When Judy Lyle served this dish for happy hour at an RV resort, I begged for the recipe.  After many years on a gluten-free diet, I’d forgotten how much I liked pepperoni pizza.  This crustless treat has become a new favorite appetizer. Yum!

Sometimes when I’m making a familiar recipe, I read the list of ingredients and start throwing them together. It’s a bad habit that’s gotten me in trouble more than once. With this recipe, I once added the cheese on top before popping it into the oven the first time. Then, to make matters worse, I decided to microwave it instead of baking it. Bad move! The cheese had the texture of leather. The correct way is to bake it for 15 minutes before topping it with cheese — just like the directions say! The dip will be warm and the cheese will be nice and gooey on top.

Active time: 10 minutes

Total time: 35 minutes

Specialized Kitchen Utensils

• 9- or 10-inch oven-proof dish (I use a glass pie plate)

Serves 10 

Ingredients

• 8 oz regular or lite cream cheese, softened
• 1/2 cup regular or lite sour cream
• 1 tsp oregano
• 1/4 tsp garlic powder
• 1/2 cup pizza sauce
• 3/4 cup pepperoni, cut into fourths (or pepperoni minis, eliminates the need to slice.)
• 1/4 cup green onion, chopped
• 1/4 cup green or red bell pepper, chopped
• 1/2 cup (or more) mozzarella cheese, shredded
• Corn chips, celery, carrots or sugar snap peas for dipping

Directions

In a small bowl, stir together first 4 ingredients until smooth. Spread evenly in a 9- or 10-inch oven-proof dish. Top with pizza sauce, pepperoni, onion, and peppers. Bake at 350 degrees (or 325 in a convection oven) for 15 to 18 minutes. Top with cheese and bake an additional 5 minutes. Serve with corn chips, celery, carrots or sugar snap peas.