main dish. So we’ll need something else to pair with this.

The great thing is that this side complements a wide variety of meals. Feel free to try and match this side dish with whatever meal you plan on having for dinner.

But the following are some good options if you are looking for some meal ideas to go with this snow pea recipe:

• Orange Maple Soy Glazed Salmon
• Family Three-Cheese Lasagna
• Easy Ramen Omelet
• Steak with Gorgonzola Butter

No matter what you choose to serve with these snow peas, they are sure to add a touch of freshness and flavor to any meal. Enjoy!

How did yours turn out?

I’d love to hear when you try out garlic butter and basil snow peas! Take a pic of your food and share your success with me by adding it to your Instagram stories or feed, and tagging me @doyouroux, or by using #doyouroux.

Plus, leave a rating to let me know how you liked the recipe. It helps me out a lot to know how things worked out… or didn’t.

Garlic Butter and Basil Snow Peas

Recipe by Marc PetersonCourse: Sides, AppetizersDifficulty: Easy

Servings

6

servings

Prep time

5

minutes

Cooking time

15

minutes

Total time

20

minutes

A simple, tasty recipe to make with fresh snow peas. This quick, easy, delicious side dish will make you feel like you’re eating spring in a dish.

Ingredients

• 3 cloves garlic

• 10 medium basil leaves

• 3 cups snow peas

• 2 tablespoons butter

• 1/2 teaspoon sea salt

• 1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper

Directions

• Wash the snow peas and basil leaves, remove any damaged pea pods, and then pat everything dry
• Chiffonade the basil by stacking the leaves on top of each other, rolling them tightly together, and then thinly slicing across the roll to create long, thin strips of basil
• Remove the skin from the garlic cloves, chop off the root end, and then finely slice the garlic
• Melt the butter in a frying pan over medium heat
• Add the sliced garlic to the pan and cook in the melted butter for about 2 minutes until fragrant, stirring occasionally
• Pour the snow peas into the pan and cook for 10-15 minutes, stirring occasionally, until they are tender-crisp
• Stir the basil, salt, and pepper into the snow peas and garlic, and stir while cooking for an additional 1-2 minutes until the basil is wilted
• Remove from the heat and serve

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The post Garlic Butter and Basil Snow Peas Recipe appeared first on Do You Roux?.

The aroma of fresh basil is simply divine. Fresh, fragrant, and peppery it lends a whole wallop of flavor when used in a pesto. This basil pesto recipe gives the perfect ratio of ingredients to make a creamy, nutty sauce that is flavorful and useful in a huge range of other recipes.

The word pesto originally coming from the Italian verb meaning ‘to pound’ or ‘to crush’. This refers to the original method of making pesto, using a mortar and pestle to crush things together. Basically, you need to break open the basil to release the full flavor of the herb. Then get it to combine with the nuts, garlic, and oil to make a smooth sauce.

I love pairing this pesto with some fresh pasta and shrimp. Just cook the shrimp with a little olive oil and two spoonfuls of the pesto and use that to top the pasta. Then mix the entire thing with more pesto for full herb flavor.

Use this basil pesto recipe to make one of the most popular dishes on this site – the pesto pizza pasta salad. I think a lot of its popularity comes from the alliteration in the name. But I also like to think it is because of how delicious the recipe is. And it uses pesto as a base. So read on for the recipe.

Simple Steps for Basil Pesto

The easiest way to make this basil pesto recipe is to use a food processor or blender. You can go all traditional and use a mortar and pestle if you’d like. But that just seems like too much effort for little reward. A pestle-made pesto will be chunkier than the super-smooth results from a food processor. A food processor is better simply because it is usually a much shallower bowl and you can get the pesto out easier. This isn’t a runny sauce, so it won’t pour out of the blender well.

With the food processor, you mostly just have to toss things in and pulse it until smooth. Just break it up into a few separate pulses to make it the best it can be. You honestly could probably toss it all into the food processor at the same time and give it a whirl. But it is better to at least add the olive oil later as a sort of emulsion while the processor is running.

The first pulse includes basil, pine nuts, and garlic together in the blender or food processor. Then add the parmesan cheese, salt, and pepper and blitz it again. This gives the base of the sauce and includes everything but the olive oil. You’ll get the best consistency out of your pesto by adding the olive oil in a drizzle while running the machine. Just slowly pour it in through the opening in the top.

There you have it, pesto ready to go.

