Dustin finally gets to go back to work tomorrow (Which is such a relief! Though we’ll miss having him home 24/7…) so my posting probably won’t be as frequent. This time stuck at home together has been a mixture of fun and stress and sometimes just strange. But I’ve been cooking so much more and taking pictures and writing again and that feels good!

We have pizza almost weekly and I don’t always make my homemade dough. Sometimes I use pita or naan or another flatbread for the crust because it’s quick and convenient and still tastes good. But every so often making your own dough is totally worth it! I came across this pizza topped with a garlic white sauce, three cheeses (including some pepper jack which is my 8-year-old daughter’s cheese obsession right now), and chicken and knew I had to make it right away! It was worthy of a homemade crust. The garlic white sauce is dreamy. I had to stop myself from licking it all up before it made it onto the pizza. Luckily the sauce makes enough for 2 pizzas, so double the dough or freeze half for later. I made two pizzas and didn’t regret having some leftover the next day!

My addition to the original recipe was some spinach. I keep frozen chopped spinach on hand because it’s so easy to use- just measure some out and pop it in the microwave to thaw. The red onion is optional- I included it on my part of the pizza, left it off for the kids. Chives and extra crushed red pepper are optional too, but always recommended! (The pepper jack doesn’t make this pizza very spicy so if you want more heat go for the pepper flakes.) We all loved this one- definitely going to be a repeat pizza over here!

Three Cheese Chicken and Spinach Pizza with Garlic White Sauce

INGREDIENTS

Pizza:
~1/2 cup garlic white sauce
2 Tbsp. freshly grated Parmesan cheese (or Pecorino Romano)
1 medium chicken breast (about 1 1/2 cups), cooked and shredded
1/2- 3/4 cup frozen chopped spinach, thawed and moisture squeezed out (measured before thawing)
red onion, sliced (optional)
1 1/4 cups mozzarella cheese, shredded
3/4 cup pepper Jack cheese, shredded
salt and freshly ground black pepper
pinch crushed red pepper flakes (optional)
chives for garnish (optional)

Garlic White Sauce:*
2 Tbsp. butter
4 cloves garlic, minced
2 Tbsp. all-purpose flour
1/4 tsp. freshly ground black pepper
1/4 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. dried oregano
1 cup milk
1/2 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese (or Pecorino Romano)

*This makes enough sauce for 2 pizzas!

DIRECTIONS

1. Prepare pizza dough according to recipe directions.
2. To make the garlic white sauce, melt butter in a small saucepan over medium heat. Add garlic, cooking for 30 seconds before whisking in flour, pepper, salt and oregano. Whisk to combine well. Slowly add milk, whisking until well combined. Continue whisking occasionally until desired thickness is reached. Remove from heat, stir in cheese until smooth. Use immediately or cover and chill until ready to use.
3. Preheat oven and pizza stone to 450 F.
4. Spread 1/2 cup (or approx. half of the) garlic white sauce over the prepared crust. Sprinkle with Parmesan cheese. Top off with shredded chicken and optional red onions. Sprinkle with mozzarella and pepper Jack cheese. Dust with black pepper (and a pinch of salt if you used unseasoned chicken and spinach).
5. Bake in preheated oven on pizza stone for 10-12 minutes or until the crust is puffed and the cheese and crust are golden. Top with fresh chives (optional). Slice and serve with crushed red pepper flakes for more heat (optional).

Adapted from Baked by Rachel