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5 from 1 vote

Hot Pizza Dip

This recipe can be modified to be as loaded with toppings as you want or easily lightened up depending on your cravings. Add a little or a lot of meat, make it purely veggie, and even skip the cream cheese layer. It's all good.
Prep Time15 minutes
Cook Time15 minutes
Total Time30 minutes
Course: Appetizer
Servings: 9 " pie
Calories: 213kcal
Author: Good Dinner Mom

Ingredients

  • 8- ounce package cream cheese, softened (Use neufchatal for less fat and calories, if desired)
  • 1 Tablespoon freshly shredded Parmesan cheese
  • ¼ teaspoon dried oregano
  • ¼ teaspoon dried basil
  • ¼ teaspoon red pepper flakes
  • ¼ teaspoon garlic powder
  • 1 cup mozarella cheese, shredded and divided
  • 1 cup good quality jarred pizza sauce
  • ½ cheddar cheese, shredded
  • ½ cup fresh shredded Parmesan cheese
  • 1 Hot or Mild Italian sausage, removed from casing
  • 10 fresh mushrooms, sliced
  • ½ small onion, diced
  • 20-30 mini pepperoni, or 10-12 regular size pepperoni slices
  • ½ green bell pepper, diced
  • 10 black olives, sliced
  • Crostinis or sliced baugette for serving

Instructions

  • Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees F.
  • In a medium bowl, mix together 8 ounces cream cheese, 1 Tablespoon Parmesan and ¼ teaspoon oregano, ¼ teaspoon basil, ¼ teaspoon red pepper flakes, ¼ teaspoon garlic powder. Spread mixture into the bottom of an oven safe 9-inch glass pie plate.
  • Top cream cheese mixture with ½ cup mozzarella and spread 1 cup pizza sauce over it to edges. Sprinkle remaining ½ cup mozzarella, ½ cup cheddar and ½ cup Parmesan cheese over the sauce.
  • In a small sauté pan, cook 1 sausage over medium heat until no longer pink, breaking up into small pieces. Remove sausage from pan with slotted spoon and spread over top of cheese in pie plate.
  • In same pan you cooked the sausage, add 10 sliced mushrooms and ½ diced onions and cook until just golden (add a little oil or butter if needed). Remove mushrooms and onions from pan and spread over other ingredients.
  • Sprinkle 20-30 mini pepperoni, ½ diced bell pepper, 10 sliced black olives over the top, adding more if desired. For a little spicier dip, sprinkle with extra red pepper flakes before baking.
  • Bake for 15-20 minutes or until the cheese is golden brown and bubbly.
  • Serve immediately with crostinis, garlic toast or sliced baugette.

Notes

  1. You can assemble the pizza dip ahead of time and then refrigerate it up to 24 hours before baking. I found that serving it fresh the first day it's baked was the best and gave the freshest flavor. Personally, the flavors were not as prominent when I reheated leftovers the second day.
  2. When I was first making this recipe, I would add the onions at the end along with the black olives, etc. Then my friend Angie, who makes the dip frequently, started sautéing the onions with the mushrooms and this small change became a game changer in elevating the flavors.

Nutrition

Calories: 213kcal | Carbohydrates: 4g | Protein: 9g | Fat: 17g | Saturated Fat: 9g | Cholesterol: 51mg | Sodium: 562mg | Potassium: 262mg | Sugar: 3g | Vitamin A: 640IU | Vitamin C: 8.4mg | Calcium: 169mg | Iron: 0.8mg