Variations on the Basil Pesto Recipe

The greens don’t necessarily have to be basil, or 100% basil. Add some spinach into the mix, use some arugula, or toss in parsley. Technically any greens would really work in a pesto. But you have to consider the flavor that it will add. Go crazy and try a beet green or mint pesto.

Same thing goes for pine nuts. Especially since pine nuts can be quite pricey (though buying a bulk bag from Amazon or Costco helps out). Walnuts or almonds are most commonly substituted for pine nuts. The nuts don’t seem to make quite as big a difference as the greens in the final flavor of the dish. But, roasting the nuts can give a whole different depth to the final pesto.

Add some lemon juice to the mix at the same time as the parmesan cheese for a little acidic flavor and as a kind of preservative for the bright green color. I’ve had a few batches of homemade pesto quickly turn brown. So another way to preserve that color is to blanch the basil.

Prep a large bowl with ice water. Start boiling a pot of water. Put all the basil or greens you are using into a metal sieve or colander. Dunk the colander into the hot water for about 15 seconds so that all the basil is covered. Immediately remove the basil from the hot water and dunk it into the ice water so that it stops cooking. Then drain and dry the basil and use as directed in the recipe.

What to Pair with Pesto

The first and most obvious pairing for pesto is pasta. It is a match made in heaven. The pesto will cling to the pasta and flavor every nook and cranny. You can even try your hand at making homemade pasta. The fresh, delicate texture of homemade pasta works well with this bright, peppery sauce. Tortellini, gnocchi, elbows, Combine the prepared pesto with a bit of milk, cream, and/or half and half in a saucepan over medium heat to make a pesto cream sauce to toss over pasta.

Pesto also goes great as a spread when making sandwiches. On grilled cheese, a pesto chicken sandwich, or a steak sandwich. Even just spreading it out on some toast. Try splitting a loaf of french bread, spreading some pesto on it, topping it with cheese, and popping it under the broiler for about 5 minutes.

And you can’t forget about pizza. Use pesto as a pizza sauce and top it with your favorite toppings. Pine nuts, chicken, mozzarella, parmesan. Mmmm.

This basil pesto recipe can be used in countless dishes. Store it in the fridge, freeze it, or (most likely) use it immediately after preparing it.

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How to Make Basil Pine Nut Pesto

Recipe by Marc PetersonCourse: SauceDifficulty: Easy

Servings

8

servings

Prep time

10

minutes

Cooking timeminutes

Total time

10

minutes

Fresh, fragrant, and peppery basil lends a wallop of flavor in this basil pesto recipe with the perfect ratio to make a creamy, nutty sauce

Ingredients

• 2 cups basil, packed

• 4 cloves garlic

• 3/4 cup pine nuts

• 1/2 cup grated parmesan

• 1/2 tsp salt

• 1/4 tsp pepper

• 1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil

Directions

• Put the basil, garlic, and pine nuts in the food processor or blender and pulse on high until smooth, 1 to 2 minutes
• Add the parmesan cheese, salt, and pepper and pulse until combined, 1 minute
• Start pulsing the blender and slowly pour in the olive oil until the pesto is smooth
• Scoop the pesto out of the food processor and use immediately or store in an airtight container in the fridge or freezer

Notes

• Pesto can be stored in the fridge for up to a week or the freezer for up to a month
• If storing the pesto for later use, pour olive oil over the top of the pesto to help keep it fresh

The post How to Make Basil Pine Nut Pesto appeared first on Do You Roux?.

The beauty of caprese salad is in its simplicity. It is a basic dish comprised mostly of mozzarella, tomatoes, and basil. Salt, pepper, olive oil, and balsamic vinegar help add more depth of flavor. When combined together, they become a bright, fresh, flavorful mouthful.

But because it is a simple dish, the quality of your ingredients makes a big difference in the final flavor. So make certain that you source excellent components so that every part can shine through.

This is an easy dish to make for a crowd. Just build and layer until there is enough for everyone to snack on. So don’t be afraid to grab a stack with your fingers and take a bite of juicy flavor.

An Italian Dish

The salad was named for the island Capri in Italy, where it likely originated. It also looks distinctly like the Italian flag, depending upon the order in which you layer it. So of course it had to be Italian with those kinds of colors.

You can make a caprese salad without the balsamic reduction. But it just sounds fancier. Try saying it out loud – balsamic reduction. Nice. And all it is is balsamic vinegar put over heat until it loses water and thickens up. Oh, it also imparts a ton of unique flavor.

