Pizza Soup is everything you love on a sausage and pepperoni pizza, simmered in one pot: browned Italian sausage, onion, green pepper, chopped pepperoni and fresh tomatoes in a rich pizza sauce broth with basil, rosemary and garlic. Top each bowl with shredded mozzarella and croutons, and it eats like a slice with a spoon. It takes 30 minutes and serves 4.
How to make it: Brown the sausage with the onion and pepper, drain the grease, then stir in the pizza sauce, water, seasonings, pepperoni and tomatoes. Bring it to a gentle boil, simmer on low about 10 minutes, and ladle it into bowls with cheese and croutons on top.
Why You’ll Love It
- Pizza night in a bowl: sausage, pepperoni, peppers and sauce, with the mozzarella on top.
- One pot, 30 minutes: no dough, no oven, and only one pot to wash.
- Pantry friendly: jarred pizza sauce and dried herbs do most of the work.
- Easy to make your own: swap the meat, add olives or mushrooms, pile on your favorite toppings.
Ingredient Notes
Italian pork sausage: One pound, bulk or with the casings removed so it crumbles as it browns. Turkey sausage works too.
Onion and green pepper: Half a cup of each, chopped, for that pizza-topping flavor.
Pizza sauce: Two 15-ounce jars or cans. With the water, it becomes the broth of the soup.
Pepperoni: A 6-ounce package, chopped into small pieces so you get some in every spoonful.
Tomatoes: Two fresh tomatoes, diced, for chunks of tomato in the soup.
Seasonings: Italian seasoning, garlic powder, dried basil and dried rosemary, plus a teaspoon of sugar to round out the tomato.
For topping: Shredded mozzarella and croutons.
Ingredients
- 1 pound Italian pork sausage, bulk or casings removed
- 1/2 cup chopped onion
- 1/2 cup chopped green bell pepper
- 4 cups water
- 2 (15-ounce) jars or cans pizza sauce
- 6 ounces pepperoni, chopped
- 2 tomatoes, diced
- 1 teaspoon sugar
- 1/2 teaspoon Italian seasoning
- 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1/4 teaspoon dried basil
- 1/2 teaspoon dried rosemary
- Salt and black pepper, to taste
- Shredded mozzarella cheese, for topping
- Croutons, for topping
How to Make Pizza Soup
1. Brown the sausage. In a large pot over medium heat, brown and crumble the sausage with the onion and green pepper. Season with a little salt and pepper and cook until the sausage has no pink left and reaches 160°F. Drain off any extra grease.
2. Add the sauce and water. Stir in the pizza sauce and water.
3. Season. Add the sugar, Italian seasoning, garlic powder, basil, rosemary, pepperoni and diced tomatoes, and season with salt and pepper.
4. Simmer. Bring the soup to a gentle boil, then turn the heat to low and simmer about 10 minutes.
5. Serve. Ladle into bowls and top with shredded mozzarella and croutons.
How to Make It Taste Like Pizza
The soup already has the sausage, pepperoni, peppers and sauce. These small choices push it closer to a real slice.
Give the pepperoni some heat. In this recipe the chopped pepperoni simmers in the soup. For a deeper pepperoni flavor, cook it in the pot with the sausage until it renders its fat, then build the soup on top.
Pick your sauce. Pizza sauce is made to spread thin on a crust. Marinara is thicker and usually has more flavor, so it gives a heartier soup. Either one works.
Let it simmer a little longer. Ten minutes is enough to eat. If you have time, simmer it uncovered for up to 30 minutes, stirring now and then, and it thickens slightly as the flavors come together.
Taste before you salt. Sausage, pepperoni and jarred sauce all bring salt, so you may need very little.
Top it like a pizza. The toppings are where it really turns into pizza:
| Topping | How to use it |
|---|---|
| Shredded mozzarella | A handful on each hot bowl so it melts |
| Croutons | On top just before eating, for crunch like a crust |
| Broiled cheese | Spread a little cheese on a lined baking sheet and broil until bubbly and golden, then lay it on the soup |
| Grated Parmesan | A spoonful over the mozzarella |
| Banana peppers | A few slices for a tangy bite |
| Garlic bread | On the side, for dipping |
Tips for Success
Drain the grease
Italian sausage gives off plenty of fat. Pour off the extra before the sauce goes in, or it pools on top of the soup.
