Pizza Dip: New take on a college staple

The nice thing about pizza is that it never gets boring. Even when you think you’ve had enough, you can always find a new way to reinvent it. This pizza dip recipe is great to take as a dish to pass for a party or makes a great, filling meal. It is also inexpensive, easy and delicious.  Just like pizza, it can be altered just the way you like it. It goes great as a dish to pace at gatherings- work parties, Super Bowl parties, etc.- and you’ll be hard pressed to find someone who doesn’t love it.

Hot Pizza Dip Ingredients:
1 (8 oz.) pkg. cream cheese
1/2 cup sour cream
1 tsp. oregano
1/8 tsp. garlic powder
1/2 cup pizza sauce, or 1 small can
1/2 cup chopped or cut up pepperoni (I use the mini pepperoni to save time!)
1/2 cup shredded mozzarella cheese, more or less to your liking (I use the Kraft Italian five blend shredded cheese to add more flavor)

First, beat the softened cream cheese, sour cream, oregano, and garlic powder together in a bowl. Than spread the mixture in about a nine or 10 inch pie plate or a pan of similar size.  Spread pizza sauce evenly on top and sprinkle with pepperoni.  Bake at about 350 degrees for about ten minutes until hot.  Top with cheese and bake another five minutes or until the cheese melts.  It’s easy to serve with fresh vegetables, crackers, or breadsticks, but to go all out buy the prepared pizza crusts from the grocery store, bake them until they’re crispy and then break them up into pieces for dipping.

It’s a pretty simple recipe and only takes about five minutes of preparation. Make sure you let the cream cheese soften before mixing or else it is difficult to mix. I used both low-fat sour cream and cream cheese to cut down calories. I also highly recommend using the mini pepperoni because chopping up the pepperoni can be the most time consuming part. I’m sure the pizza dip would taste just as great with any alternative pizza toppings added in. The melted cheese is hard to deal with when serving if you use too much. This pizza dip is best right out of the oven while it’s still hot.