Description
A warm, cheesy pizza dip perfect for sharing, featuring a creamy blend of cream cheese, sour cream, and pizza seasonings, layered with marinara sauce, parmesan, mozzarella, and pepperoni, baked until bubbly and golden. Serve with crusty bread or chips for an irresistible appetizer or snack.
Ingredients
Scale
Base
- 8 oz. cream cheese, softened
- ¾ cup sour cream
- ½ teaspoon dried garlic powder
- ½ teaspoon dried oregano
- ½ teaspoon dried basil
- 1/8 teaspoon red pepper flakes
Toppings
- 1 cup marinara sauce
- ¼ cup parmesan cheese, finely grated
- 1 ¼ cups mozzarella cheese, shredded
- 15 slices pepperoni
For Serving
- Crusty bread
Instructions
- Preheat Oven: Set your oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit to prepare for baking the dip.
- Mix Base Ingredients: In a bowl, combine the softened cream cheese, sour cream, dried garlic powder, dried oregano, dried basil, and red pepper flakes. Make sure the sour cream is not cold to keep the mixture smooth when baked.
- Assemble in Baking Dish: Spread the cream cheese mixture evenly on the bottom of a 9-inch pie pan, baking dish, or cast iron skillet.
- Add Marinara and Cheeses: Spread 1 cup of marinara sauce over the cream cheese layer. Sprinkle parmesan cheese, then mozzarella cheese evenly on top.
- Add Pepperoni: Distribute the 15 slices of pepperoni or other desired toppings evenly across the cheese layer.
- Bake the Dip: Place the dish in the oven and bake uncovered for 30 minutes until the top is bubbly and starting to brown.
- Garnish and Serve: Optionally, add more red pepper flakes, freshly ground black pepper, and chopped parsley on top before serving. Serve warm with crusty bread, pita, tortilla or bagel chips, or fresh vegetables for dipping.
Notes
- Make-Ahead Method: Assemble the dip as directed, then cover and refrigerate for up to 3 days before baking.
- Before baking, let the refrigerated dip sit at room temperature for 20-25 minutes to ensure even baking.
- For best flavor, grate parmesan and shred mozzarella fresh from blocks.
- Use a high-quality marinara sauce like Rao’s or a homemade version for superior taste.
- Additional toppings can include sausage, mushrooms, olives, bell peppers, onions, tomatoes, beef, ham, pineapple, or feta.
- You can substitute sour cream with mayonnaise, plain Greek yogurt, or cottage cheese.
- My No Knead Bread pairs wonderfully with this dip due to its crusty exterior and airy interior.
- Try related recipes such as homemade pizza dough, Buffalo Chicken Pizza, Hawaiian Pizza, or French Bread Pizza for more pizza-inspired dishes.
- This recipe appears in The Cozy Cookbook on page 12, alongside other dips like Spinach and Artichoke and Jalapeno Popper Dip.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: ½ cup
- Calories: 290 kcal
- Sugar: 4 g
- Sodium: 560 mg
- Fat: 24 g
- Saturated Fat: 13 g
- Unsaturated Fat: 9 g
- Trans Fat: 0 g
- Carbohydrates: 6 g
- Fiber: 1 g
- Protein: 10 g
- Cholesterol: 55 mg