Chop the pepperoni small
Small pieces spread through the pot, so every spoonful has some. Whole slices tend to sink together.
Keep the croutons crisp
Add them at the table, right before eating. They soften quickly in the hot soup.
Variations
- Another meat: use ground beef, ground turkey, ground chicken or turkey sausage instead of the pork sausage, or leave the meat out and keep the pepperoni.
- Supreme pizza soup: add a can of sliced black olives, a second bell pepper, a teaspoon of dried oregano and a pinch of red pepper flakes, and use low-sodium chicken broth in place of some of the water.
- Mushroom pizza soup: cook 2 cups of sliced mushrooms and a little minced garlic with the sausage and peppers.
- Fire-roasted: swap the fresh tomatoes for a can of fire-roasted tomatoes.
Storage
Cool the soup and refrigerate it within 2 hours in shallow covered containers. USDA FSIS says leftovers keep 3 to 4 days in the refrigerator or 3 to 4 months in the freezer. Thaw frozen soup in the refrigerator.
Reheat leftover soup on the stove until it comes to a rolling boil, as FSIS advises for soups, then add fresh cheese and croutons. The flavors are even better the next day, which makes it a handy make-ahead lunch.
What to Serve With It
Garlic bread is the classic partner, or go all in on pizza night with school pizza or 3-ingredient crescent pizza rolls on the side. A crisp green salad keeps it light. If your family loves a hearty soup night, try quick and easy taco soup, slow cooker Amish tomato noodle soup, slow cooker unstuffed cabbage roll soup or a creamy million dollar soup next.
Frequently Asked Questions
What’s in pizza soup?
This one has Italian sausage, pepperoni, onion, green pepper and diced tomatoes in pizza sauce and water, seasoned with Italian seasoning, garlic powder, basil and rosemary, and topped with mozzarella and croutons.
Can I use marinara instead of pizza sauce?
Yes. Marinara is thicker than pizza sauce, so the soup comes out a little heartier.
Can I freeze pizza soup?
Yes. Freeze it without the cheese and croutons for up to 3 to 4 months, thaw it in the refrigerator, and reheat it to a rolling boil.
Can I make it with ground beef?
Yes. Brown the beef with the onion and pepper until it reaches 160°F, drain it, and continue with the recipe.
How do I make it thicker?
Use marinara in place of the pizza sauce, or simmer the soup uncovered for up to 30 minutes so it thickens a little.
Final Notes
Set out the cheese, croutons and a few extra toppings and let everyone finish their own bowl like a pizza. If you make it, tell me in the comments which toppings you piled on.
Pizza Soup
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Ingredients
- 1 pound Italian pork sausage bulk, or casings removed
- 1/2 cup onion chopped
- 1/2 cup green bell pepper chopped
- 4 cups water
- 2 15-ounce jars or cans pizza sauce
- 6 ounces pepperoni chopped
- 2 tomatoes diced
- 1 teaspoon sugar
- 1/2 teaspoon Italian seasoning
- 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1/4 teaspoon dried basil
- 1/2 teaspoon dried rosemary
- salt and black pepper to taste
- shredded mozzarella cheese for topping
- croutons for topping
Instructions
- In a large pot over medium heat, brown and crumble the sausage with the onion and green pepper. Season with a little salt and pepper and cook until the sausage has no pink left and reaches 160°F. Drain off any extra grease.
- Stir in the pizza sauce and water.
- Add the sugar, Italian seasoning, garlic powder, basil, rosemary, pepperoni and diced tomatoes, and season with salt and pepper.
- Bring the soup to a gentle boil, then turn the heat to low and simmer about 10 minutes.
- Ladle into bowls and top with shredded mozzarella and croutons.
