Asparagus & Mushroom Pizza w/ Parmesan White Sauce

1 large (16") premade pizza dough, or homemade dough recipe
8 oz. fresh mushrooms, sliced
10.5 oz. bag frozen asparagus spears, completely thawed, patted dry, and cut into 2" pieces
1 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese
1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese
1 Tbs. unsalted butter

For the Sauce:
1 Tbs. unsalted butter
1/2 Tbs. whole wheat flour
3/4 cup cold milk
1/4 tsp. onion powder
1 clove fresh garlic, finely minced
1/4 tsp. sea salt
1/3 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese
Dash of ground black pepper

Preheat oven, according to temp. stated on your dough package. Place rolled out dough onto a greased pizza pan.

If using raw dough or homemade recipe: Pre-cook the raw pizza dough partially, prior to applying the toppings. This avoids the crust from getting under-cooked or soggy. I usually cook it at 400 degrees, for about 8-10 minutes. Then apply my toppings and cook for an additional 15 minutes, at 400 degrees F.


If using pre-made, already cooked pizza crust: Just apply your toppings and cook according to package directions.

To make the sauce: In a medium saucepan melt 1 tablespoon of butter, over medium to low heat. Whisk in flour, garlic, onion powder, and salt. Continue whisking until mixture gets thick and bubbly. Slowly whisk in the milk, and continue to whisk for 5-10 minutes, or until mixture begins to thicken. Once thickened, stir in the 1/3 cup of Parmesan cheese and black pepper. Once cheese is melted, remove pan from heat and set aside to cool slightly.


While sauce is cooling, saute mushrooms in 1 tablespoon of butter, in a large pan over medium to low heat. Saute until lightly brown, but not too tender. Add asparagus to the pan the last couple minutes of the mushrooms cooking (just taking the chill off them and absorbing some of their extra moisture from thawing). Set aside.

Whisk sauce again, then pour it over the crust. Sprinkle 1 cup of Parmesan cheese on top. Spoon the mushroom and asparagus mixture over the Parmesan cheese. Then, sprinkle with mozzarella cheese over the top.

Cook according to the instructions on your package of pre-made crust or follow the instructions on your homemade dough recipe. Cheese should be melted and bubbly.

Tip: You can substitute the frozen asparagus for fresh asparagus. Just cook it longer in the pan, with the mushrooms, until tender, but not too soft. If using fresh asparagus, trim them first, by cutting off most of the bottom woody stem, and using mostly the just upper spears.