Food & Beverage
Beyond basic red: How pizzerias can jazz up menus with non-traditional sauces
Pesto, red peppers, olive oil and hoisin sauce all make creative bases for pizzas. Making the sauces in-house gives a pizzeria a leg up.
February 27, 2025 by Mandy Wolf Detwiler — Editor, Networld Media Group
Beyond the familiar swirl of marinara, a world of flavorful possibilities awaits at the pizzeria, where white sauces, pesto drizzles and olive oil-kissed toppings offer a delicious escape for those seeking a red sauce reprieve.
Pizzerias that venture beyond the traditional red sauce open themselves up to a world of culinary possibilities and customer satisfaction.
Offering diverse sauces like creamy alfredo, vibrant pesto or tangy barbecue can cater to a wider range of palates, including those with dietary restrictions or aversions to tomatoes. This diversification not only elevates the dining experience but also allows for creative topping combinations, leading to unique and memorable pizzas.
In a competitive market, providing distinctive sauce options can be a key differentiator, attracting adventurous foodies and establishing a pizzeria as an innovative and forward-thinking establishment.
Here are six pizza restaurant menu ideas featuring alternative sauces:
Pesto perfection
One of the easiest sauces to make is a vibrant basil pesto, made with fresh basil, pine nuts, garlic, Parmesan and olive oil. Growing your own pesto in backyard pots can help save money and allow operators to advertise using local ingredients. (Just make sure to harvest the leaves before the plant flowers.)
Toppings for a peso pizza can include grilled chicken or shrimp, sun-dried tomatoes, artichoke hearts and fresh mozzarella. This pizza brings a fresh, herbaceous flavor that's a delightful change from tomato-based options.
Creamy white garlic
This pizza restaurant menu idea taps a rich and creamy white garlic sauce, made with heavy cream, garlic and Parmesan.
Good toppings to use include roasted mushrooms, caramelized onions, spinach, Gorgonzola or ricotta cheese. Gorgonzola has a rich flavor and should be used sparingly on a white garlic sauce. Ricotta is creamy and should be dolloped on lightly. This creates a decadent and savory pizza experience.
BBQ bliss
California Pizza Kitchen orchestrated the Original BBQ Chicken Pizza back in 1985. The pizza features the brand's legendary barbecue sauce, smoked Gouda, red onions and fresh cilantro.
If you're formulating your own, consider using pulled pork or barbecue chicken, red onions, cilantro and a cheese mix of cheddar and mozzarella. If you want to use pulled pork but don't have the capacity to make it yourself, partner with a local smokehouse to put their pulled pork on your pizza. It's a great way to bring a smoky, Southern-inspired flavor to pizza.
Roasted red pepper romance
To create your own sweet and smoky roasted red pepper sauce, roast your own bell peppers (we prefer red, yellow and orange compared to green, which tends to impart a strong flavor after cooking). You can roast your own by placing them on a pizza pan and drizzling with olive oil. Run them through the oven until the skins are charred and blistered. Place the roasted peppers in a bowl and cover with plastic wrap to steam, making the skins easier to peel.
To make a sauce, add in diced sweet onions, minced garlic cloves, tomato paste or crushed tomatoes that have been drained, fresh oregano or dried oregano and salt and black pepper to taste. Sauté in a pan with olive oil until the ingredients are soft. Place ingredients and roasted peppers in a blender or food processor and blend until smooth. Taste the sauce and adjust seasonings as needed.
Variations of this sauce include stirring in heavy cream or Parmesan cheese to make it creamy. For a chunkier sauce, pulse the ingredients in the blender instead of blending until completely smooth. You can spice it up by adding a pinch of red pepper flakes or a small amount of Calabrian chili paste.
Toppings for a pepper base may include Italian sausage, roasted bell peppers, Feta cheese and olives. This sauce offers a subtle sweetness and a depth of flavor.
Olive oil and herbs
A simple but flavorful base of high-quality olive oil infused with garlic and herbs like rosemary and oregano make for a simple yet tasty sauce.
The sauce's base includes ¼ extra virgin olive oil. Be sure to use a high-quality EVOO since it will be the primary ingredient for this sauce. Mince two to three cloves of garlic and one small shallot. Add in two tablespoons each of fresh rosemary and fresh oregano, finely chopped, and two tablespoons of fresh thyme leaves. You'll want to allow the ingredients to steep in the bowl of olive oil for 15 minutes or so to allow the flavors to infuse into the oil.
For toppings, consider thinly sliced potatoes, prosciutto, fresh rosemary and goat cheese.
A hint of Asian flavor
Finally, a peanut sauce, or hoisin sauce, makes a good base for an Asian-inspired pizza. Yes, you can buy a hoisin sauce already pre-made, but making it in-house allows you to control the heat.
An easy hoisin sauce includes soy sauce, molasses, sesame oil, rice vinegar, peanut butter, minced garlic, ground pepper and Sriracha sauce to taste. Add water as needed to reach your desired consistency or use 1 teaspoon cornstarch to help your sauce thicken. Whisk everything except the cornstarch in a saucepan over medium-high heat. Combine water and cornstarch in a small bowl and whisk it into the sauce to thicken. Good toppings to use with a hoisin sauce base include grilled chicken or shrimp, bean sprouts, carrots, cilantro and sesame seeds.
These ideas offer a starting point for creating exciting and unique pizza options that will appeal to a wide range of palates.
About Mandy Wolf Detwiler
Mandy Wolf Detwiler is the managing editor at Networld Media Group and the site editor for PizzaMarketplace.com and QSRweb.com. She has more than 20 years’ experience covering food, people and places.
An award-winning print journalist, Mandy brings more than 20 years’ experience to Networld Media Group. She has spent nearly two decades covering the pizza industry, from independent pizzerias to multi-unit chains and every size business in between. Mandy has been featured on the Food Network and has won numerous awards for her coverage of the restaurant industry. She has an insatiable appetite for learning, and can tell you where to find the best slices in the country after spending 15 years traveling and eating pizza for a living.
