Spinach White Pizza with Roasted Garlic

This Spinach White Pizza with Roasted Garlic skips the red sauce for a creamy, peppery Parmesan cream sauce, then piles on melted mozzarella, garlicky spinach, and slices of sweet, caramelized roasted garlic. It tastes like it came out of a pizzeria’s wood-fired oven, but you bake it on a plain sheet pan in your home oven.

Here are a few more tasty (meatless) pizza ideas: Four Cheese Pizza With Crushed Fire Roasted Tomatoes, Veggie Lovers Pizza, Mexican Taco Pizza, Truffle Mushroom White Pizza, and Florentine Pizza with a Basil Pesto

I think pizza is my “kryptonite,” no matter what diet I am on! Trading a traditional red pizza sauce for a white sauce is another prize. The white cream sauce, topped with mozzarella on the pizza dough, makes you want to kiss the cook. This simple recipe, finished with slivers of roasted garlic, has quickly become a family favorite.

This pizza idea centers on one idea: garlic. Roasted garlic brings an almost candy-like sweetness, fresh minced garlic brings additional savoriness, and garlic powder ties the sauce and spinach together. Salty Parmesan and rich cream balance the slight bitterness of the spinach, black pepper adds a little bite, and a crisp, golden crust brings it all together. The garlic needs 30 minutes in the oven, but you’ll make the sauce and spinach while it roasts, so the whole pizza comes together in about an hour with very little hands-on work.

Ingredients you’ll need to make Spinach White Pizza with Roasted Garlic:

• Whole garlic bulb: Roasting turns the sharp cloves soft, golden, and sweet. Sliced over the top, they’re the star of the pizza.
• Olive oil: Coats the garlic so it caramelizes instead of drying out, then wilts the spinach in the skillet.
• Butter: The rich base of the white sauce. Brush a little extra on the crust edges so they bake up golden and crisp.
• Minced garlic: Brings fresh, sharp garlic flavor to both the sauce and the spinach.
• All-purpose flour: A little thickens the sauce so it clings to the dough instead of soaking in.
• Heavy whipping cream: The creamy foundation of the white sauce. Its richness carries all the garlic and pepper flavor.
• Parmesan cheese: Adds salty, savory flavor and helps thicken the sauce as it melts.
• Fresh spinach: Earthy and slightly bitter, it balances the rich cream and cheese and adds color.
• Seasonings (black pepper, garlic powder, onion powder, sea salt): Black pepper brings mild heat, garlic and onion powder add savory, rounded flavor, and salt wakes up the spinach.
• Pastry flour: Dusts the counter so the dough shapes easily without sticking. Its fine texture won’t leave a gritty coating on the crust.
• Fresh pizza dough: Store-bought dough keeps this weeknight-friendly. Dough at room temperature stretches the easiest.
• Mozzarella cheese: Mild, melty, and stretchy, it gives you that classic cheese pull and holds the toppings in place.

How to make Spinach White Pizza with Roasted Garlic:

Prep the garlic. Preheat the oven to 400°F. Peel away the papery outer skin of the garlic bulb, keeping the bulb whole. Slice about 1/4 inch off the top to expose the tops of the cloves.

Roast the garlic. Set the bulb on a square of foil on a baking sheet (paid link). Drizzle olive oil over the exposed cloves, then wrap the bulb in foil. Roast for 30-35 minutes, until the cloves are soft and golden. Unwrap and set aside to cool. Leave the oven on.

Make the Parmesan cream sauce. While the garlic roasts, melt the butter in a saucepan (paid link) over medium-low heat. Add the minced garlic and stir for 30-60 seconds, just until fragrant (don’t let it brown). Sprinkle in the all-purpose flour and stir for 30 seconds. Slowly whisk (paid link) in the cream, then add the black pepper and garlic powder. Bring to a low simmer and cook for 2-3 minutes, until it coats the back of a spoon. Reduce the heat to low and whisk (paid link) in the Parmesan a handful at a time until smooth. Remove from the heat; the sauce will thicken further as it cools.

Shape the dough. Dust the countertop with the pastry flour. Set the dough on the flour and press it into a rough rectangle with your fingertips. Roll it out to roughly 13 x 18 inches. Line a rimmed baking sheet (paid link) of the same size with parchment paper, transfer the dough, and press it into the corners.

Cook the spinach. Heat the olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the remaining minced garlic and stir for 30 seconds. Add the spinach in handfuls, then season with the onion powder, remaining garlic powder, remaining black pepper, and the sea salt. Toss for about 2 minutes, until just wilted. Transfer to a colander and press out as much liquid as you can.

Add the sauce and cheese. Spread the Parmesan sauce over the dough, leaving a 1-inch border. Sprinkle the mozzarella evenly over the sauce, then scatter the spinach over the cheese.

Top with roasted garlic. Squeeze the roasted cloves from their skins, slice them thinly, and scatter them over the spinach. Brush the bare crust edges with melted butter.

Bake. Bake at 400°F for 18 minutes, until the crust is deep golden and the cheese is bubbling with a few browned spots. Let the pizza rest for 3 minutes, then slice into squares and serve hot.

Make-Ahead, Storage, and Reheating Tips

• Make ahead: Roast the garlic up to 5 days ahead and refrigerate it. Make the sauce up to 3 days ahead; warm it over low heat, stirring, until spreadable before using. Cook the spinach up to 1 day ahead and store it squeezed dry.
• Storage: Refrigerate leftover slices in an airtight container for up to 4 days. To freeze, wrap individual slices tightly in plastic wrap and foil, then freeze for up to 2 months; thaw overnight in the fridge.
• Reheating: For the crispiest crust, reheat slices in a covered skillet over medium-low heat for 4 to 5 minutes. You can also reheat them on a baking sheet (paid link) in a 375°F oven for 8 to 10 minutes, or in an air fryer at 350°F for 3 to 4 minutes. Skip the microwave, which makes the crust chewy.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I use store-bought Alfredo sauce instead of homemade?

