A super cheesy veggie-packed pizza dip, perfect for game day or party nights! And my secret way to add veggies to sauce! I have heard that more pizzas are ordered for the Big Game than any other day of the year. This confuses me. I mean, pizza, of course. But chili is so traditional for me for game day. How can you not have chili?! So for those of you thinking, how can you not have pizza? Or those of you feeling so torn, I have your answer - eat both! Serve pizza dip as an appetizer and make chili for dinner. Everyone wins! And hopefully so does the team you’re rooting for. Unless it’s not the team I’m rooting for. Cause my N.C. team is going to the Superbowl and you better be cheering for them!
This dip is one that you can prep ahead and just pop in the oven when you’re ready, so you’re not stuck in the kitchen while all the fun is happening in the other room. The host should always enjoy the party, too! Plus, this pizza dip is so easy. I always have canned tomatoes on hand in my pantry because they are great to use in SO many recipes. And did you know that they actually have more of the antioxidant lycopene than fresh tomatoes? Double win! To get this ready for our football party, I just swung by Walmart on my way to pick up the kiddos from preschool (aka, my lunch break from my day job when I try to squeeze in as much as I can possibly do. Needless to say, I usually show up to their school with wet hair.)
I got my Hunt’s Tomatoes, and a few extras, my fresh vegetables and even snagged some bread from the bakery to serve this with. Too easy. Especially sans kids 😉
And do you want to know the triple win in this recipe? It’s my secret way to add nutrition without changing flavor. I do it ALL the time with tomato sauce for pizza, spaghetti and other Italian dishes. EASY TIP ALERT: You add a couple handfuls of fresh spinach leaves to part of the sauce or tomatoes and blend it up. You can’t taste the spinach but you get all the benefits of the extra veggies. My kids don’t even know regular sauce because I’ve always made it this way for them. #momwin
(And for the record, I don’t lie about it or try to be sneaky - they help me and know there is spinach, or sometimes other veggies, added to their sauce. That way, they know they like vegetables!) As for serving, I like to sprinkle this pizza dip with some fresh chopped basil and offer up baguette slices (you can make them as thin and crispy or thick and bready as you like your pizza.) And I usually serve this pizza dip with mini sweet peppers as well (how cute are they?!) for friends who are gluten free or low carb.
Everyone can dig into this pizza dip and it’s sure to be a hit at your Big Game party! And it was totally stress-free to make. That’s worthy of a victory dance. (As is the major cheese factor of this pizza dip!)
Stock up on some of these pizza ingredients, get it loaded up with veggies and cheese so you’re all prepped and ready to go. Then kick back, enjoy your party and enjoy the game! And best of luck to your MY team 🙂 **I’d love to hear from you: What’s your favorite tradition for the Big Game? What will you be cooking this year? And if you need some more ideas, check out the #YesYouCAN website for recipes.
You can prep this ahead and put it in the fridge. When you’re ready to cook it, pull the dish out of the fridge and let it sit on the counter while you pre-heat the oven. When the oven is heated, pop it in: it should still take just about 20-25 minutes to get hot and bubbly. You can add some mini pepperoni slices (½ cup) or diced cooked chicken (1 cup) to make this more of a meal. Serve over baguette slices or toasted bakery bread - makes a great dinner!
