This easy Pizza Dip Recipe is super cheesy and packed with flavor! It’s sure to be a favorite appetizer at your next party or gathering.
My sister makes a pretty mean batch of stuffed shells. A blend of herbs, spices, and three cheeses make the cheese filling not only incredibly cheesy (in the best kind of way), but also more flavorful than most that I’ve had.
One Sunday afternoon not too long ago, we were at my parents’ house and she was whipping up a batch for a family dinner. It happened to be getting close to dinnertime (yet dinner was not close to being ready!), and I was in serious need of a snack. (You might say the word “hangry” came into play, lol.)
I swiped a cracker into the stuffed shell filling and then placed a dollop of tomato sauce on top. Let’s just say that after that, it was hard to wait around for the stuffed shells (amazing as they may be) when the pre-dinner snack was that delicious.
After that day, of course I wasted no time making a legitimate dip (read: a dip that I can eat without getting my hand slapped away because it’s supposed to be for dinner! ;) ) out of the whole concoction.
For this dip, I make a chunky tomato sauce that comes together from start to finish in less than 10 minutes using a can of diced tomatoes. You can look for pre-made chunky pizza sauce at the grocery store, but it may not have the thickness we need for this dip (this homemade sauce is thickened up with a bit of tomato paste).
Also, I like a decent amount of garlic and herbs in my sauce, along with the perfect balance of sweet and salty flavors. (And truthfully, I have yet to find a pre-made sauce that is perfect in every way! it could always use a dash of salt or a pinch of sugar or some sautéed garlic…or just something.) Really, by the time you’re finished doctoring up a jar of pre-made sauce, you could have probably made this sauce twice, lol.
Every year on Christmas Eve my family feasts on huge spread of appetizers for dinner. This dip will definitely be making an appearance this year! It’s also perfect party or game day food.
Easy Pizza Dip Recipe
To make this Pizza Dip Recipe come together even faster and easier, you can use your favorite store-bought chunky tomato sauce instead of making it from scratch!
Ingredients for Pizza Dip:
- Cream cheese
- Ricotta cheese
- Mozzarella cheese
- Dried Italian herb seasoning
- Salt
- Garlic powder
- Chunky Tomato Sauce (my homemade recipe is included in the recipe card below, or if you’re in a time crunch you can use store-bought chunky tomato sauce)
- Fresh basil or parsley
How to Make Pepperoni Pizza Dip
To make this easy Pizza Dip recipe into Pepperoni Pizza Dip, add a layer of sliced pepperoni on top of the mozzarella cheese and then bake as directed.
Can you Freeze Pizza Dip?
Yes! Pizza Dip freezes very well.
How to Freeze Pizza Dip:
- Once the dip is made, before baking, wrap this dip in plastic wrap and then aluminum foil.
- Label it (with the date and contents), and transfer it to the fridge for up to 3 months.
How to Heat Frozen Pizza Dip:
- The night before you want to serve this, let it thaw in the fridge overnight.
- Bake the dip as directed. Place the dish onto a foil-lined baking sheet and bake (uncovered) until the cheese is warm throughout, bubbling, and golden brown in places, about 25 to 30 minutes.
More Cheesy Dip Recipes:
- Warm Cheesy Garlic and Kale Dip
- Hot Spinach Dip
- Spanakopita Dip
- Warm and Cheesy Crack Dip
- Chile Relleno Dip
Did you make this recipe? Please rate it and leave a comment below because I love hearing from you! You can also tag @anediblemosaic on social media. To stay up-to-date FOLLOW ME on Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook. Xoxo, Faith
Pizza Dip Recipe
Ingredients
Chunky Tomato Sauce:
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 2 cloves garlic minced
- 14.5 ounce can no-salt-added diced tomatoes with about 1/3 of the juice drained off
- 3 tablespoons tomato paste
- 1/2 teaspoon dried Italian herb seasoning
- 1/2 teaspoon sugar
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1 pinch black pepper
Pizza Dip:
- Butter to grease the baking dish
- 8 ounces cream cheese at room temperature
- 1 cup ricotta cheese
- 8 ounces mozzarella cheese shredded, divided
- 1/2 teaspoon dried Italian herb seasoning
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 cup Chunky Tomato Sauce
- Fresh chopped basil or parsley for garnish (optional)
For Serving:
- Homemade Low Carb Crackers
- Store-bought crackers
- Sliced bread
Instructions
Chunky Tomato Sauce:
- Heat the oil in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Add the garlic and cook 1 minute, stirring constantly.
- Add the tomato, tomato paste, Italian herb seasoning, sugar, salt, and pepper, and cook (uncovered) until thickened, about 5 minutes, stirring frequently and using a wooden spoon to break up the tomato pieces a bit.
- Set aside.
Pizza Dip:
- Preheat oven to 400F; grease the bottom and sides of an 8 by 8-inch square casserole dish or a 9-inch pie pan with butter.
- Mix together the cream cheese, ricotta, half the mozzarella (reserving the remaining half to sprinkle on top), Italian herb seasoning, salt, and garlic powder.
