My Mom’s 4-Ingredient Dip Will Make You the Ultimate Tailgate MVP

Growing up, I didn’t quite get the excitement of football season. But being part of a big football family, our fall and winter basically revolved around the NFL. Every Labor Day, we’d host a football pool with friends and family (where I, as a 10-year-old, would choose teams based on who had the coolest helmets), leading up to an epic Super Bowl party.

Naturally, since I wasn’t actually watching the game, you’d find me and my friends hanging out by the food table, eagerly awaiting the halftime show. That table was always packed with wings, pigs in a blanket, Buffalo chicken dip, and cookies, but there was one dish everyone loaded up on first: my mom’s famous pizza dip.

My mom’s friends had just one request when they came to our Super Bowl parties: make sure the pizza dip is on the table. Every year, she’d whip up the same four-ingredient dip, and every year, it would vanish almost instantly.

Now that I’ve become a full-fledged football fan (Go Steelers!), I finally have the recipe for that irresistible pizza dip.

My Mom's Legendary 4-Ingredient Pizza Dip

My mom’s pizza dip is built on four simple ingredients: cream cheese, pizza sauce, sausage (she uses breakfast sausage, but you can go with whatever type you like), and mozzarella cheese. From there, it’s all about customization—just like any pizza—so pile on your favorite toppings.

When my mom makes her dip, she layers in mushrooms, black olives, and pepperoni with the sausage, then adds Italian seasoning and red pepper flakes to the cream cheese for a little kick. But honestly, you can throw on any pizza topping you crave—onions, peppers, bacon, and even pineapple if you're ready to stir the pot.

Like most beloved mom recipes, there are no strict measurements for this dip—it’s more of a 'go with your gut' kind of thing. Still, I did my best to jot down a recipe (sort of), but if it looks like you need more cheese or sauce, go ahead and add it! You really can’t go wrong.

How to Make My Mom’s Legendary 4-Ingredient Pizza Dip

Ingredients:

• 1 (8-ounce) block cream cheese, softened
• Italian seasoning (optional)
• Crushed red pepper (optional)
• 1 cup pizza sauce
• 1 pound breakfast pork sausage, cooked and drained
• 1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese

Instructions:

1. Preheat your oven to 350°F (175°C).
2. In a small bowl, mix together cream cheese, Italian seasoning, and crushed red pepper. Spread this mixture evenly in the bottom of an 8x8 baking dish.
3. Layer pizza sauce over the cream cheese mixture, spreading it out evenly. Then add a layer of sausage, followed by a layer of mozzarella cheese.
4. Cover the dish and bake for 20 minutes. After 20 minutes, uncover the dish and bake for an additional 10 minutes, or until the cheese is lightly golden and bubbly. Serve with chips or crackers for dipping.