So there’s that.

Ingredients::

• Fresh Mozzarella – A soft southern Italian cheese that has a very mild flavor.
• Basil – Delicious, peppery herb that packs a punch of flavor.
• Tomatoes – Fresh from the garden are the best, but some large store-bought work well.
• Balsamic Vinegar – A dark, concentrated vinegar made from aged, mashed grapes.
• Olive Oil – Extra virgin olive oil will have a lot more flavor than any other variety.
• Salt – Essential food flavoring ingredient. I recommend getting a quality finishing salt for this dish.
• Pepper – Just grind some fresh stuff.

All-In on Caprese Salad

Though it is called a salad, this dish is typically served as an appetizer – an aperetivo in Italian. But it can easily be served as a side dish, salad, or appetizer, depending upon your needs.

The chocolate syrup-looking thing in the photo below is actually the balsamic glaze. You could buy a balsamic reduction instead of making one to help speed things up slightly. But it does not save much time. It also is not very difficult to make a homemade balsamic reduction. Just start with a quality balsamic vinegar, put it on the heat, and let it simmer until it is thickened.

Bonus because it also spreads warm, slightly acidic aromas through the air as it reduces on the stove. I also recommend trying out a balsamic glaze on a watermelon feta salad instead of the original dressing I paired with it. So test that out if you have any extra glaze.

As you can see from the photos, it really is a simple dish. It is easy to make and comes together in about 15 to 20 minutes depending on how long you simmer the vinegar. In my opinion, the most difficult part is getting and using the basil at the right time before any of it has a chance to discolor.

So grab the ingredients, and make this quickly to enjoy a fresh appetizer that can be dressed up or down depending on what you serve with it.

Caprese Salad Platter with Balsamic Reduction

Recipe by Marc PetersonCourse: Appetizers, SaladsDifficulty: Easy

Servings

6

servings

Prep time

5

minutes

Cooking time

15

minutes

Total time

20

minutes

This bright, fresh, flavorful caprese salad is a perfectly stacked appetizer of mozzarella, tomatoes, and basil topped with balsamic vinegar glaze

Ingredients

• 1 cup balsamic vinegar

• 4 medium tomatoes

• 18 ounces fresh mozzarella

• 18 large basil leaves

• 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

• Pinch of flaky salt

• Dash of pepper

Directions

• In a small saucepan over medium-low heat, simmer the balsamic vinegar and reduce until it has thickened by half, about 15 minutes
• While the vinegar is reducing, slice the tomatoes and mozzarella into approximately 18 thick (around 1/4 inch) rounds
• When the vinegar has reduced by half, remove it from the heat and let it cool
• On a large plate or platter, layer alternating slices of mozzarella, tomato, and basil leaves until all slices are used up
• Use two small spoons to drizzle the balsamic reduction and the olive oil over all layers of the arranged slices
• Sprinkle the salt and pepper over the dish and serve

The post Caprese Salad Platter with Simple Balsamic Reduction appeared first on Do You Roux?.

For the longest time, I had never thought about doing anything with watermelon except eating it straight. I mean, it is delicious so why would I need to do anything with it. But eventually, my eyes were opened to other possibilities. One delicious possibility is this watermelon feta mint salad with a watermelon dressing.

Watermelon conjures up images of summer, barbecues, and get-togethers. So this salad takes that to heart and is a simple, refreshing mix of summer flavors to brighten up any spread. This is a light and easy salad. Chop up the watermelon, blend and cook a little of it, mix up the dressing, and toss all the ingredients into a large bowl and mix. It is easily scalable as well.

A lot of the time balsamic vinegar is paired with watermelon because it cuts through the sweetness. But I wanted to really focus on watermelon flavors. So, I attempted a few times to make a watermelon dressing that would really pair with the feta, mint, basil, and red onion. I finally got to a dressing that I like and I hope you enjoy it as well.

It’s finally feeling like summer. Pair this salad with steak kabobs or shrimp kabobs for a full summer meal. Watermelon is so delicious I think that I’ll have to feature a watermelon-focused drink here shortly as well…

Best Practices for Watermelon Feta Mint Salad

Cube your watermelon first and put it in the fridge. There’s something about cold watermelon that gives it some extra oomph of flavor. Trust me. If you have never done this before, then you have been missing out and it is now time to make the change. And not just for this watermelon feta mint salad either, always try to cube and chill your watermelon before eating.

