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This pizza soup recipe is a pizza-lovers’ dream, and a sure way to get kiddos and picky eaters excited to eat their vegetables. With pepperoni, sausage, bell peppers, fire-roasted tomatoes, and a few savory herbs and aromatics, you’ll be surprised at how much this really tastes like pizza!
Pizza soup has been in my recipe repertoire of healthy pizza recipes that aren’t actually pizza for years now. (Actually, I developed a keto version of this soup for The Keto Queens’ Bone Broth Detox and Weight Loss e-cookbook in 2017!)
If you aren’t familiar with it, it’s exactly what it sounds like: soup that tastes like pizza! To be more specific, we’re going for a meat-lovers’ pizza that’s loaded up with protein and vegetables (but I also give instructions on how to make this soup vegan!).
This is a great meal if you have picky kids. Making a healthy version of one of their favorite foods is a great way to get them eating more veggies!
Why You’ll Love This Recipe
- It has all the flavor of pizza, but with much fewer carbs and a lot more nutrition. Here we replace a carb-heavy pizza crust with nutrient-dense vegetables and protein-rich turkey sausage.
- This recipe only takes 30 minutes to make in an Instant Pot or on the stovetop. And you’ll only need 1 pot, so cleanup is a breeze too!
- Serve this soup with a toppings bar so everyone can customize their bowl (this is another great way to get picky kids to eat their dinner – give them ownership of it!). A few of my favorite toppings are black olives, minced red onion, and fresh oregano.
Pizza Soup Recipe Ingredients and Substitutions
Ingredients Explained
In this section I explain the ingredients and give substitution ideas where applicable. For the full recipe (including the ingredient amounts), see the recipe card below.
Meat Lovers’ Pizza Soup Ingredients
- Extra-virgin olive oil – To crisp the turkey pepperoni.
- Turkey pepperoni – Pepperoni helps create a classic pizza flavor profile in this soup. We crisp the pepperoni in oil and then continue making the soup in the same pot, so the pepperoni flavor permeates through the broth. And we use the crisped pepperoni as a garnish, so each bowlful looks like pepperoni pizza!
- Mild Italian turkey sausage – We’re going for a meat-lovers’ pizza flavor profile with this soup. Look for bulk sausage (not sausage links), and use hot sausage if you want it spicy.
- Onion – Onion adds savory depth of flavor.
- Red and green bell pepper – These vegetable pizza toppings add great flavor and color to this recipe.
- Mushrooms – We get in another veggie with mushrooms! However, if you aren’t a fan, you can omit them here. Or if you only like canned mushrooms, you can use those instead (oddly enough, I’ve had multiple people throughout the years tell me they only like canned mushrooms!).
- Garlic – I know I say this frequently, but this isn’t the place to skimp on the garlic, friends. It adds a ton of savory flavor here! We’re creating a pizza flavor profile, but at the end of the day this is a brothy tomato soup.
- Dried oregano – You can use dried Italian herb seasoning instead, or go with fresh oregano instead of dried.
- Salt and black pepper – These pantry-staple ingredients perfectly season our soup.
- Jarred pizza sauce – As they say, the secret is in the sauce! Adding actual pizza sauce to this dish helps create the flavor we’re going for.
- Canned fire-roasted tomatoes – You can use regular canned diced tomatoes here if you can’t find fire-roasted. However, the subtle charred flavor of fire-roasted tomatoes adds another layer of flavor.
- Chicken stock – Or you can use vegetable stock in this soup.
- Mozzarella cheese – To complete the pizza vibe, we stir shredded mozzarella right into the soup at the end of the cooking process. And I like to add a little more as a garnish on each bowl!
Topping Ideas for Pizza Soup
These toppings are optional. If you’re serving this soup for family dinner you can set up a toppings bar, which is just a bowl of each of these toppings so people can mix and match to customize their own bowl.
- Shredded mozzarella cheese
- Sliced black olives
- Fresh oregano
- Minced red onion
Instant Pot Instructions
Step 1: Chop the Vegetables and Measure the Ingredients
Wash and chop the vegetables, and measure out all the other ingredients.
