Oddly enough, I wasn’t a big pizza lover when I was a little kid. I started liking it around the high school years and then in college would eat it cold for breakfast and silly things like that.

Most NORMAL kids, however, love the taste of pizza and for the most part it’s a pretty healthy meal and snack so why not embrace it.

This recipe incorporates pizza toppings as the dip mixings – then just take some cut up veggies, dip and munch away. The nice thing about this recipe is you can make it in advance and then either pop it in the microwave or reheat it on the stovetop when it comes time for the kids to enjoy. Give it a try! This will make a great lunchtime meal for your preschooler or a fun afternoon snack.

Pizza Veggie Dip

What You Need:

2 (10.5 oz) cans prepared pizza sauce (we like Pastorelli sauce)
2 TBSP cornstarch
1/4 lb. pepperoni or Italian sausage, chopped fine
1 TBSP onion, minced
1 tsp. oregano
1 (16 oz) pkg. processed cheese spread, cubed
1 TBSP parsley
¼ tsp. red pepper sauce (optional)
Fresh mushrooms, cherry tomatoes, celery sticks, carrot sticks and green bell pepper slices

How to Make It:

In a saucepan over medium heat pour 1 can of the pizza sauce and mix with the cornstarch.
Heat the mixture until just starting to simmer.
Add the remaining pizza sauce, meat, onion and oregano.
Stir continuously until heated through.
Remove from heat.
Add the cheese a few cubes at time, stirring after each addition until completely melted.
Stir in the parsley and optional red pepper sauce.
Serve as a dip with the vegetables.

Don’t have pizza sauce on hand? Try it with just regular spaghetti sauce!