Pizza Soup

Serves 2-3

I know the name of this may sound a little odd or lack finesse but when you taste it, I’m sure you’ll merely nod and say “yep, that’s pizza soup.”  To get this straight, this is not just thinned down pizza sauce.  It tastes like a pizza.  I didn’t set out to come up with a pizza soup.  It was actually a total accident.  One day, while making my husband a little soup in the blender, I kept throwing things in that sounded good.  Went to taste to determine if adjustments were needed.  Lo and behold, I found that I had in my blender a tasty soup that immediately reminded me of a pizza.  The next day, I got to work on recreating said masterpiece.  Yummo!  Here is a delicious, nutritious, spoonable version of a classic family favorite.

Ingredients

7½ Roma Tomatoes

8-15 Olives (depends on the type & your tastes; I used small black ones which I know are not raw but tasted fantastic)

¼ Sweet Yellow Onion

1 tbsp Nutritional Yeast

1 tbsp Extra Virgin Olive Oil

12-15 Fresh Basil Leaves, reserved

1 strong tsp Fresh Thyme, (roughly 4-6 sprigs, leaves only), reserved

1½-2½ tbsp Fresh Oregano, leaves only, reserved

½ tsp Dried Parsley, reserved

1 tsp Salt, or to taste

¾-1 tsp Fresh Cracked Black Pepper, or to taste

Additional parsley, oregano or other herbs as desired.

{You may elect to substitute dried herbs.  The general rule of thumb for dried herb substitution is to use ½ the amount of dried as you would fresh.

My measurements for herbs can be somewhat loose at times because not all herbs season equally.  My advice with all recipes that give approximates on herbs is to start with less because you can always add more.  Just let your tongue be your guide!

Instructions

Combine all ingredients except herbs in blender.  Puree items, allowing blender to run until mixture is smooth and starts to warm.

Add herbs and blend until well combined but not overly blended.  If you over-process, the color from the fresh herbs can make the mix look a little off but it should still taste fine.

Pour into a bowl and enjoy immediately.  Alternatively, you may gently heat this on the stove top.  Also, if you like a chunkier soup, feel free to throw extra sliced olives, diced tomato or whatever other “toppings” you may like.