Step 2: Make the Soup
- Add the oil to the Instant Pot and press “Sauté”. Once hot, add the turkey pepperoni and cook until crisp, about 3 minutes, stirring occasionally. Use a slotted spoon to transfer the crisped pepperoni to a paper towel-lined plate (we’ll use it as garnish).
- Leave the oil in the pot and with the “Sauté” function still on, add the sausage and use a wooden spoon to spread it out and break it up. Cook until browned, about 5 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add the onion, bell peppers, mushrooms, and garlic, and cook 2 minutes, stirring occasionally.
- Stir in the oregano, salt, black pepper, pizza sauce, fire-roasted tomatoes, and chicken stock.
- Press “Cancel” to stop the “Sauté” function. Cover the pot, make sure it’s set to “sealing”, and cook on “Manual, High Pressure” for 5 minutes. Once it’s done, carefully release the pressure and open the lid. Stir in the 1 cup shredded mozzarella.
Step 3: Serve
Serve the soup with the crispy turkey pepperoni on top, along with any other toppings you like.
Stovetop Instructions
- Add the oil to a 5-quart pot over medium to medium-high heat. Once hot, add the turkey pepperoni and cook until crisp, about 3 minutes, stirring occasionally. Use a slotted spoon to transfer the crisped pepperoni to a paper towel-lined plate (we’ll use it as garnish).
- Leave the oil in the pot. Add the sausage and use a wooden spoon to spread it out and break it up. Cook until browned, about 5 minutes, stirring occasionally.
- Add the onion, bell peppers, mushrooms, and garlic, and cook 5 minutes, stirring occasionally.
- Stir in the oregano, salt, black pepper, pizza sauce, fire-roasted tomatoes, and chicken stock.
- Bring up to a boil, then turn down a little so it doesn’t boil over. Cover the pot and let it cook for 5 to 10 minutes.
- Stir in the 1 cup shredded mozzarella.
- Serve the soup with the crispy turkey pepperoni on top, along with any other toppings you like.
Tips
- Just like a classic pizza, you can completely customize this soup to suit your personal preferences. This soup will be fine if you omit any of the pizza “toppings”, such as pepperoni, sausage, bell peppers, or mushrooms.
- This recipe is great for meal prep! I like to portion it out into individual containers and then store them in the fridge for up to 4 days (along with my favorite toppings stored separately), or in the freezer for up to 3 months.
- If you’re wondering what to serve with this pizza soup recipe, garlic bread is the perfect accompaniment! Feel free to make it with keto bread to keep the carbs down.
Storage
Store leftovers covered in the fridge for up to 4 days. This soup reheats well on the stovetop or in the microwave.
Special Diet Friendly
This soup is a good way to get picky eaters to eat a variety of vegetables.
As written, this recipe is naturally gluten free and low carb.
This soup lends itself surprisingly well to a vegan transformation! To make it vegan, omit the turkey pepperoni, Italian turkey sausage, chicken stock, and mozzarella cheese. Use vegan pepperoni, vegan sausage crumbles, vegetable stock, and vegan mozzarella.
For the paleo version, omit the pepperoni and mozzarella and keep everything else the same.
Pizza Soup Recipe FAQs
Can I Use Ground Beef Instead of Italian Sausage?
Yes! Ground beef is a great substitute for Italian sausage in this recipe. I recommend using ground beef that’s 85% lean or leaner. You can use hamburger with a higher fat content, but you may want to drain off the fat after browning to avoid soup that looks like an oil slick.
If you’re making this soup with ground beef, you may want to add a few herbs and spices that are distinct in Italian sausage. For 1 pound of ground beef, I would go with:
- 1/2 tablespoon dried Italian herb seasoning
- 1 teaspoon paprika (sweet paprika for mild sausage, hot paprika for hot sausage, or a mix of both)
- 1/2 teaspoon fennel seeds (lightly crushed in the palm of your hand)
- 1/8 teaspoon freshly-grated nutmeg
Is This Soup Keto Friendly?
This soup is an easy recipe to reduce the carbs to help you fit it into a keto way of eating. To lower the carbohydrates significantly, do the following:
- Omit the red bell pepper, pizza sauce, and canned fire-roasted tomatoes.
- Double the amount of mushrooms.
- Increase the chicken stock to 6 cups.
- Add 3 tablespoons tomato paste along with the chicken stock.
- At the end, whisk in 1/2 to 1 cup heavy whipping cream.
