Healthy Pizza Dip

If you're looking for a lighter take on a delicious pizza dip, this recipe is for you! With a creamy, Italian-seasoned white bean base topped with rich tomato sauce, melted mozzarella, and fresh basil, it's a simple, flavorful appetizer the whole family loves.

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Why This Pizza Dip is SO Good

• It's creamy and delicious, but much lighter than traditional pizza dips - perfect for snacking without getting overly full.
• It's higher in protein and fiber and lower in fat, actually making it quite a balanced snack or appetizer!
• It couldn't be easier to make. You just need simple ingredients, a food processor or blender to puree them, and an oven-safe dish to heat and serve.

Ingredients

• Cannellini white beans
• Extra virgin olive oil
• Water
• Italian seasoning
• Marinara/ your favorite tomato sauce (I love the Simply Nature Tomato Basil Sauce from ALDI - no added oils or sugars!)
• Cheese
• Fresh basil

Equipment

• Food processor or blender
• Spatula
• Measuring cups and spoons
• Oven-safe serving dish (anything works, like an 8x8" baking dish or even a pie plate)

How to Make This Recipe

1. In a food processor combine the beans, olive oil, water, and Italian seasoning. Process on high for 1-2 minutes, or until there is a creamy, smooth bean mixture. Season to taste with salt and pepper.
2. Spread the bean layer on the bottom of an oven-safe baking dish. Top with the cup of marinara, then the shredded cheese.
3. Bake at 425 for 5-7 minutes, or until cheese has melted. Garnish with fresh julienned basil and serve with your favorite dippers.

If you're making this ahead, just make the bean "hummus" mixture, then refrigerate the bean layer, tomato sauce, and cheese separately. Layer the pizza dip and bake just prior to serving.

Ways to Accommodate Different Food Preferences & Alleriges

This pizza dip as-written is already accommodating of many different dietary preferences and allergies. It's naturally gluten-free and free of soy, nuts, peanuts, egg, fish, shellfish, and sesame. It can easily be made dairy-free, too, by omitting the cheese on top and substituting a vegan "cheese" substitute (I like Daiya mozzarella-style shreds).

You can also customize this healthy hummus pizza dip to your liking by adding any type of pizza toppings you like. Treat it like a pizza! If pepperoni is your thing, add some tiny pepperoni! Or add mushrooms, peppers, onions, black olives, etc.

Pizza Hummus Serving Suggestions

Use any of your favorite dippers, like carrots sliced into "chip" shapes, celery sticks, baby bell peppers, tortilla chips, crostini/ toasted thin bread slices, pita chips, bread sticks, or anything else you prefer.

I personally love using vegetable dippers and my air fryer tortilla chips (all the crunch without the deep fried grease!).

If you're serving it as part of an event, like a Super Bowl party, I place this and some vegetables out for appetizers and serve some other yummy game day eats, like air fryer mozzarella sticks, Instant Pot potato soup, the BEST gluten-free turkey chili, or easy baked chicken tacos. Maybe with some of the best gluten-free chocolate chip cookies for dessert, too. 😉

Nutrition Highlights

A serving of this healthy pizza hummus dip is approximately two tablespoons and contains the following nutrition information:

• 50 calories
• 3g fat
• 1g saturated fat
• 3mg cholesterol
• 160mg sodium
• 57mg potassium
• 5g carbohydrates
• 2g fiber
• 1g sugar
• 2g protein

Note that nutrition information will vary based on brands of tomato sauce and cheese used.

Is it healthy?

This pizza dip is lighter with more nutrient-dense ingredients than other creamy pizza dips. Legumes, like the cannellini beans used here, are often considered a staple in diets ranked as some of the healthiest in the world, like the Mediterranean diet and Blue Zone diets. Healthy pizza dip can absolutely fit into a healthy, balanced lifestyle.

Know, too, that “healthy” is subjective. The foods that help one maintain their health may or may not work for you - and that’s okay! Honor the body you have. As a registered dietitian nutritionist, I suggest eating a variety of nourishing foods that help you feel good and achieve or maintain your health, balanced with the foods you love. Remember - an election isn’t won with every vote, but the majority. Your health is the same way - the overall dietary pattern is what matters most.

Related Recipes

Looking for more delicious game day recipes? Try these:

• Avocado Deviled Eggs
• Prosciutto Wrapped Asparagus
• Air Fryer Mozzarella Sticks
• The Best Gluten-Free Chili
• Instant Pot Potato Soup
• The Best Gluten-Free Chocolate Chip Cookies

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