Hearty Pizza Soup – quick & easy to prepare and yummy to eat

A few years ago my son got a subscription to Kid Stir (see link)

Kid Stir is a mail subscription box that comes every month with kid friendly recipes and a few utensils.

Pizza Soup was by far our favorite recipe and we continue to make it, even years later
It is really easy to put together and there are many options
to customize it even more to your liking.
So get your kids in the kitchen and
have them prepare this soup for dinner!
(especially since we are having a crazy storm on the East Coast and school is closed today!)

INGREDIENTS:

1 pound lean ground beef (or ground Italian sausage or gound turkey or package of frozen meatballs)
3 garlic cloves, crushed and minced
1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper (or more to taste)
2/3 cup diced onion
2 cups beef broth (or chicken or veggie broth)
1 (28 ounce) can crushed tomatoes (I used pureed because my daughter does not like any chunks, lol)
1 (8 ounce) can tomato sauce
1 (15 ounce) can kidney or cannelini beans, drained (I used cannelini)
1 Tablespoon dried basil
1 Tablespoon dried oregano
1 cup pasta
salt & pepper to taste

Top it off with any of the following:

parmesan cheese
goldfish crackers
grated mozzarella cheese
dollop of ricotta

DIRECTIONS:

Have all ingredients prepped, chopped, and measured.

Brown the ground beef until cooked through and drain off any fat.

Add the chopped onion, garlic, crushed red pepper and about a teaspoon of salt and 1/2 teaspoon pepper.
Cook through about 5 minutes until onion is transluscent.

Add broth (I use low sodium), cans of tomatoes, sauce, beans and spices.

I used 2 Tablespoons of Italian seasoning.
Recipe just calls for basil and oregano, but either way is fine.
Let simmer for 30 minutes.

Add the dried pasta about 10 minutes before you are ready to serve.
I added one container of cheese tortellini and some bowtie pasta.

Top with some parmesan cheese and delicioso!

My pictures look like a lot, because I doubled the recipe.
It made so much, all four of us had it for dinner, two nights in a row.
There was still leftover to share with my neighbor and we still have leftover!!
As it sits over night, the pasta absorbs more of the liquid;
so when reheating, you may need to add more broth.
It depends on how thick or thin you like your soup.

This soup has so much flavor and is so hearty with the meat and pasta. ♥

Enjoy!