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Calling all cheese lovers and pizza fans! Hot and Creamy Pizza Dip is an oven-baked dip that’s loaded with cheese, meat and pizza sauce along with your favorite pizza toppings. Serve it up with golden slices of toasted baguette or your favorite crackers – either way. This cheesy appetizer is a big hit at every gathering!
So. What Ingredients Do You Need To Make This Pepperoni Pizza Dip Recipe? Cream Cheese
Begin by letting your cream cheese rest at room temperature to soften a bit. Or, if you forget this step, you can always pop your cream cheese into the microwave and give it a few 30 second intervals on 30% power. This will nicely soften the cream cheese without getting it too hot at the center like full power will.
Sour Cream
You can use full-fat sour cream or low-fat – either type works great in this recipe and I’ve tried them both.
Green Bell Pepper
This aromatic not only adds some nice flavor, it also gives some very pretty color to this dip. You could also substitute a red, yellow, or orange sweet bell pepper, too. Use what you’ve got on hand! Also, one time I wanted to make this dip and didn’t have a single bell pepper on hand. Sooooo, I stirred in a can of drained and diced green chilies – the dip was still delicious!
Ground Pork Sausage and Ground Beef
I used both ground pork and ground beef in this recipe, but if you prefer to use just one or the other, you can certainly do so. After you cook the ground meats, you’ll need to drain the fats really well or your dip will be a bit too greasy.
Mini Pepperoni
I love mini pepperoni! They are so cute and they are slightly thicker than regular pepperoni so I think they bake up even better. You’ll stir the mini pepperoni into the dip and then also garnish with them, as well.
Italian Seasonings, Garlic, Red Pepper Flakes, Seasoned Salt
Here’s where you dip gets a boost of additional flavor – spices and fresh garlic, some zip from the red pepper flakes, and of course, the salt rounds everything out.
Pizza Sauce
My favorite pizza sauce is Contadina, but you can use whatever brand you prefer.
Shredded Mozzarella and Grated Parmesan
Mozzarella gives this dip the ooey-gooey wonderfulness we all yearn for with warm and creamy dips and pizza. A flurry of parmesan over the top provides a nice covering of additional flavor.
Toasted Baguette Slices, Crackers, or Pita Chips
Your dippers! We really prefer the toasted baguette slices for this dip, but we’ve also used butter crackers (aka Ritz crackers) and those were also delicious with this Hot and Creamy Pizza Dip.
Easy and Helpful Recipe Tips for Making This Layered Pizza Dip I forgot to set my cream cheese out to soften it. What should I do?
Thank goodness for microwave ovens! You can soften lots of things in your microwave by using the 30% power setting instead of full power. Choose cook time: 30 seconds. Then choose cook power: 30% Then press Start. You may need to do a couple of 30 second intervals at 30% power to get the cream cheese softened to the consistency that makes it easy to stir. Just don’t use full power since this gets dairy products way over heated, especially at the center.
Is using a skillet on my stove the only way to cook ground meats?
Actually, NO! If I can’t keep my eye on a skillet on the stove like we need to, I place my chunk of ground meat into a casserole dish and pop it into a 350 degree F. oven for 15 minutes. When the timer sounds, I get my spatula and crumble the meat really well, continuing to let it cook until all pink is gone, the meat is nicely browned, and internal temperature is at least 160 degrees F. Then, I remove the casserole dish of meat from the oven and drain any fats that have accumulated. Or, you can always use the saute setting on your Instant Pot (or any electric pressure cooker) to cook your ground meats since this is just like using a burner on your stove – it works great!
Can I make this Hot and Creamy Pizza Dip ahead of time, baking it just before I serve it?
Affirmative! When I’m having guests or family over, I love to make everything I can ahead of time so I’m not cooking in the kitchen while everyone else is having all the fun. I make this dip ahead of time a lot and it works just great. Remember to remove the dip from the fridge ahead of time so it can rest at room temperature for awhile to remove some of the chill – this will help the dip cook more quickly for you.
Would this dip be good served over slices of toasted French bread?
Yes!!! I had both some pizza dip AND a few slices of French bread recently, so I put the two together and popped them into the oven. Talk about FANTASTIC!! I felt like I was eating my own little pizza sub-sandwich. I admit that the dip is easier to eat with dippers, but having it on a thick slice of toasted French bread was just delightful….not to mention quite sinful!
My family doesn’t care for green bell pepper. Can I leave that ingredient out?
You can customize this pizza dip however your little heart prefers! My guys aren’t super thrilled with bell peppers in my cooking, either, but when I add them to this pizza dip, they didn’t even seem to notice. They scarfed this warm and ooey-gooey pizza dip right down! #MomScore
Other Recipes to Enjoy – Chili-Cheese-Dog Tater Tot Bake Open-Face Italian Beef Sandwiches Cheeseburger-Stuffed Jumbo Pasta Shells Printable Directions for Making Hot and Creamy Pizza Dip
Hot and Creamy Pizza Dip
Looking for an easy baked appetizer for your next gathering? Your friends and family will flip over this Hot and Creamy Pizza Dip that's made with cream cheese, pepperoni, and sausage and ready in a flash. Serve with toasted baguette slices or your favorite pita chips and crackers. #pizza #dip #easy #baked #appetizer #gameday #FootballFriday #watchparty #SuperBowl
Pizza Dip 12 oz. cream cheese softened 1 cup sour cream 1 small green bell pepper, seeds and membranes removed, diced 1/2 lb. ground sausage (may use ground Italian sausagbrowned and fats drained 1/2 lb. lean ground beef browned and fats drained 1 tsp. Italian seasonings 2 cloves garlic, crushed (may substitute 1 tsp. granulated garlic, if preferred) 1/2 cup mini pepperoni, divided use 1 tsp. Italian seasoning 1/2 tsp. red pepper flakes optional 1/4 tsp. seasoned salt 1 cup pizza sauce 1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese 1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese mini pepperoni, for garnishing the top of the pizza dip Italian seasonings, to garnish the top of the pizza dip before baking Toasted baguette slices or your favorite crackers, for serving Toasted Baguette Slices 1 baguette vegetable or canola oil To Make the Easy Cheesy Pizza Dip
In a large mixing bowl, combine the cream cheese with the sour cream until nicely blended; stir in the green bell pepper, cooked sausage, cooked ground beef, Italian seasonings, garlic, red pepper flakes, and seasoned salt.
Spread the prepared dip mixture into a greased 9" pie plate or casserole dish. Top the dip with the pizza sauce, shredded cheese, Parmesan, a few more pepperoni; lastly, sprinkle a bit of Italian seasoning over the top.
Bake the dip, uncovered, on the center rack of the oven for 30-35 minutes or until golden brown on top, and hot and bubbly throughout. Serve the dip warm with toasted baguette slices or your favorite pita chips and crackers.
To Make the Baguette Slices
Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Using a serrated knife, slice the baguette into 1/4-inch thick slices, placing each one onto a parchment-lined rimmed baking sheet. Using a silicone basting brush, lightly brush each slice on both sides with a bit of oil. Bake, uncovered, on the center rack of the oven for 6-8 minutes or until lightly golden brown.
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Let’s Get You Cookin’,
Chef Alli This recipe was happily shared on The Country Cook’s Weekend Potluck and Southern Bite’s Meal Plan Monday.
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#Featured #Dip #SuperBowl #Appetizer #CreamCheese