How Can I Make Creamy Pizza Soup?
I have two tricks up my sleeve to transform this tomato broth-based soup into a creamy soup:
- Stir in 1/2 cup heavy whipping cream at the end, or
- Whisk in 4 ounces of room temperature cream cheese.
More Pizza Recipes That Aren’t Actually Pizza
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Pizza Soup Recipe (Instant Pot or Stovetop)
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Equipment
Ingredients
- 3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
- 1/4 cup turkey pepperoni
- 1 pound mild Italian turkey sausage look for bulk sausage, not sausage links
- 1 large yellow onion diced
- 1 red bell pepper de-seeded and chopped
- 1 green bell pepper de-seeded and chopped
- 8 ounces sliced button mushrooms white or brown
- 8 large cloves garlic crushed
- 1/2 tablespoon dried oregano or 1 1/2 tablespoons chopped fresh oregano
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
- 14 ounce jar pizza sauce (see Notes)
- 14 ounce can fire-roasted tomatoes with juices
- 3 cups chicken stock
- 1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese
Optional Topping Ideas:
- Shredded mozzarella cheese
- Sliced black olives
- Fresh oregano
- Minced red onion
Instructions
- Add the oil to the Instant Pot and press “Sauté”. Once hot, add the turkey pepperoni and cook until crisp, about 3 minutes, stirring occasionally. Use a slotted spoon to transfer the crisped pepperoni to a paper towel-lined plate (we’ll use it as garnish).
- Leave the oil in the pot and with the “Sauté” function still on, add the sausage and use a wooden spoon to spread it out and break it up. Cook until browned, about 5 minutes, stirring occasionally.
- Add the onion, bell peppers, mushrooms, and garlic, and cook 2 minutes, stirring occasionally.
- Stir in the oregano, salt, black pepper, pizza sauce, fire-roasted tomatoes, and chicken stock.
- Press “Cancel” to stop the “Sauté” function. Cover the pot, make sure it’s set to “sealing”, and cook on “Manual, High Pressure” for 5 minutes. Once it’s done, carefully release the pressure and open the lid.
- Stir in the 1 cup shredded mozzarella.
- Serve the soup with the crispy turkey pepperoni on top, along with any other toppings you like.
Notes
- Jarred Pizza Sauce: Jars of pizza sauce come in a variety of sizes. A 12.5-ounce jar is common, and this amount will work fine in this recipe.
- Nutrition Information: The nutritional information for this recipe was calculated without the optional topping ideas.
- Vegan Version: Omit the turkey pepperoni, Italian turkey sausage, chicken stock, and mozzarella cheese. Use vegan pepperoni, vegan sausage crumbles, vegetable stock, and vegan mozzarella.
- Paleo Version: Omit the pepperoni and mozzarella and keep everything else the same.
- Storage: Store leftovers covered in the fridge for up to 4 days or in the freezer for up to 3 months. This soup reheats well on the stovetop or in the microwave.
- Add the oil to a 5-quart pot over medium to medium-high heat. Once hot, add the turkey pepperoni and cook until crisp, about 3 minutes, stirring occasionally. Use a slotted spoon to transfer the crisped pepperoni to a paper towel-lined plate (we’ll use it as garnish).
- Leave the oil in the pot. Add the sausage and use a wooden spoon to spread it out and break it up. Cook until browned, about 5 minutes, stirring occasionally.
- Add the onion, bell peppers, mushrooms, and garlic, and cook 5 minutes, stirring occasionally.
- Stir in the oregano, salt, black pepper, pizza sauce, fire-roasted tomatoes, and chicken stock.
- Bring up to a boil, then turn down a little so it doesn’t boil over. Cover the pot and let it cook for 5 to 10 minutes.
- Stir in the 1 cup shredded mozzarella.
- Serve the soup with the crispy turkey pepperoni on top, along with any other toppings you like.
Nutrition
Nutritional information is automatically calculated and should be used as an approximate.
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I’m the writer, recipe developer, photographer, and food stylist behind this blog. I love finding the human connection through something we all do every day: eat! Food is a common ground that we can all relate to, and our tables tell a story. It’s my goal to inspire you to get in the kitchen, try something new, and find a favorite you didn’t know you had.
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