Also, when you’re cutting the watermelon, you can use a dedicated watermelon slicer to help make quicker work of the fruit. It is not necessary and can be cut by hand. I have kind of mixed feelings about these watermelon slicers. They make cutting really easy. But they tend not to last very long. I think the last one we got lasted for like 2 years. But we did go through a whole lot of watermelon.

You will need something to shake together the salad dressing. Do this with anything that has a lid like storage containers or blender cups. A dedicated salad dressing shaker can also be helpful for storing in the fridge and with making other salads.

Always with Options

Customization is always an option. Never let any other recipe tell you otherwise. For the watermelon feta mint salad, try adding cucumber to the mix for another punch of fresh flavor. Like things a little spicy at times? Then sprinkle a teaspoon of ground chipotle, ancho, or other chili powder over the whole salad. Try substituting the feta cheese out for a different one like goat cheese.

Think about the different summer flavors and try to come up with something else that you want to pair with the watermelon.

To add more depth of flavor to this recipe, try grilling your watermelon before cubing it. The best method that I have found for this one is slicing the watermelon into 1 to 2-inch thick rounds and tossing those directly on a grill at medium heat. Give it a bit of a char on both sides, 3 minutes each, and then remove it from the heat. Cut it up and toss the salad as directed below.

And like I said at the start, you can also forgo making the homemade dressing for this and instead use a balsamic vinegar glaze as a drizzle on top of the salad. Just add 2 cups of balsamic vinegar to a small pot and cook for 20 minutes or so until thick.

So enjoy all of the flavors of summer in this delicious salad however you prefer it.

Watermelon Feta Mint Salad with Watermelon Dressing

Recipe by Marc PetersonCourse: Appetizers, Salads, SidesDifficulty: Intermediate

Servings

8

servings

Prep time

20

minutes

Cooking time

40

minutes

Total time

1

hour 

Welcome summer to the table with this watermelon feta mint salad that is light, fresh, bright and everything summer should be.

Ingredients

• 1 large watermelon

• 2 tablespoons honey

• 1/2 cup olive oil

• 2 tablespoons white wine vinegar

• Pinch of salt

• Pinch of pepper

• 10 large mint leaves

• 8 large basil leaves

• 1 large red onion

• 2 cups crumbled feta cheese

Directions

• Cut and cube the watermelon into 1 to 2-inch pieces, then place all but 3 to 4 cups into the fridge
• Blend the 3-4 cups of cubed watermelon in a blender on high to get 2 cups of watermelon juice
• Combine the 2 cups watermelon juice with 2 tablespoons honey in a small pot over medium-low heat
• Let it simmer while stirring occasionally until it has reduced to between 1/2 and 1/3 of its original volume, about 40 to 50 minutes
• While that is simmering, chiffonade (thinly slice) the mint and basil leaves, chop the red onion, and store them in the fridge for later
• In a container with a lid (preferably a salad dressing shaker), combine the reduced watermelon and honey, olive oil, white wine vinegar, salt, and pepper and shake thoroughly
• Remove the remaining watermelon from the fridge and add it to a large bowl
• Add the sliced mint and basil, chopped onion, and crumbled feta to the bowl with the watermelon
• Toss together the salad, serve into individual bowls, and then top it with the watermelon dressing

The post Watermelon Feta Mint Salad with Watermelon Dressing appeared first on Do You Roux?.

This chicken parm burger is one of my wife’s favorite meals. Any time I ask her what I should make, this dish is always mentioned. This recipe is the definition of fresh. The chicken becomes the backdrop for the bright herbs, creamy cheese, and tangy tomato sauce.

My mom originally found the inspiration for this recipe when I was in high school. While searching for new recipes, she happened across a chicken parmesan burger recipe on Epicurious. She had wanted something new to try and so she gave it a shot.

The whole family enjoyed it, as far as I recall.

Classic chicken parmesan is a crispy chicken coated with tomato sauce and mozzarella then baked until the cheese is golden brown. This one takes that concept and instead turns it into a pan-fried burger – still topped with mozzarella and marinara.

But now it is in a convenient hand-held package.

Chicken Parm Burgers?

For making my version of the chicken parm burger, I made a few adjustments to that original inspiration recipe.

I treated the patties more like a beef burger or even more like meatballs. Instead of using breadcrumbs and breading the outside of the patty, I make a panade and mix it all inside the burger. I discuss the finer details of a panade in my meatball recipe. But it is basically soaking bread in milk and mixing it in with the meat and seasonings to help keep the burger moist.

