Pizza dip
40 min · 15 g protein · 223 cals / serving
Everything people love about a pepperoni pizza, in a bubbling dish for the middle of the table: a creamy, garlicky herb base, a layer of marinara, molten mozzarella and parmesan, crisp-edged pepperoni, peppers, mushrooms and olives. Scoop it with toasted baguette and crunchy pepper and cucumber. A lighter cheese base and turkey pepperoni keep the pizza flavour and lose much of the grease.
Ingredients
Base
- 4 oz light cream cheese, softened
- 4 oz fat free cream cheese, softened
- 1/2 cup nonfat Greek yogurt
- 1 tsp dried oregano
- 1 tsp dried basil
- 1/2 tsp garlic powder
- 1/4 cup grated parmesan, half for the base, half for the top
Layers
- 1 cup marinara sauce
- 1 1/4 cups grated mozzarella cheese
- 1/2 small green bell pepper, finely diced
- 4 mushrooms, thinly sliced
- 8 black olives, sliced
- about 24 slices turkey pepperoni slices
- a pinch red pepper flakes (optional)
To serve
- a few leaves fresh basil, torn
To dip
- about half a baguette French bread, sliced and toasted
- 1 very large red bell pepper, in strips
- 2/3 large cucumbers, in thick rounds
Steps
- Heat the oven to 350°F. Beat both cream cheeses with the yogurt, oregano, basil, garlic powder and half the parmesan until smooth, and spread in an even layer over the bottom of a 9 inch pie dish or small baking dish.
- Spread the marinara over the base, then scatter over the mozzarella, green pepper, mushrooms and olives.
- Top with the pepperoni and the rest of the parmesan, plus the chilli flakes if you like heat. Bake uncovered 20–25 minutes, until the edges bubble and the cheese is melted and spotted brown. For crisper pepperoni, finish 1–2 minutes under the grill (broiler).
- Rest 5 minutes, scatter with basil and serve hot with the toasted baguette, pepper strips and cucumber.
Good to know
Can I make it ahead?
Assemble it, cover and refrigerate for up to 2 days, then bake from cold, adding 5–10 minutes.
Other toppings?
Cooked crumbled Italian sausage, red onion, artichoke hearts or jalapeño all work. Keep wet toppings like fresh tomato off, or the dip goes watery.
Can I use full-fat cream cheese?
Yes, swapping it in for the fat-free half makes the base silkier and richer, at about 38 instead of 47.
Alternative
Per
- Calories
- 116
- Protein
- (26%)
- 8 g
- Fat
- (39%)
- 5 g
- Carbohydrates
- (35%)
- 10 g
- of which sugar
- 4 g
- Fiber
- 1 g
- Sodium
- 358 mg
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Computed from the ingredients with our published formula, not yet kitchen-tested. How
As written, 1782 kcal goes into the pot and 1595 g of ingredients comes out as about 1540 g of food: 116 kcal per 100 g. Cooking moves water and energy density is the score's biggest lever, so the dish is scored as cooked, not as an average of its parts. Every ingredient links to its food page, with the same data and score. The label's percentages are each macronutrient's share of the calories. The full formula.