Chilled Pizza Dip.
This chilled pizza dip is so delicious and the perfect make-ahead game day appetizer. Crispy pepperoni, provolone and fontinella come together to give this the ultimate pizza flavor. We love it!
I’m all about the game day recipes right now!
My chilled pizza dip is super flavorful and perfect for a football weekend. It can also be made ahead of time (like the night before!) which is key when you want to take something fantastic and unfussy to a tailgate or party.
This is one of those recipes that EVERYONE will ask for. And it takes virtually no time at all!
By now, many of you have made my chilled queso. I have a version here on a blog and a different one in Easy Everyday. It is one of my most popular summer recipes – and with good reason!
While completely unassuming, it tastes incredible. Everywhere I take my chilled queso – everyone who eats it – absolutely flips over how delicious it is.
It doesn’t look like anything special. In fact, it almost looks a bit unappealing if I do say so myself.
When we created that recipe a few years ago, it was after my cousin Lacy had eaten it at a restaurant. Well, it just so happens that earlier this summer, she had a cold pizza dip from a local italian marketplace that inspired this exact recipe!
The version she ate was different. It was definitely cream cheese based and very pink from roasted red peppers or sun dried tomatoes. And that was our plan all along – to make it similarly. But once we started testing things in the kitchen, we determined that it HAD to be made like the chilled queso.
The texture of the chilled queso is unmatched. It’s creamy enough to scoop up with a chip but sturdy enough to last at a party without getting gross. It’s made with real grated cheese, and when we tried to mix real grated cheese with cream cheese – it was too thick. Not scoopable, barely spreadable, and nowhere near as good as the cold queso!
So we took the cold queso recipe and turned it into a pizza version. We used the exact same method, but this time we crisped up some pepperoni in the oven. And we swapped provolone and fontinella for the cheddar and monterey jack.
We did add roasted red peppers for that ultimate pizza flavor. And a few scallions too! That way, you get some onion flavor without crunchy chunks of onion.
A few other italian spices round out the dip. The finely grated cheese makes the texture perfect and we love serving it with chips, crackers, pretzels, veggies – really anything!
Try it this weekend!
Chilled Pepperoni Pizza Dip
Chilled Pepperoni Pizza Dip
Ingredients
- ½ cup pepperoni slices
- ¾ cup mayonnaise
- ½ cup diced roasted red peppers
- ¼ cup diced scallions
- 1 teaspoon dried italian seasoning
- ¼ teaspoon crushed red pepper
- 1 ½ cups finely grated sharp provolone
- 1 ½ cups finely grated fontinella
- ½ cup parmesan cheese
- crackers, chips, pretzels, veggies, for serving
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. Place a sheet of parchment paper on a baking sheet.
- Place the pepperoni in a single layer. Bake for 10 to 12 minutes, or until crispy. Remove from the oven and transfer the pepperoni to a paper towel to drain excess grease. Once it’s cool, crumble or chop it.
- In a large bowl, whisk together the mayo, peppers, scallions, italian seasoning, and red pepper. Stir in the cheese with a spatula until it is fully combined. Taste the dip and season with a pinch of salt and pepper if needed - the cheese will be salty so it might not be necessary!
- At this point you can serve it immediately or place it in a sealed container with a fridge until ready to use! This is great when it’s made ahead of time. And it lasts for about 4 or 5 days in the fridge.
Did you make this recipe?
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I appreciate you so much!
Think pimento cheese but PIZZA.
One Comment on “Chilled Pizza Dip.”
Definitely have to try this! Do you roast and chop the red peppers or can you buy a jar of already roasted red peppers?