Pizza Fondue
If you like pizza, you'll love this pizza fondue! This easy hot and cheesy dip is fun for the whole family!
Ingredients
For the Fondue:
- 1/2 pound bulk Italian sausage [See Note 1]
- 1 medium onion , chopped
- 1/4 cup red wine [See Note 2] optional
- 1 can (28-ounce) tomato puree or sauce
- 1 cup shredded part-skim mozzarella cheese divided
- 2.5 oz mini pepperoni , more or less to taste
- 1-1/2 teaspoons dried oregano
- 1-1/2 teaspoons dried basil
- 1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1/4 Cup Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese
- salt and ground black pepper , to taste
Serve with a variety of dippers:
- 1 loaf Italian crostini bread , cut into slices, breadsticks, or garlic knots
- fresh mozzarella cheese pearls or cubed mozzarella cheese
- Vegetable dippers like bell peppers , broccoli, celery, and cauliflower
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
- In a large saucepan, cook sausage and onion over medium heat until meat is no longer pink; drain. Add optional red wine and allow this to boil off for two minutes to remove alcohol. Stir in tomato puree or sauce, and add all the listed herbs and seasonings. Stir in half of the mozzarella cheese.
- Pour into an oven-proof dish and top with the remaining mozzarella cheese. Add pepperoni slices and bake for 10 minutes or until the cheese is melted and the pepperoni is crispy.
- Serve fondue with a variety of fondue dippers.
Notes
- If link sausage is used, it should be removed from the casing prior to browning. Turkey, chicken, sausage, or tofu may be used and will all work great.
- Red wine may be omitted but brings a great depth of flavor. In its place, add an equal amount of water, beef stock, or chicken stock.
- Variations on the original:
- Creamy – use fresh ricotta to replace all or part of the shredded mozzarella cheese
- Spicy – add 1/4 teaspoon of crushed red pepper flakes, more or less to taste
- Veggie lovers – replace the meat with 1/4 cup diced sauteed mushrooms, 1/4 cup black olives, 1/2 cup diced green bell pepper, and 1/4 cup diced red onions (or any combination of your favorite vegetables).
- Meat lovers – replace the turkey sausage with 2 slices of cooked crumbled bacon, 1/2 pound of crumbled cooked lean ground beef, 2 slices of Canadian bacon (chopped), and 1/4 pound ( about 1 link) of cooked and crumbled spicy Italian sausage.
- Hawaiian - Add 1/2 cup pineapple tidbits, 4 sliced of cooked, crumbled bacon, and 2 slices of chopped Canadian bacon.
- Super Combo - Add a combination of chopped pepperoni, Italian sausage, chopped sauteed mushrooms, chopped Canadian bacon, crumbled lean ground beef, chopped red onions, diced green bell peppers, sliced black olives, and extra mozzarella cheese.
- Bacon Double Cheeseburger - swap the turkey Italian sausage for 1/2 pound of cooked lean ground beef, 2 slices of cooked, crumbled bacon, and top with sharp cheddar cheese and diced fresh tomatoes.
- Nutritional data is based on the recipe as written. Variations will have different nutritional Information.