Yes. Use about 1 cup of jarred Alfredo, then stir in 1 tsp minced garlic and a little black pepper to brighten it up. Homemade sauce takes about 5 minutes and gives you a fresher, more garlicky flavor.

Why is my white pizza soggy in the middle?

The usual causes are wet spinach, a sauce that’s too thin, or too much sauce. Squeeze the spinach well, simmer the sauce until it coats a spoon, and spread it in a thin, even layer. Baking on the lowest oven rack also helps crisp the bottom.

Can I make this as a round pizza or on a pizza stone (paid link)?

Absolutely. Shape the dough into a 14-inch round and bake it on a preheated pizza stone (paid link) or steel at 475°F for 10 to 12 minutes, until the crust is golden and the cheese is bubbling.

Spinach White Pizza with Roasted Garlic

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Spinach White Pizza with Roasted Garlic: creamy Parmesan sauce, mozzarella, and roasted garlic on a crisp crust. Ready in about an hour.

• Total Time: 1 hour 5 minutes
• Yield: 12 1x

Ingredients

Units USM Scale 1/2x1x2x

For the roasted garlic:

• 1 whole garlic bulb
• 1 tbsp olive oil

For the Parmesan cream sauce:

• 2 tbsp butter
• 2 tsp minced garlic
• 1 tsp all-purpose flour
• 1 cup heavy whipping cream
• 1 tsp black pepper
• 1 tsp garlic powder
• 1 cup grated Parmesan cheese

For the garlic spinach:

• 1 tbsp olive oil
• 3 tsp (1 tbsp) minced garlic
• 10 oz fresh organic spinach leaves
• 1/2 tsp onion powder
• 1 tsp garlic powder
• 1 tsp black pepper
• 1/2 tsp sea salt

For assembly:

• 1/3 cup pastry flour, for dusting
• 1 lb fresh pizza dough, at room temperature
• 1 1/2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese
• 1 tbsp butter, melted

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Instructions

1. Prep the garlic. Preheat the oven to 400°F. Peel away the papery outer skin of the garlic bulb, keeping the bulb whole. Slice about 1/4 inch off the top to expose the tops of the cloves.
2. Roast the garlic. Set the bulb on a square of foil on a baking sheet (paid link). Drizzle olive oil over the exposed cloves, then wrap the bulb in foil. Roast for 30-35 minutes, until the cloves are soft and golden. Unwrap and set aside to cool. Leave the oven on.
3. Make the Parmesan cream sauce. While the garlic roasts, melt the butter in a saucepan (paid link) over medium-low heat. Add the minced garlic and stir for 30-60 seconds, just until fragrant (don’t let it brown). Sprinkle in the all-purpose flour and stir for 30 seconds. Slowly whisk (paid link) in the cream, then add the black pepper and garlic powder. Bring to a low simmer and cook for 2-3 minutes, until it coats the back of a spoon. Reduce the heat to low and whisk (paid link) in the Parmesan a handful at a time until smooth. Remove from the heat; the sauce will thicken further as it cools.
4. Cook the spinach. Heat the olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the remaining minced garlic and stir for 30 seconds. Add the spinach in handfuls, then season with the onion powder, remaining garlic powder, remaining black pepper, and the sea salt. Toss for about 2 minutes, until just wilted. Transfer to a colander and press out as much liquid as you can.
5. Shape the dough. Dust the countertop with the pastry flour. Set the dough on the flour and press it into a rough rectangle with your fingertips. Roll it out to roughly 13 x 18 inches. Line a rimmed baking sheet (paid link) of the same size with parchment paper, transfer the dough, and press it into the corners.
6. Add the sauce and cheese. Spread the Parmesan sauce over the dough, leaving a 1-inch border. Sprinkle the mozzarella evenly over the sauce, then scatter the spinach over the cheese.
7. Top with roasted garlic. Squeeze the roasted cloves from their skins, slice them thinly, and scatter them over the spinach. Brush the bare crust edges with melted butter.
8. Bake. Bake at 400°F for 18 minutes, until the crust is deep golden and the cheese is bubbling with a few browned spots. Let the pizza rest for 3 minutes, then slice into squares and serve hot.

Equipment

Baking Sheet

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Whisk

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(paid link)

Notes

Squeeze the spinach dry. Wet spinach is the number one cause of a soggy white pizza. Press it in the colander with the back of a spoon, or wring it out in a clean kitchen towel.
Let the dough warm up. Take the dough out of the fridge 30 minutes before shaping. Cold dough fights back and shrinks. If it keeps springing back, let it rest for 5 minutes and try again.
Roast garlic in bulk. Roast two or three bulbs at once, then refrigerate the extras in an airtight container for up to 5 days. Next time, this pizza is a 30-minute meal.
Swap in frozen spinach. A 10 oz bag of frozen chopped spinach, thawed and squeezed very dry, works perfectly. Skip the skillet time and just toss it with the seasonings and minced garlic.
Add a little heat. Sprinkle red pepper flakes over the pizza before baking.

• Author: Eric Jones
• Prep Time: 15 minutes
• Cook Time: 50 minutes
• Category: Dinner, Pizza
• Method: Bake, Baked
• Cuisine: American, Italian

Nutrition

• Serving Size: 1/4 of the pizza, about 3 squares
• Calories: 890
• Sugar: 4 g
• Sodium: 1480 mg
• Fat: 57 g
• Saturated Fat: 31 g
• Carbohydrates: 58 g
• Fiber: 3 g
• Protein: 31 g
• Cholesterol: 160 mg