- Spread in the prepared dish, then spread the Chunky Tomato Sauce on top.
- Sprinkle on the remaining half of the mozzarella.
- Place the dish onto a foil-lined baking sheet and bake (uncovered) until the cheese is warm throughout, bubbling, and golden brown in places, about 25 to 30 minutes.
To Serve:
- Sprinkle on the basil or parsley, if using.
- Serve warm with crackers or bread.
Faith's Tips
- Net Carbs: 6g net carbs per serving
- Nutrition information for this recipe was calculated for the dip alone, it doesn't include crackers or bread.
- This recipe for Chunky Tomato Sauce yields about 1 cup, which is the amount you’ll need to make this Pizza Dip.
- If you’re in a real time crunch you can use store-bought chunky tomato sauce instead of making your own sauce.
How to Freeze Pizza Dip:
- Once the dip is made, before baking, wrap this dip in plastic wrap and then aluminum foil.
- Label it (with the date and contents), and transfer it to the fridge for up to 3 months.
How to Heat Frozen Pizza Dip:
- The night before you want to serve this, let it thaw in the fridge overnight.
- Bake the dip as directed. Place the dish onto a foil-lined baking sheet and bake (uncovered) until the cheese is warm throughout, bubbling, and golden brown in places, about 25 to 30 minutes.
Nutrition
:: GIVEAWAY ::
Red Gold/Redpack (a company that takes their tomatoes seriously!) is generously sponsoring another giveaway on An Edible Mosaic! This time of year canned tomatoes are a staple in my kitchen, and I find their canned tomatoes to be consistently high quality.
One winner gets: 1 large storage tin that’s made to look like a can of Redpack tomatoes, 1 (28 oz) can of whole peeled tomatoes in thick puree, 1 (28 oz) can of crushed tomatoes in thick puree, a pizza cutter, a pasta utensil, a rubber spatula, a can opener, a couple magnets, and a few recipes featuring Redpack products.
To participate, you can do any or all of the following; please leave a separate comment for each so I can count it as another entry:
- Leave a comment here letting me know your favorite thing to make with canned tomatoes.
- “Like” me on Facebook and leave a comment here letting me know. (Or just let me know if you already like me on Facebook.)
- Follow me on Twitter and leave a comment here letting me know. (Or just let me know if you’re already a follower on Twitter.)
You don’t need to have a blog to enter this giveaway! This giveaway ends Sunday, December 11, 2011 at 9PM EST. After that, the winner will be randomly chosen and notified by email. Good luck to all!
This post was first published on An Edible Mosaic on December 4, 2011. I updated it with new photos on February 1, 2015, and more information on December 27, 2019.
Disclosure: I received a sampling of Redpack products to try for free from Red Gold, and they are also sponsoring this giveaway. As always, opinions stated are my own. This post contains Amazon affiliate links to products I believe in, which means that even though it doesn’t cost you anything extra, I will receive a small amount of money from the sale of these items, which helps me keep this site alive – thank you for helping to support An Edible Mosaic!
I’m Faith Gorsky, the writer, cook, and photographer behind An Edible Mosaic. My goal is to inspire you to get in the kitchen and try something new! Feel free to 
chili!!! especially this time of year… and i follow you on FB!
I liked you on FaceBook
I like to make chili with canned tomatoes and chunky spaghetti sauce.
I use canned tomatoes to make Chicken Riggies a regional favorite from central New York State
Oh m y gosh I used canned tomatoes in my Roast, gumbo and chili. I use them all the time! I love to cook, have a pot of gumbo on the stove as we speak!!! I cannot wait to try your pizza dip! Thanks for posting.
I am going to like you on Fb ;)
Thank you so much, Maggie! I hope you enjoy the dip! :)
A good can of tomatoes would greatly enhance my fave eggplant roll-ups! Thanks so much for the recipe for your pizza dip … will be making this for my family this Christmas.
I love using can tomatoes to smoother my pork chops or steaks after I braised them. I put them on low heat and let them simmer. The steak of pork comes out so tender there’s never any seconds.
I’ve made this dip for a party and it was AMAZING! I loved the flavors, and the tomato sauce was perfect. Thank you!
Could this be adapted to make stuffed shells? I don’t know why I didn’t think of that before, but it seems like it could work. Put the cheese in the shells and top with sauce (most likely a double batch) and more cheese? Hmm. Suggestions?
Sarah, I’m so glad you enjoyed the dip! :)
My inspiration for the dip was stuffed shells, so I love that you want to use the dip as stuffed shell filling! Depending on how many shells you want to make, you could double both the dip recipe (to use as stuffing) and the sauce recipe. Also, you could add an egg to the dip recipe if you want (my mom always adds an egg to her stuffed shell filling). If you try it, let me know how it turns out!
I like to make tomato, garlic and lentil soup
I’m following you on twitter.
I like you on FB.
I liked to put canned tomatos in pasta!
I also follow you on twitter!
Mmm, I love to make lasagna
Love to make chili with canned tomatoes.