Pepperoni Pizza Dip

For some reason on the weekends I am finding that we are having a lot of little meals and snacks instead of big meals. Maybe it’s something to do with the having less daylight to do outdoor activities, or maybe the sudden drop in temperature. Either way, we are spending every possible minute outside playing, cleaning and enjoying the cool autumn air before winter sets in for good.
One of our favorite snacks is this crock pot pepperoni pizza dip. It makes everyone happy, especially the kids (imagine that LOL) and can be personalized to anyones liking. I just mix and match ingredients using what we would eat on top of a pizza as my guideline. Play around with different ingredients and personalize yours too.
Here is how I do it:

• 1 – 8 ounce package of sliced pepperoni
• 1 – 16 ounce jar of your favorite spaghetti sauce
• 1 cup of ricotta or cottage cheese
• 1 – 8 ounce package of cream cheese, room temperature
• 3 Tablespoons of Italian seasoning
• 2 minced garlic cloves
• 1 cup of shredded mozzarella cheese
• crackers, breadsticks and tortilla chips for dipping

Place pepperoni slices on a paper towel covered microwave safe plate. Place an additional paper towel over top to prevent splattering. Heat 45 seconds, checking every 15 seconds to make sure pepperoni isn’t getting crispy. Blot with paper towels to remove excess fat. Place spaghetti sauce in a blender or food processor and add ricotta cheese, cream cheese, Italian seasoning and garlic then blend until smooth. Place all ingredients in a 1 1 /2 – 3 quart crock pot on high until hot, 1 to 1 1/2 hours. Add mozzarella cheese just prior to serving and stir until melted. Turn to warm setting (or low if yours don’t have a warm setting) and serve with crackers, breadsticks or tortilla chips. *NOTE* If you only have soft bread, heat in oven until toasted as soft bread will fall apart because this is a thick dip.
This is the basic recipe I start with. To make a supreme pizza dip, I add mushrooms, onions and black olives. I’ve also made a vegetable version omitting the pepperoni and adding green bell peppers, onions, black and green olives along with mushrooms. Just use your imagination and put into the dip what you would eat on top of your pizza.
 
This recipe shared at Our Krazy Kitchen, Potluck Sunday, Fridays Kid Tested Recipe,  Recipe Swap Thursday, Tasty Traditions and What’s on Your Plate?.

Saucy dipper featured this recipe and talked about it here.