Pizza Dip

This straightforward pizza dip recipe features layers of mozzarella and Parmesan cheeses, pizza sauce, and your favorite pizza toppings. Always a hit!

One of our favorite weeks of the year (aside from the week before Christmas) is the week before the Bowl. At no other point in time is it possible to find so many memorable appetizer and dip recipes. Right behind our love of desserts comes our love of appetizers, specifically dips.

Which means that on a day like Bowl Sunday, we are in a state of food nirvana. We love the excuse to try out new recipes and declare new favorites. This straightforward pizza dip is simple and combines all of the crave-worthy flavors of a pizza without the need to toss dough, preheat a pizza stone, or bust out the pizza peel. An awesome compromise for the sake of dip.

Straightforward Pizza Dip!

This crazy rich baked pepperoni pizza dip is made with cream cheese, mozzarella and Parmesan cheeses, pizza sauce, and your favorite pizza toppings!

Bust out your favorite pie plate and slather the bottom with a layer of cream cheese, top that cream cheese with shredded mozzarella and Parmesan cheese. Then add a layer of your favorite pizza sauce (we love DeLallo when doing store-bought, but we also have a favorite from-scratch pizza sauce, too), top with more shredded cheese, and then finish it off with your favorite pizza toppings.

We are definitely a purist when it comes to pizza – we are a pepperoni pizza girl pretty much 100% of the time, but we do love the combination of pepperoni, black olives and green pepper for a variety of flavors here. Feel free to switch it up though, whatever you like – mushrooms, sausage, bacon, veggies – possibilities are endless!

What do you serve with pizza dip? So many options!

• Baguette slices (toasted or un-toasted)
• Crusty chunks of bread
• Pita chips
• Tortilla chips

You could certainly serve this with other things, but we like lightly toasted baguette slices or chunks of crusty bread, like a country sourdough. They hold up well to the sauce and melted cheese, and they mimic a crust beautifully.

Happy pizza dipping, everyone! What would your ideal toppings be?

One year ago: Anitpasto Appetizer Squares
Two years ago: Seven Layer Dip

Pizza Dip

Yield: 8 to 10 servings This straightforward pizza dip recipe features layers of mozzarella and Parmesan cheeses, pizza sauce, and your favorite pizza toppings. Always a hit!

• 8 ounces (226.8 g) cream cheese, at room temperature
• 4 ounces (113.4 g) mozzarella cheese, shredded (about 1 cup), divided
• 4 ounces (113.4 g) Parmesan cheese, shredded (about 1 cup), divided
• 1 cup (245 g) pizza sauce
• 2 ounces (56.7 g) sliced pepperoni
• 2 tablespoons chopped green pepper
• 2 tablespoons sliced black olives

• Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.
• Spread the cream cheese over the bottom of a 9-inch pie plate. Top with ½ cup of the shredded mozzarella and ½ cup of the Parmesan cheese.
• Spread the pizza sauce on top of the cheeses, and then top with the remaining ½ cup of mozzarella cheese and ½ cup of Parmesan cheese.
• Top with pepperoni slices, chopped green pepper and sliced black olives.
• Bake until the cheese is melted and bubbly, about 20 minutes. Serve with your favorite bread, toasted baguette slices, or chips.

Notes

• We like the "supreme" style topping combo of pepperoni, green peppers and black olives, but feel free to use your favorite pizza toppings, whatever they may be!

Nutritional values based on one serving

• Yield: 8 to 10 servings
• Prep: 15 minutes
• Cook: 20 minutes
• Total: 35 minutes

Ingredients

• 8 ounces ( 226.8 g ) cream cheese, at room temperature
• 4 ounces ( 113.4 g ) mozzarella cheese, shredded (about 1 cup), divided
• 4 ounces ( 113.4 g ) Parmesan cheese, shredded (about 1 cup), divided
• 1 cup ( 245 g ) pizza sauce
• 2 ounces ( 56.7 g ) sliced pepperoni
• 2 tablespoons chopped green pepper
• 2 tablespoons sliced black olives

Method

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.
2. Spread the cream cheese over the bottom of a 9-inch pie plate. Top with ½ cup of the shredded mozzarella and ½ cup of the Parmesan cheese.
3. Spread the pizza sauce on top of the cheeses, and then top with the remaining ½ cup of mozzarella cheese and ½ cup of Parmesan cheese.
4. Top with pepperoni slices, chopped green pepper and sliced black olives.
5. Bake until the cheese is melted and bubbly, about 20 minutes. Serve with your favorite bread, toasted baguette slices, or chips.

Notes

We like the "supreme" style topping combo of pepperoni, green peppers and black olives, but feel free to use your favorite pizza toppings, whatever they may be!