Live Oak Eats' Sweet Italian Sausage & Pepperoncini Dip Recipe
There's something about football season that turns every Sunday into an event. The couch gets rearranged, the TV volume creeps up a few notches, and somebody always asks the same question by kickoff: "What are we snacking on?"
Our friends Will & Charly Pope of Live Oak Eats gave us the answer — a warm, creamy, slightly tangy Sweet Italian Sausage and Pepperoncini Dip that disappears faster than we can make it. It's got just enough kick from the pepperoncini, just enough richness from the cream cheese and Parmesan, and it pairs perfectly with a sliced baguette, crunchy veggies, or a big bowl of butter crackers.
Whether you're hosting a full house for the big game or just want something easy to snack on during a quiet Sunday in, this one's a keeper. Here's the recipe.
Sweet Italian Sausage and Pepperoncini Dip
Ingredients
- 1/2 lb ground sweet Italian sausage
- 1 cup diced yellow onion
- 1 cup green bell pepper
- 1 cup diced pepperoncini (reserve liquid)
- 2 tablespoons minced garlic
- 1 tablespoon ground sage
- 1 tablespoon granulated sugar
- 1 tablespoon lemon juice
- 2 tablespoons pepperoncini juice
- 1/2 cup heavy cream
- 1/2 cup sour cream
- 1/2 cup shredded Parmesan
- 8 ounces cream cheese (room temperature)
- 1 tablespoon butter
- ½ tsp chili flakes
Instructions
- Cook the sausage in a sauté pan over medium heat until the pink is gone.
- Add the butter and onion, and sweat the onion with the sausage until soft. Add the garlic, chili flakes, and sage, and cook until the garlic picks up a little color. Add the pepperoncini and stir, cooking for about 2 more minutes.
- To the same pan, add the pepperoncini juice, lemon juice, and heavy cream. Reduce until the cream is slightly thickened, then remove from heat.
- In a mixing bowl, whisk the cream cheese until smooth. Add salt, sugar, bell pepper, and Parmesan, and combine. Once smooth, fold in the warm sausage mixture. Adjust salt as needed.
- Serve warm or cold, with sliced baguette or butter crackers.
More Than Just a Recipe
Football Sundays are really about the people around the table (or the coffee table, or the kitchen island) — the friends who show up early to help set up, the neighbors who wander over when they smell something good, the family piling in for the same tradition week after week. A great dip is just the excuse to gather.
That's exactly the kind of moment we think about when we help buyers find their next home here on the Crystal Coast. A kitchen that's easy to cook in on game day. A living room big enough for the whole crew. An open floor plan where nobody misses a play while the food's getting passed around. These are the little details that turn a house into the place where your traditions actually happen.
If you're dreaming of a home built for Sundays like this — for football, for family, for the moments that make a house feel like yours — Mary Cheatham King Real Estate would love to help you find it. Reach out today, and let's find the place where your next great memory is waiting to be made.
Click HERE to contact our team!