Pizza Soup

All the flavors of a slice in a soup spoon. Pizza soup brings together sautéed mushrooms, green peppers, and onions with tomato sauce, beef broth, basil, and oregano, all simmered with elbow macaroni standing in for crust. Each bowl gets a generous handful of mozzarella ladled on top so the cheese melts into the steaming soup the way it does on a fresh pizza.

The combination of beef broth and tomato sauce is what gives this soup more depth than a standard tomato-based vegetable soup. The beef broth backs the tomato with savory umami that mimics the way a baked crust browns and develops flavor under cheese. Without it, the soup tastes one-dimensional.

Cooking the macaroni separately and draining it before adding to the broth keeps the pasta from absorbing all the soup liquid as it sits.

Kitchen Tips

• Sauté the mushrooms until any liquid they release evaporates and they start to brown. Pale mushrooms taste flat
• Cook the macaroni a minute under al dente. It softens further in the hot soup
• Pour the soup into bowls first, then top with shredded mozzarella so it melts into the surface
• Use freshly grated mozzarella or low-moisture varieties. Fresh mozzarella balls weep too much water into the soup

Variations

• Add a half cup of sliced pepperoni or browned Italian sausage for a meat lover’s pizza version
• Swap mozzarella for provolone, fontina, or a mix for layered cheese flavor
• Stir in sliced black olives or pickled banana peppers for true pizzeria-style toppings