Pizza Soup with Greens

Letting go of cheese on pizza can be a hard transition when you start a paleo lifestyle—perhaps more difficult than finding a good grain-free crust. If you’re strictly eliminating dairy, nutritional yeast has an interesting cheesy taste and is a good replacement for a sprinkle of Parmesan. And eating pizza in soup form eliminates the need for a crust. A win-win.

Prep time 25 minutes
Serves 6

1 bell pepper, seeded and diced
3 brown or white button mushrooms, chopped
11/2 cups (225 g) cooked pizza topping meat (such as diced pepperoni, ham, or cooked Italian sausage)
2 large carrots, peeled and diced
1/2 small bunch kale, leaves removed from stems and cut into bite-sized pieces
1 tablespoon dried minced onion
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1 15-ounce (425 g) can tomato sauce
1 teaspoon Italian seasoning
1/4 teaspoon oregano
Pinch of crushed red pepper flakes
1 quart (946 ml) Simple Chicken Stock
Sliced peperoncini peppers and nutritional yeast, for garnish

  1. Place all the ingredients (except the garnishes) in a 4- or 6-quart (3.8 or 5.7 liter) slow cooker. Cover and cook on low for 6 to 8 hours.
  2. Serve with peppers, a sprinkle of nutritional yeast, and extra crushed red pepper flakes if you want more heat.