My junior high school cafeteria was probably no better or worse than the average cafeteria. But there were two things they made that were exceptional: pizza, and pizza soup. The pizza was thick and cheesy, and I never heard anyone say a bad word about it.
The pizza soup, on the other hand, was great mostly for the idea of it. I’ve never seen it on the menu anywhere else, and had to create my own recipe for it. The version below is probably far better than what they served, but I still get nostalgic for times when they served it.
Ingredients
The soup
56 ounces (two large cans) crushed tomatoes
2 medium onions
4 cloves garlic
2 tablespoons dried oregano
extra virgin olive oil
salt and pepper
Toppings
home-made croutons
shredded mozzarella
Directions
Dice the onion very fine and mince the garlic. Sauté them over medium heat in a couple of tablespoons of olive oil and a teaspoon of salt.
Once the onion is clear and softened, add the tomatoes and oregano.
Add salt and pepper and simmer over low heat for 20 minutes. Remove from heat and insert an immersion blender. Work in circles until you’ve taken the soup from chunky …
to thick …
to smooth.
Add a cup or two of water, to thin it out from “pizza sauce” thickness to “soup” thickness. Just how thin this should be is a matter of preference. I like thick.
Set up an assembly area with the soup, croutons and cheese around the bowl.
A cup or two of soup, a handful of croutons, and a handful of cheese, and you’re ready to serve.
Next time I’m going to put the soup in a nice tureen and bring it to the table so the girls can assemble their own. They love feeling like they helped make their own dinner.
12 Comments
Awesome idea, reasonable cost, filling kids love it!
Bill Oxley
nice recipe. thanks for sharing.
A restaurant in our area used to do a pizza soup, and it was delicious. I think it’s a great idea.
Mike, what restaurant was that?
What an amazing idea! I bet it would be good with some mushrooms, pepperoni, green peppers, etc simmered in, too. I can’t wait to try this!
Blunt, that’s it exactly. Once you get the idea “pizza soup” you can customize it just like you would a regular pizza.
you made tomato soup with cheese……great idea
Hey, thanks. I try.
Drew, Cannoli's restaurant in Florissant, Missouri (just outside St. Louis) serves it up great. They also put some Italian Sausage and Pepperoni in.
Maria, there are some foods I would almost make a trip just to try it. But this one … maybe I'll wait until I'm in the neighborhood anyway and see if I can remember to drop in.
Thanks for the tip anyway.
Thank you so much! I've got a pot on the stove right now. I actually stopped eating tomato soup because I just couldn't find one I liked, but i love this recipe! It's so quick and versatile, so I can adjust it to my moods. Today, I'm going spicy!
Thanks again!
best tomato soup recipe ever is from nordstrom’s- i was never a tomato soup person until feasting on theirs and now i can’t stop. it is so easy to make. basic ingred. are as follows: cans of roma tomatoes, carrots, onions, olive oil, dry basil, cream. takes about 30 min!
i am going to try this pizza soup for something different. the family is getting sick of trad. tomato soup, might be fun to add in extra things, have ourselves a mini pizza party.
THANKS!!!