Asparagus and chicken pizza topped with fresh basil

Ingredients

Pizza dough

Homemade (my favourite recipe is from the Better Homes and Garden cookbook) or

Storebought (dough or pre-baked crust) or

Naan or pita bread would work well too!

Cornmeal, if using a fresh dough

Pizza sauce

1 tablespoon butter

1 tablespoon flour

½ cup cream

½ cup shredded Parmesan

½ stem green garlic, minced

¼ teaspoon salt

¼ teaspoon pepper

*If you like an extra saucy pizza, you may want to double this!

Toppings

1 cup washed and sliced mushrooms

1 stem green garlic, minced

1 tablespoon butter

Red pepper flakes

3 cups shredded mozzarella

1 cup washed and diced asparagus

4 strips bacon, cooked and diced

1 cup shredded Rotisserie chicken

More Parmesan, to taste

Instructions

Preheat the oven: set temperature to 425°F.
Prepare the dough: if making your own dough, get the proofing process started. If using store bought dough stretch it out onto a on-stick baking sheet or pizza pan. If using a prebaked crust or naan bread, place it on the pan. For fresh dough I like to sprinkle the pan with cornmeal first, to help further prevent sticking.
Make the sauce: melt butter in a small saucepan. Add minced green garlic and cook until fragrant, 1 – 2 minutes. Next add flour and whisk until evenly combined. Cook for an additional 1 – 2 minutes, until a nice thick mixture forms. Slowly add cream, whisking constantly, until evenly combined. Finally, add Parmesan, salt, and pepper and combine until cheese is melted and sauce is thick and creamy. Remove the sauce from heat and set aside for later use.
Cook the mushrooms: in a small pan, melt an additional tablespoon of butter. Add mushrooms and the second stem of minced green garlic. Cook until mushrooms are softened and moisture has been released. The garlic should be softened and fragrant too! Season with red pepper flakes to taste, them remove from heat.
Assemble the pizza: spread the creamy garlic sauce over the pizza crust until evenly covered. Next add the cooked mushrooms, again evenly distributed over the crust. Cover the mushrooms evenly with the shredded mozzarella cheese, then top off the pizza with the diced asparagus, bacon, and chicken.
Bake the pizza: Transfer the prepared pizza into the oven and bake for 15 minutes, until cheese is melted and golden brown and asparagus is softened.
Once pizza is baked, remove from the oven and let cool on the stove top for ~10 minutes. This helps the pizza set, and toppings and ingredients to meld together.
Slice pizza and serve! We paired ours with our Strawberry BBQ Sauce for dipping, but pesto or Ceasar dressing would be delicious as well.