Pizza 102: Choose a Sauce (Or Not)

Pizza is one of the most beloved food items around the world, with about 93% of Americans eating it at least once a month. It started out as a simple, healthy breakfast and quickly took over the world. Made from scratch or frozen, pizza is a whole world of delight.

There are many nuances associated with making the perfect pizza: dough, sauce, toppings, and the right cheese. Here, we focus on the types of pizza sauces and how you can make them at the comfort of your home. Moreover, sauces are something that you can preserve, either by canning or freezing. For freezing the sauce, let it cool down completely before pouring it into freezer-safe containers (or freezer bags) and keep it fresh for about 3 months in a freezer.

Sauce #1: White Sauce 

Add 2 tbsp of butter and 1 tbsp olive oil in a saucepan over medium heat. Add around ¼ cup of finely chopped onions and 1 large finely minced garlic clove to it and stir until you can smell the aroma (which would take around a minute). Then add 3 tbsp of all-purpose flour to it and whisk for 2-3 minutes, until its color turns golden brown and the onions are translucent. 

Add a cup of milk (you can do this to gradually adjust the sauce thickness as desired), ½ cup of grated Parmesan cheese (or Mozzarella cheese), 2 tbsp of minced fresh basil, ½ tbsp of minced oregano (this is optional), and a pinch of black pepper to the onion mixture.

Cook the mix until the cheese melts and the sauce has reached a thick consistency. This would take about 5 minutes. Turn the heat off and your sauce is ready. Use it to make lip-smacking pizzas at home or store it in an Iron Mountain Refrigeration freezer for future use.

Sauce #2: Red Sauce

Take 6 tomatoes and slit an “X” on one side with a knife. Boil these tomatoes in a container for about 3 minutes. Take them off the heat and peel the skin off the tomatoes. Add 3 tomatoes to a blender and blend them into a smooth paste. Chop the remaining tomatoes and remove the seeds.

Add 1 tbsp of olive oil, 2 cloves of finely chopped garlic, and one half finely chopped onion to a saucepan. Then add the chopped tomatoes and stir the mixture well. Pour the blended tomato puree into the mixture and then add 2 tbsp of basil, a tbsp of sugar, 1 tsp chili powder, 3/4th tbsp oregano, half tbsp chili flakes, and salt according to taste.

Mix this mixture and make sure that all the ingredients blend well. Simmer this over medium flame for about 5 minutes. Add a tbsp of tomato sauce and butter each and mix again until the mix is consistent and your red pizza sauce is ready. All you need to do now is to spread it on your favorite pizza base. 

Sauce #3: Garlic Sauce

This is one of the easiest sauce recipes you will ever come across. Add 2 tbsp of unsalted butter to a saucepan and let it melt over medium heat. After that, add 4 cloves of minced garlic and cook it for 30 seconds. Throw in 3 tbsp of all-purpose flour, ¼ tbsp of ground black pepper, ¼ tbsp of salt, and ¼ tbsp of dried oregano, and whisk it for about a minute.

Then add milk slowly and gradually while continuously whisking the mixture. Do it until the desired consistency is reached. Turn the heat off and add ½ cup of cheese and give the sauce a good stir so it mixes well. Use this garlic-flavored sauce to provide your pizza an aroma twist.

Sauce #4: BBQ Sauce

Add ½ cup of tomato ketchup to a saucepan. Add ¼ cup of brown sugar (you can use jaggery instead), 2 tbsp of red chili sauce or hot sauce, and 2 tbsp of Worcestershire sauce and give the mixture a thorough stir.

After that, add 2 tbsp of red chili powder, 1.5 tbsp of garlic powder, salt to taste, 1 tbsp onion powder, 2 tbsp of vinegar, 1 tbsp of water, and 1 tbsp of pepper powder. Give this rich mixture of spices another good stir. Keep stirring the mixture while cooking it on low heat. Finally, add one tbsp of butter and stir the mixture to let it melt. Cook this for 3-4 minutes before removing it from heat and your BBQ-flavored sauce is ready.

It can be stored in a home refrigerator for about 7 days. You can always rely on an Iron Mountain Refrigeration product to keep your sauces fresh for a long time.

Sauce #5: Ranch Sauce

This mayonnaise-based sauce is popular among kids and adults alike. Here is how you can make it at home. Take a mixing bowl and add ½ a cup of mayonnaise, ½ cup of sour cream, 1 tbsp of milk, and 1 tbsp of lemon juice before whisking the mixture thoroughly.

After that, add 1 tbsp of dried dill, ½ tbsp of chives, ½ tbsp of dried parsley, ½ tbsp of garlic powder, ½ tbsp of onion powder, salt, and black pepper to taste. Give this mixture a good mix and adjust seasoning according to your preferences. 

For best results, it is recommended to freeze this mixture for about 2 hours. Use an Iron Mountain Refrigeration product to accomplish this task without any hassle.

You now have a fine list of delicious and easy-to-make pizza sauces for every occasion. Be it the succulent red sauce or the more subtle white one, you can always make one at home without much fuss. For special occasions, one can always rely on the rich BBQ sauce to enhance your pizza flavors, while the Ranch is an all-time classic. However, what’s common in all these sauces is the need to keep them fresh for a long period, a task that can be reliably entrusted to our products at Iron Mountain Refrigeration!

Need to start at the beginning?  Read Pizza 101: The Perfect Crust

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