While pizzas today can be made or purchased with a mind-boggling range of flavors and toppings, from Alfredo with broccoli and artichokes to "buffalo chicken," you can further customize your pizza by dipping it in sauces or dips. Whether you are looking for a way to jazz up your stash of plain cheese frozen pizzas or if you are always on the lookout for new pizza enhancements, try a classic or offbeat dip with your next slice.
Ranch Dip or Dressing
Dunk your pizza into a tub of homemade, low-calorie ranch dip or dressing for a cool, creamy contrast to the pizza's hotness. Ranch dressing tends to have a lighter, more liquid texture, while ranch dip is thicker -- pick the texture that trips your taste trigger. Try a homemade ranch dip made with yogurt and light sour cream for a healthier pizza accompaniment.
Hot Sauce
Spice up your slice by dipping it in a little tub of hot sauce. Hot sauces typically contain vinegar, peppers and spices and are a smart way to add mouth-tingling flavor without many extra calories. Check the label if you are concerned about calorie count or the possible presence of sugar or high-fructose corn syrup.
Pesto
Dip the tip of your pizza slice into a container of basil pesto for an intense burst of Italian flavor. While pesto tends to be calorie-dense, its flavor is so concentrated that you shouldn't need much of it to make a big impression on your taste buds. Additionally, most of the calories in pesto come from heart-healthy olive oil.
Barbecue Sauce
Slide your pizza through a blob of sweet, smoky, spicy, hickory-spiked or maple-kissed barbecue sauce if you are trying to use up the last of the picnic leftovers -- or if you just can't get enough of the rich, savory flavor of barbecue. Making your own barbecue sauce is surprisingly simple and will let you tweak the flavor to your precise preferences and avoid the high sugar and calorie content of many -- though not all -- commercially prepared barbecue sauces.
Spinach Dip
Bathe your pizza slice in a savory spinach dip if you want to incorporate another nutritious veggie into your meal. Spinach is a nutrient-stuffed and relatively inexpensive vegetable you can use to make a healthy dip, using a recipe that combines spinach and mushrooms with fat-free sour cream and fat-free mayonnaise.
Artichoke Dip
Dunk your pizza into a steaming tray of homemade baked artichoke dip to combine pizza with a traditional party dip. While artichoke dip is often made using artery-clogging amounts of mayonnaise and cheese, low-cal versions use secret ingredients like pureed cannellini beans.
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