Guiltless Pizza Soup

For all of you pizza lovers – you can now enjoy your favorite food as a soup!

Pizza Soup is a fun spin on the traditional American favorite food pizza.  The scrumptious soup can be enjoyed by all ages for either a light meal or as a starter for a multi-course meal.  The soup is quick to prepare and packed with nutritional value.  The base of the soup is a low fat ingredient, a tomato based pizza sauce. According to WebMD tomatoes are packed with antioxidants, vitamin C, vitamin E, and potassium.

Get your family excited about the soup by adding their favorite pizza toppings!  Encourage them to choose several veggies and a lean protein pizza topping.  I made the pizza with mushrooms, peppers, and turkey sausage.  There are so many more options – broccoli, spinach, onions, olive, turkey pepperoni, chicken, etc!

The soup is topped with whole wheat croutons for the “crust” and cheese.  The toppings should not be added until the soup is served as the croutons will become soggy if left in the soup too long.  For a true pizza crust (and a higher calorie option) you could purchase pre-made pizza crust from the supermarket. and divide the soup among four oven safe bowls. The crust could be cut into fourths, placed on top of the bowls, and then baked until slightly brown.  This would be a similar recipe to a chicken pot pie, but with a soupier consistency.

Enjoy!
Your family’s dietitian,Kristen Smith