Cottage Cheese Pizza Dip
A hot, bubbly pepperoni pizza dip made with a blended cottage cheese base, delciious pizza sauce, and melty mozzarella. 18g of protein per serving, and not a curd in sight.
Servings: 8 servings
Calories: 199kcal
Ingredients
Sauce
- 3/4 cup pizza sauce or marinara
- 1 Tbsp. tomato paste
- 1/2 oz mini pepperoni finely minced
- 1 tsp. red wine vinegar
- 1/2 tsp. dried oregano
- 1/2 tsp. red pepper flakes
Cheese Base
- 2 cups low-fat cottage cheese 440g
- 1/2 cup grated Parmesan
- 1 large egg
- 2 Tbsp. chopped pepperoncini or banana peppers
- 1 1/2 tsp. garlic powder
- 1 tsp. Italian seasoning
- 1/2 tsp. onion powder
- 1/2 tsp. salt
- 1/4 tsp. black pepper
Toppings
- 1 cup shredded part-skim mozzarella
- 2 Tbsp. grated Parmesan
- 2 oz. mini pepperoni
- hot honey for drizzling
- fresh basil torn
Instructions
- Heat the oven to 375°F. Lightly grease a 9-inch pie plate or 8x8 dish.
- In a small skillet over medium-low heat, cook the tomato paste and minced pepperoni together for 2 minutes, stirring, until the paste darkens a shade and the pepperoni releases its fat.
- Add the pizza sauce, vinegar, oregano, and red pepper flakes. Simmer on low for 2 minutes, then remove from the heat.
- Blend the cottage cheese, Parmesan, egg, pepperoncini, garlic powder, Italian seasoning, onion powder, salt, and pepper for 60 to 90 seconds, scraping down the sides as needed, until completely smooth with no curds left.
- Pour the cheese base into the prepared dish.
- Spoon the pizza sauce over the top and gently swirl it into the cheese base. It won't stay on top as a separate layer, and that's fine.
- Scatter the mozzarella over the top, then sprinkle with the 2 Tbsp. of Parmesan and the mini pepperoni. Bake for 20 to 25 minutes, until the edges bubble and the center is set.
- Drizzle with hot honey, top with torn basil, and serve warm with crackers.
Notes
- Blend the cheese base until completely smooth. No curds should remain.
- Serve hot and bubbly.
- Serve with high protein crackers like Milton's Protein crackers for an extra protein boost.
- Nutritional information is an estimate and will vary with substitutions.
Nutrition
Serving: 110g | Calories: 199kcal | Carbohydrates: 6g | Protein: 18g | Fat: 12g | Saturated Fat: 6g | Cholesterol: 60mg | Sodium: 710mg | Potassium: 149mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 5g
