As you may know, I have a big family consisting of 6 siblings and one awesome mom.
After church on Sunday, it was our weekly ritual to hit up Costco to stock up for the week (yes, the week; groceries never lasted long in our house). Naturally, we would fill up on samples, while my mom did all the shopping.
Once we had exhausted our welcome at the various sampling tables, as we were given the stink-eye from the old lady samplers, we decided to move on to bigger and better things. Pizza.
Often times we would grab a take-and-bake pepperoni pizza for dinner later on. The only problem is that you basically need a Costco-sized oven to bake the massive thing. My mom would have to chop it up in sections and bake it on a pizza stone and an additional baking sheet or two.
Absolutely ridiculous how big those pizzas are.
Served hot, this dip tastes just like freshly baked pepperoni pizza. It has to be my new guilty pleasure and favorite dip.
Easy to make, and confirmed deliciousness by a multitude of friends, this dip is the real deal.
You don’t need the excuse of Super Bowl or hosting a party, to make a dip like this. Just throw it together and bring it over to a friend’s house to share with the masses, as it can feed a small army. It’ll bring the world so much joy.
It also keeps well for the next day. Just pop it back in the oven and get back at it.
…although no judgments if you end up licking the dish clean on the first round. It happens to the best of us.
Pepperoni Pizza Dip {with Fresh Basil}
Serves 10-12+, as an appetizer
Ingredients:
12 oz. cream cheese (1 ½ packages), softened
1/2 cup sour cream
1/3 cup basil, chopped, plus more to garnish
1/2 tsp red pepper flakes, or more to taste
¼ cup green onion, chopped
2 cups mozzarella
¾ cup pizza/marinara sauce
1/3 cup parmesan
20 pepperoni slices, halved
Directions:
In a mixer, combine cream cheese, sour cream, basil, red pepper flakes, green onion, and 1 cup of mozzarella cheese. Transfer the cheese mixture to a 9-inch pie dish or other similar casserole dish and layer the mixture, evenly. Add pizza sauce in an even layer. Sprinkle remaining cup of mozzarella and parmesan cheese to cover the top. Arrange halved pepperoni slices on top, in an even layer.
Bake at 375 for 20-25 minutes until the cheese has melted, the top is bubbly and the pepperoni is crispy. Serve hot with sliced bread, breadsticks, pita or tortilla chips.
From the Little Yellow Kitchen,
Chrissy