This is especially helpful with chicken burgers because chicken does not have a lot of natural fat and will have a tendency to dry out in the cooking process.

Only one ingredient needs to be pre-prepared: the marinara. I highly recommend following this Serious Eats pizza sauce recipe to make your own. But a jar from the store will work in a pinch.

So get to mixing, forming, cooking, and topping.

Chicken Parm Burger Recipe

Course: EntréeDifficulty: Moderate

Servings

8

servings

Prep time

25

minutes

Cooking time

20

minutes

Total time

45

minutes

Herb-filled chicken burgers topped with mozzarella and marinara

Ingredients

• 2 cups cubed white bread

• 1/3 cup milk

• 1 cup shredded parmesan cheese

• 1/2 tablespoon oregano (1/2 tsp dried)

• 1/2 tablespoon rosemary (1/2 tsp dried)

• 1/2 tablespoon thyme (1/2 tsp dried)

• 25 medium basil leaves, divided

• 2 pounds ground chicken

• 1/4 cup grated white onion

• 2 large eggs

• 1 and 1/4 cup marinara, divided

• 3 tablespoons olive oil

• 8 ounces mozzarella, cut into 1 ounce slices

• 8 large leaves of butter lettuce

• 8 large leaves of radicchio

• 8 large buns or rolls

Directions

• In a small bowl, soak the cubed bread in the milk and mash it with a fork to make sure it is fully saturated
• Pulse the parmesan, oregano, rosemary, thyme, and 5 of the basil leaves in a food processor for 20 seconds until fully combined and it looks like breadcrumbs
• In a large mixing bowl, combine the milk-soaked bread, herbed parmesan, ground chicken, grated onion, eggs, and 1/4 cup marinara
• Mix it all until everything is evenly distributed
• Form 8 patties from the mixture
• Heat the olive oil in a large frying pan on medium until hot
• Cook the patties on medium heat for 15 to 20 minutes, flipping halfway through – cook in batches if needed so as not to overcrowd the pan
• When the patties are about a minute from finishing, add a slice of fresh mozzarella to the top of each chicken burger
• Assemble the burger with buns, lettuce, radicchio, burger, marinara, and basil

The post Chicken Parm Burger Recipe appeared first on Do You Roux?.

I’m dreaming of a white pizza, cause it already seems like it will probably be a white Christmas here. And pizza tastes better than snow. Unless maybe you’re at Bahama Bucks for some shaved ice.

Anyways, while working on the post for how to caramelize onions, I remembered this pizza. I was coming up with recipes that would use the caramelized onions and had the eureka moment. And it had been a very long time since I had made the pizza. Which is unacceptable with how delicious it is. So now I bring you this delicious combination of dough, sauce, and toppings.

The first incarnation of this recipe comes from my mom many years ago. While on a trip to Utah to see family she had a white pizza at The Pizza Factory. She loved it. But once she was back home, she wanted to recreate it. So she got to work and made her own version from how it was in her head.

And then it got interpreted again. Because this here is not exactly her recipe. It is my take on what she did. I loved the white pizza and hadn’t really had a non-red sauce pizza before she made it at home. It was a whole new world that I decided to dive into.

White Pizza Toppings

You can really customize this however you’d like. A lot of things taste great on a white pizza. This can make it really great for having people over because you can have everything ready to go and just let people choose their own toppings. But this combination below goes extremely well together.

• Cheese – The cheese obviously makes the pizza. This one uses a combination of fresh mozzarella, a block of mozzarella, and Parmigiano-Reggiano. Using too much of the thick slices of fresh mozzarella seems to overload the pizza. But I like cheese everywhere so I shred a block of mozzarella to sprinkle over top and in between. Then the shredded Parmigiano-Reggiano is a finishing touch on top.
• White Garlic sauce – For this, you essentially make a garlic béchamel sauce using a roux with some garlic and parmesan added for flavor.
• Chicken – Cooked and chopped beforehand, I prefer to use some marinated and grilled chicken but had to improvise for this one since I didn’t want to go out and grill in below freezing temps. So I used a grill pan on the stovetop. You can use whatever chicken you’d like – rotisserie chicken or leftover chicken from another recipe could work here.
• Bacon – Salty. Fatty. Cooked crisp and crunchy. I crumble the slices of bacon once they are cooked to sprinkle over the pizza.
• Caramelized onion – The inspiration for posting this recipe came when I was making caramelized onions. These lend a complex mix of savory and pop of sweetness to the recipe that helps balance some of the other toppings.
• Spinach – Wilted in a bit of olive oil, this lends some greens to the pizza and another texture to the mix.
• Pine nuts – These take on a toasted quality that brings out their crunch and buttery flavor when cooked on the pizza

Assembly and Baking

To put the pizza together, I find it helpful to set all the toppings out in bowls around where I will roll out the pizza dough. You can kind of see this in the photo above. Then after rolling and pre-baking, it is easy to grab a little of each and sprinkle it around to top it just how you like.

