Pizza Soup

I recently got an email from a reader requesting keto soups. She said she had been doing so well through summer on her low-carb diet because they stuck to lots of grilled meals, but she was struggling because she wanted winter comfort food. Believe me, I understand. I have always loved soup and so many of my favorite soups contain pasta, beans, or rice. It can be tricky to develop delicious, comforting soup while keep it low carb.

This gluten free pizza soup recipe captures the irresistible flavors of pizza and blends them with the comforting warmth of a hearty soup. Packed with all your favorite pizza toppings, this family-friendly dish serves 8 and is ready in just 30 minutes!

Ingredients for Pizza Soup

This Pizza Soup is loaded with good stuff! I really wanted to keep the flavor profile as close to a loaded or supreme pizza as I could while still keeping it low-carb.

*Quick Tip: this is a a great recipe to make adjustments to the ingredients based on your personal preferences. You could add onions, black olives, bell pepper, or other vegetables. Another option would be to add some fresh basil, parmesan cheese, or mozzarellas cheese as a topping.

• Protein: Italian sausage
• Produce: bell pepper, mushrooms, spinach, zucchini, diced tomatoes
• Tomato Paste: thickens the soup and helps provide the pizza flavor
• Beef Broth: choosing a high-quality broth makes a noticeable difference in the flavor quality
• Heavy Cream: This helps provide the creamy texture of the soup
• Cream Cheese:  this adds to the richness of the dish and makes the texture ultra creamy

How to Make Pizza Soup

You may be wondering how it is possible to have a “tomato-based” soup that is low-carb. I’ve done a lot of experimenting and I use a combination of tomato paste and beef broth to create a rich tomato-based broth that adds tons of flavor without the carbs. 

Stove Top Instructions

Heat a large pot or Dutch oven to medium heat. Once the pot is hot, add the ground beef and Italian sausage and cook until browned, breaking up as you go. Drain off the grease, but keep the meat in the pan. Next, add the chopped mushrooms, garlic, zucchini, and chopped bell peppers. Saute the mixture, stirring occasionally, for about 5 minutes. Add the broth, tomato paste, canned tomatoes, and spices.

Bring the soup to a simmer, stirring occasionally for about 25 minutes. The soup should have thickened slightly, and the vegetables should be tender. Lastly, stir in the softened cream cheese, heavy cream, and spinach. Gently stir the soup until the spinach has wilted and the cream cheese has melted completely into the soup.

Instant Pot Directions

1. Turn the Instant Pot to sauté mode, spray the bottom of the pan, and cook the meat.
2. Turn the Instant Pot off and add the mushrooms, garlic, zucchini, spinach, bell pepper, spices, tomatoes, tomato paste and beef broth.
3. Put the lid on, turn the valve to sealing, and select Manual or Pressure Cook for 15 minutes. (It will take about 15 minutes to come to pressure and begin counting down.)
4. Once the cook time is over, let the pressure naturally release for 5-10 minutes, then manually release the remaining pressure.
5. Stir in cream cheese and heavy cream.
6. Serve with shredded mozzarella or parmesan.

Storage Instructions

• Fridge: To store this soup, place it in an airtight container. To warm, either warm on the stovetop or in the microwave in 30-second increments. This soup will stay fresh in the fridge for up to four days.
• Freezer: If you want to freeze this soup, I recommend skipping the dairy as the cream cheese, heavy cream, and shredded cheese will not freeze well.
• Pro Tip: Write on a freezer bag what dairy needs to be added and the amounts, pour the soup that you’ve made into the bag, and freeze. That way, when you prepare the soup, you know exactly what you’ll need! This soup will stay in the freezer for up to three months. 

More Soup Recipes: 

• Bacon Cheeseburger Soup
• Instant Pot Buffalo Chicken Soup
• Keto Cabbage and Ground Beef Soup
• Chile Relleno Soup