Italian 7 Layer Dip
This hot dip is loaded with Italian flavors. It's very bold and delicious. One bite will keep you coming back for more. Very filling and almost could be a meal in itself. Serve to a hungry crowd! It will disappear quickly! Buon Appettito!
Servings: 12 people
Ingredients
- 2 cups Italian ricotta cheese or cream cheese
- 1 envelope of Italian dry dressing
- 1 tsp. Italian seasonings
- 1 Tbsp. each of freshly-chopped herbs: basil oregano, rosemary
- 16 oz. Italian sausage casings removed, cooked, and chopped up
- 1 medium onion chopped (preferably Vidalia onions)
- 5 cloves garlic minced
- 2 cups cherry tomatoes cut in half or thirds, tap-dried
- 1 12 oz jar of artichoke hearts chopped, drained well, and tap-dried
- 1 12 oz jar of roasted red peppers drained well, and tap-dried
- 1-½ cups sliced black olives drained well, and tap-dried
- 1 cup pepperoncini sliced, drained well, and tap-dried
- 1 cup pepperoni chopped
- ⅓ - ½ c. sun-dried tomatoes diced
- 1-½ cups freshly-grated imported Italian Parmigiano cheese
- ½ cup Tbsp. pinnoli (pine nuts
- 40 bread chips 1 baguette, sliced into ¼" toasts, sliced on the bias, toasted, olive oil with garlic powder, and coated with fresh garlic cloves)
- 2 8- oz. jars of basil pesto
- 2 cups of jarred high-quality or homemade marinara sauce
- 1 lb. container of mozzarella sliced into ¼" thick slices
- Italian parsley minced
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 400° F (204° C).
- Slice a baguette of bread into ½"slices on an angle,
- Prepare the crostini: Drizzle each slice of bread with olive oil.
- Toast the bread slices/crostini for 5 - 7 minutes until golden.
- Remove from oven and while still warm, rub garlic cloves all over each slice.
- In a medium bowl, mix the ricotta cheese with some Italian seasonings, a packet of Italian dressing mix, and herbs.
- Spread the seasoned ricotta cheese on the bottom of a 9-x-9" baking dish.
- In a skillet, saute' the Italian sausage until browned, breaking up into little bits. Drain any grease.
- Add the sausage as the next layer.
- In a the same skillet, saute' onions until soft and golden in color - about 10 minutes.
- Add garlic to the onions and sauté for 1 to 2 minutes.
- Add the cherry/grape tomatoes to the onion/garlic mixture, and cook for 10-15 minutes until the tomatoes are softened and the mixture is thickened.
- Add this onion/tomato mixture as the next layer over the sausage.
- Next layer with the chopped pepperoni.
- Next layer with the sliced black olives.
- Spread a layer of basil pesto.
- Add a layer of chopped artichoke hearts.
- Scatter a layer of sun-dried tomatoes.
- Add a layer of sliced pepperoncini.
- Add a layer of chopped, roasted red peppers.
- Spread a layer of marinara sauce all over the entire top of the ingredients.
- Add a layer of fresh mozzarella cheese by placing each slice all over the entire top of the marinara sauce.
- Sprinkle a generous layer of freshly-grated Parmesan cheese.
- Sprinkle a layer of minced basil and/or Italian parsley.
- Sprinkle pine nuts all over (you can also add them after it bakes, so they don't burn).
- Reduce oven heat down to 350° F (176° C)
- Bake until cheese is golden brown, about 40 minutes. If the edges of the dip begin to brown earlier than the center, place aluminum foil around the edges to protect from burning while the center cooks.
- Broil for 5 minutes to melt the cheese and help it brown up just a little bit (see photo).
- Check and see if it is 'runny' with liquid. If it is, tip it to one corner and spoon out the liquid (which is so delicious in itself).
- Serve with the toasted crostini.
- Buon Appetito!
- ~ Roz xoxo
Notes
- To prevent a lot of liquid build-up while it bakes, make sure that you have thoroughly drained and pat dried any ingredient with liquid.
- Extraordinary the next day after flavors marry.
- The dip keeps for 2 days if kept in a refrigerator and covered up tightly.