Easy 30-Minute Pizza Soup — Enjoy a big bowl of comfort food with hearty soup that mimics your favorite pizza! Complete with pepperoni, meatballs, a tomato-based broth, and topped with mozzarella, Parmesan, and garlic toast croutons for the “crust”! Easy enough for busy weeknights and sure to be a family FAVORITE!
Easy Pizza Soup Recipe
Who doesn’t love pizza! I mean what’s not to love when it’s loaded with pepperoni, sausage, and brimming with cheese.
Guess what? This easy pizza soup recipe combines everything you love about crave-worthy pizza and a comforting bowl of soup and rolls them into the best of both worlds!
There’s plenty of juicy meatballs, tempting pepperoni, and I like to top my soup with both mozzarella and Parmesan cheese
Also, to mimic pizza crust, I use toasted garlic bread or croutons which not only give flavor, but they add a bit of crunchy texture which is nice with soup.
However my two favorite things about this pizza soup with pepperoni and meatballs is that it’s a one pot recipe AND it’s a 30-minute meal recipe.
It’s a perfect soup for chilly winter nights, especially on busy weeknights when you need to get dinner on the table fast with something everyone enjoys.
This pizza soup is definitely a family-favorite with kids and adults alike.
Ingredients in Pizza Soup with Pepperoni and Meatballs
To make homemade pizza soup, you’ll need the following easy to find and very common fridge and pantry ingredients including the following:
- Olive oil
- White or yellow onion
- Green or red bell pepper
- Garlic
- Reduced sodium beef broth
- Marinara sauce
- Tomato paste
- Italian seasoning
- Granulated sugar
- Cooked meatballs
- Pepperoni slices
- Garlic toast or large croutons, for garnishing
- Mozzarella cheese, for garnishing
- Parmesan cheese, for garnishing
- Fresh parsley, optional for garnishing
- Red pepper flakes, optional for garnishing
- Salt and pepper, optional and to taste
Note: Scroll down to the recipe card section of the post for the ingredients with amounts included and for more complete directions.
How to Make Pizza Soup in 30 Minutes
Making pizza in a soup pot or Dutch oven on the stove is easy and so fast. 30 minutes is all you need for this comfort food recipe.
Follow my easy and straightforward instructions:
- Add the olive oil, onions, green pepper, to a large Dutch oven and saute over medium-high heat for 3 minutes before adding the garlic and sauteeing another minute.
- Add the beef broth, marinara, tomato pasta, Italian seasoning, sugar, meatballs, pepperoni, stir to combine, and simmer for about 15 minutes.
- If you’re going to toast garlic bread in the oven, do it now.
- Otherwise when you’re ready to serve the soup, add the garlic bread or croutons.
- And garnish with the cheeses and optionally add parsley and/or red pepper flakes, and season with salt and pepper if desired before serving.
Slow Cooker Option
To make pizza soup in a slow cooker, saute the onions, peppers, and garlic together on your stove. Transfer the mixture to a large 7 to 8-quart slow cooker, and add everything else (except the garnishes). Slow cook on LOW for 4 hours or on HIGH for 2 hours, or until done.
Everything you’re adding has already been cooked so it’s really just a matter of simmering and letting the flavors marry. Then garnish and serve!
What Kind of Meatballs Should I Use for Easy Pizza Soup?
It’s important to use precooked meatballs. I suggest using a bag (or two depending on the size) of frozen meatballs that you thaw fully before adding them.
I am a big fan of Trader Joe’s Turkey Meatballs and use two bags in my pizza soup recipe.
You can use beef or turkey meatballs, or whatever your favorite protein is like sausage, pork or chicken meatballs. But beef and turkey meatballs are most common I find.
Homemade meatballs are also great if you have some on hand in your freezer. Making homemade meatballs just for the soup is a great goal if you have extra time and energy!
Garlic Bread for Pepperoni Pizza Soup
There are a few ways to go with the bread that tops the soup which mimics “pizza crust” and adds some very welcome crispy and crunchy texture.
- Garlic Bread or Toast – Either use frozen garlic toasts that you thaw, or use store bought fresh from your grocer’s bakery section, or make your own garlic bread using French bread, garlic seasoning, and butter – but whatever you do, make sure to bake it until it’s crispy, crunchy, and lightly golden browned.
- I suppose you can simply use unbaked or untoasted French bread but it’s not quite as enticing as warm and crusty bread is!
- Finally, I suggest using large, extra-large, or jumbo croutons. I actually have better luck buying the store-brand at my local grocery store than online ordering.
What to Serve with Pepperoni Pizza Soup
This soup is hearty, filling, and pure comfort food in a bowl! There’s all the elements of pizza and I personally don’t eat pizza with anything other than perhaps a small salad so I feel a little healthier.
If you want to serve it with a the following, go right ahead:
- Twelve Superfoods Salad — This superfood salad is packed with 12 superfoods! This is a great clean out the fridge meal and is easily customized to suit whatever you need to use up.
- Strawberry, Avocado, and Kale Salad – Make a kale lover out of anyone in this healthy salad with creamy avocado and juicy berries!
- Apple, White Cheddar, and Spinach Salad – The flavors just pop in this fast, easy, and healthy salad!
- BLT Chopped Salad – Fast, fresh, and very satisfying!
Storing Leftovers
Most soup recipes keep very well and this one is no exception.
In fact, because it’s got a tomato based broth like spaghetti sauce, the leftover soup may actually taste even better.
It’ll keep airtight in the fridge for up to 5 days and in the freezer for up to 4 months.
