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creamy garlic parmesan sauce in a white bowl ready for dipping

Creamy Garlic Parmesan Sauce

Course: Sauces
Cuisine: American
Keyword: 5 Ingredients or Less, Easy, Game Day, Make-Ahead, Party
Prep Time: 5 minutes
Cook Time: 0 minutes
Chilling Time: 1 hour
Total Time: 1 hour 5 minutes
Servings: 8 1 cup or 2 tablespoons per person
Calories: 216kcal
Author: Marilyn
This creamy, flavorful sauce is a crowd favorite for wings. Use the sauce for dipping your wings or toss the cooked wings right in the sauce. It also makes a great dipping sauce for potato wedges, onion rings and veggies. You can spread this versatile sauce on pizza, stir it into pasta. or serve it alongside grilled chicken or pork. The possibilities are endless.
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Ingredients

  • 1 cup real mayonnaise
  • 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
  • 2 tablespoons freshly grated parmesan cheese
  • 1 ½ tablespoons garlic powder
  • ½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

Instructions

  • In a large bowl, combine the mayonnaise and olive oil. Add the grated parmesan, garlic and ground pepper; stirring well until combined
  • Cover and refrigerate for 1 hour.
  • Serve with your favorite chicken wings or other dippers.

Notes

Use a freshly grated parmesan cheese instead of the of powdered parmesan cheese than comes in a green can. The powdered cheese does not have the same flavor as freshly grated. Did you know you can grate your own parmesan cheese?
How to grate parmesan cheese: Cut a block of parmesan into 1-inch chunks. Place the chunks in a food process and process about 20 seconds or until ground into coarse particles.
How much block cheese is needed: You will need a ½ ounce block of parmesan to for the 2 tablespoons of grated cheese that you need for this recipe. I suggest processing more than you need and refrigerating the remainder in an airtight container. Freshly grated cheese keeps its full flavor for about 2 weeks. 
Do not skip the step of refrigerating the sauce for 1 hour.  The sauce needs this time to meld the flavors properly. 
Storage: The sauce can be made up to 2 days ahead of time. Stir again before using. Leftover sauce can also be stored for 2 days if no other ingredients have been dipped into the sauce. If it has been dipped in directly, discard the sauce.
Variations:
Mayonnaise: I prefer Sir Kensington's Mayonnaise for my recipes as it uses Certified Human Free Range eggs, it is non-GMO and tastes amazing. If you have another brand you prefer, such as Hellman's, feel free to use that.
Parmigiano Reggiano can be substituted for parmesan in this recipe. Although for the increased cost, I don't feel it adds a better flavor profile for the sauce.
Pecorino Romano can be substituted for freshly grated parmesan if needed. Pecorino is a bit sharper than parmesan and much more salty. If you are using your sauce in another dish that requires salt, decrease the amount of salt in the other dish, taste test and add salt if desired. I also recommend you use kosher salt because of the larger crystals which will blend more easily and are easier to add smaller quantities.
Garlic powder: Do not substitute fresh minced garlic or granulated garlic for the powdered kind. Either type will not absorb well and you will have small pieces of garlic in your sauce.

Nutrition

Calories: 216kcal | Carbohydrates: 1g | Protein: 1g | Fat: 23g | Saturated Fat: 4g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 13g | Monounsaturated Fat: 6g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 13mg | Sodium: 201mg | Potassium: 27mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 1g | Vitamin A: 30IU | Vitamin C: 1mg | Calcium: 15mg | Iron: 1mg