Below is a little before and after photo comparison slider for what the pizza looks like before and after baking.

To bake, you want your oven as hot as it will go. With my last oven, it was only 500°F, and I don’t think that it actually got that hot inside. While testing this recipe in the new house, I realized this oven went to 550°F (290°C) and it seems to actually reach those temperatures. The new one is also gas which likely affected how it cooked for me. But the dough came out perfectly crispy with a nice crunch as I rolled my pizza wheel through to cut slices.

For this recipe, I tried flipping the pizza crust after the initial 2 to 3-minute pre-bake and then putting the toppings on the side that was originally the bottom. This really helped the crust fully cook and crisp, even with the fresh mozzarella that tends to put out a lot of moisture while cooking.

Things will tend to get messy and you may feel like a flour monster attacked you and your kitchen, but it is fairly easy to clean up. Maybe you are neater than my sous chef and I are when in the kitchen. A damp rag or paper towel is usually enough to wipe things down. And, of course, it is much easier to clean up after having eaten some delicious homemade pizza.

Chicken Bacon White Pizza

Recipe by Marc PetersonCourse: EntreesDifficulty: Intermediate

Servings

8

servings

Prep time

25

minutes

Cooking time

35

minutes

Total time

1

hour 

Chicken, bacon, caramelized onions, and a deeply garlic sauce make this pizza stand out from the norm.

Ingredients

• Pizza dough for three 12-inch pizzas (this Serious Eats recipe is my go-to and gets the perfect amount, but it takes 24 hours to rest in the fridge, so prepare ahead)

• Garlic Béchamel Pizza Sauce

• 4 cloves garlic, thinly sliced

• 2 tablespoons butter

• 1 tablespoon olive oil

• 3 tablespoons flour

• 1 cup milk

• 1/2 cup heavy whipping cream

• 2 tablespoons Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese, grated

• Pizza Toppings

• 24 ounces fresh mozzarella cheese, sliced about 1/4″ thick

• 2 cups mozzarella cheese, shredded 

• 2 chicken breasts, cooked and chopped (or about two cups chopped rotisseries chicken)

• 4 slices of bacon, cooked and crumbled

• 1/2 cup caramelized onions

• 2 handfuls of spinach, sautéed in 1 tablespoon olive oil for 5 minutes

• 1 cup Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese, shredded

• 1/4 cup pine nuts

• 6 large basil leaves, cut in a chiffonade or long, thin strips

Directions

• Garlic Béchamel Pizza Sauce
• Add garlic, butter, and olive oil to a sauce pan over medium heat
• Stir to melt the butter and sauté the garlic for 2 to 4 minutes until garlic is fragrant
• Mix in the flour to combine and stir while cooking for 3 minutes
• Whisk in milk, heavy whipping cream, and 2 tablespoons Parmigiano-Reggiano until fully combined
• Heat the sauce until thickened, stirring occasionally, about 5 minutes
• Remove from heat
• Pizza Assembly
• Preheat the oven to 550°F (290°C)
• Prepare all pizza toppings and have them easily accessible for putting on the pizzas
• Take a portion of dough for one pizza and roll it out on a floured surface to 12 inches in diameter
• Place the dough on a pan or pizza stone in the oven and cook 2 to 3 minutes until no longer doughy
• Remove from oven and flip the pizza crust over
• Top with fresh mozzarella, shredded mozzarella, chicken, bacon, caramelized onions, spinach, Parmigiano-Reggiano, and pine nuts – but do not overload the crust
• Put the topped pizza back in the oven for 5 to 7 minutes until cheese is melted and edges are golden brown
• Remove from the oven, sprinkle with sliced basil, and let cool
• Repeat steps 3-8 for remaining dough and toppings
• Slice and enjoy

Notes

• To reheat any leftovers (if that ever were to happen), just preheat the oven to 375°F (190°C) and put the slices in for 5 to 7 minutes until the bottom is hot and you hear everything sizzling

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