Tip
Make sure to store the garlic bread or croutons separately from the soup. They’ll get soggy if they’re stored with the soup so keep them separate.
FAQs
If you are a person who loves black olives on your pizza, or can’t resist red onions, sun dried tomatoes, cooked Italian sausage, mushrooms, cherry tomatoes, fresh basil, a sprinkle of dried oregano, or whatever you just love on your pizza, it’s a pretty safe bet it’s fine to add to the soup – either as a garnish or in the broth – based on your best judgment.
No this pizza soup is not at all spicy! Even the most “wimpy” of those among us when it comes to spicy food will agree that the soup is not spicy.
Although I’m a fan of adding a generous sprinkling of ground red chili flakes (pizza flakes) before I dig into my bowl.
If you want to amp up the spice level across the board, add a tiny sprinkle of cayenne pepper to the pot.
Yes you sure can! Saute the onions, peppers, and garlic together on your stove.
Transfer the mixture to a large 7 to 8-quart slow cooker, and add everything else (except the garnishes).
Slow cook on LOW for 4 hours or on HIGH for 2 hours, or until done. Everything you’re adding has already been cooked so it’s really just a matter of simmering and letting the flavors marry. Then garnish and serve!
Tips for the Best Pizza Soup
This 30-minute pizza soup recipe is not only fast, it’s easy and foolproof!
Here are a few parting tips to make sure this becomes a family favorite dinner recipe!
Sugar – You may wonder why you need to add sugar? That’s because tomatoes are acidic and in pizza soup there’s 32 ounces of marinara sauce and 6 ounces of tomato paste. Plus the beef broth can have a bit of a bite.
I find a teaspoon or two of sugar really helps balance the flavor profile and makes the soup much more pleasant. It’s the same principle as adding sugar to any kind of red sauce or pasta sauce in Italian recipes.
Salt and Pepper – If soup ever tastes flat, bland, or at all on the boring side, it can be a sign that it simply needs more salt. Salt is the reason restaurant soup always tastes so good!
There are a variety of salty elements in pizza soup including the pepperoni, meatballs, beef broth, marinara, tomato paste, and the two cheeses. However, always taste your soup and if you think it needs it, add salt.
The same goes for pepper. I am never shy with plenty of freshly ground black pepper and add some to my soup but it’s personal preference.
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Easy 30-Minute Pizza Soup
Ingredients
- 3 or 4 pieces garlic toast or 18 large croutons, or as desired, for garnishing; divided
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 small white or yellow onion, diced small
- 1 green or red bell pepper, seeded and diced small
- 3 to 4 cloves garlic, finely minced
- 32 ounces reduced sodium beef broth
- 32 ounces marinara sauce, two 16-ounce jars
- 6 ounces tomato paste
- 2 to 3 teaspoons Italian seasoning, or to taste
- 1 to 2 teaspoons granulated sugar, or to taste*
- 26 ounces cooked meatballs**, easiest to use a bag of frozen meatballs that are thawed before using
- 6 ounces pepperoni slices, halved or quartered (or use mini pepperoni)
- Salt and pepper, optional and to taste
- 1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese, for garnishing; divided
- ¼ cup grated Parmesan cheese, for garnishing; divided
- 2 tablespoon fresh parsley, optional for garnishing; divided
- Red pepper flakes, optional for garnishing
Instructions
- If you're going to bake garlic toast, garlic bread, French bread, or similar do it now according to package directions which likely means preheating your oven to 350F and cube the garlic toast now into 1 1/2-inch cubes (or do it after baking if desired), and bake for 5 minutes, flip, and bake for 5 more minutes. Get started on the rest of the recipe while it toasts. If you're using croutons, no need to bake or toast anything and just start the rest of the recipe.
- To a large soup pot or Dutch oven, add the olive oil, onions, bell peppers, and cook over medium-high heat to saute for about 3 to 4 minutes, or until vegetables are softening; stir frequently.
- Add the garlic and cook for 1 minute, or until fragrant; stir continuously.
- Add the beef broth, marinara sauce, tomato paste, Italian seasoning, sugar*, and stir to combine.
- Add the meatballs**, pepperoni, and simmer for about 15 minutes; stir occasionally.
- Taste the soup and if it needs salt, pepper, or more sugar, add it now. Tips – If the soup tastes at all flat or bland, it likely needs salt. if it tastes acidic or has too much of a bite, it needs more sugar. Pepper is always nice to give flavor without adding spiciness.
- Ladle the soup into bowls and evenly distribute the baked garlic toast or croutons over the top of each bowl as desired.
- Garnish as desired with the mozzarella, Parmesan, parsley, and optional red pepper flakes to taste, and serve immediately. Soup will keep airtight in the fridge for up to 5 days and in the freezer for up to 4 months. Reheat gently in the microwave. Store any garlic toasts or croutons airtight at room temp and apart from the soup or they will get soggy and disintegrate into the soup. See Notes for Slow Cooker*** instructions.
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
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Takes as long to find recipe than it does to make it ! Please post recipe sooner
Takes as long to find recipe than it does to make it ! Please post recipe sooner
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This was delicious!! I did use chicken in place of the meatballs! I also used turkey pepperoni!! My husband and I both loved it!! Thanks for sharing!!
This was delicious!! I did use chicken in place of the meatballs! I also used turkey pepperoni!! My husband and I both loved it!! Thanks for sharing!!
Thanks for making it soon after I published this recipe and that it turned out great like you tweaked it!