Low Carb Crock Pot Pizza Soup

This was an excellent recipe. However, I can’t have that much sodium so I made the following changes: 26 oz can Aldi crushed tomatoes ~ 8 oz low sodium chicken broth (don’t use beef broth) 1 lb homemade Italian turkey sausage 1 qt frozen Roma tomatoes (my own fresh frozen) 3/4 package fresh sliced Cremini mushrooms Subbed red bell pepper for green (don’t buy green) 1/4 pkg Aldi turkey pepperoni or the amount YOU choose (microwaved to get a little crispy and added as a topping) Topped with mozzarella and fresh grated Asiago or Parmesan cheese (nothing special or expensive I use Aldi brand) I like a bit more of the herb flavors so I also added 3x the Italian seasoning and garlic, but also added additional basil (~1 tsp), crushed fennel seed (~1/4 tsp), crushed red pepper flakes (~1/4 tsp). I added more herbs because I added quite a few tomatoes to the pot. I increased herb amounts not to change the recipe, but to adjust based on the change in volume. I left out a lot of the broth because my tomatoes were very juicy and I did not want the extra sodium. Next time I will likely add more bell pepper, onion, oregano, and fennel. I love this as a base recipe but I add to it to make it bit chunky with the Roma tomatoes, peppers and onions. One last thing, I made this in a rice cooker. My rice cooker has a sauté and soup function so it’s easier to make in that cooker. Soup was ready in 2 hours. I am a truck driver so this is easy to make while on the road and offers multiple servings (big bonus). Also can make more hearty in winter but lighten it up a little for summer months. It took about 3 hours to make but it’s mostly hands off time while I’m driving or overnight while I’m sleeping. I use mostly Aldi products because I can typically find an Aldi store when I’m on the road. I usually use lowest sodium items I can find. If I can’t I adjust final seasoning to taste. But usually try to use more herbs and spices to boost flavor with minimal sodium.

I've made this a few times now. The first couple of times, I made it pretty much as written, only substituting 8 oz of fresh sliced mushrooms for the cans and using turkey pepperoni. This morning I decided to see if I could dial back the spice just a touch, as I'd found the original a bit over-spiced at times. This time, in addition to my previous alterations, I used ground turkey with Italian spices, used no-salt diced tomatoes, reduced the garlic, oregano, and Italian spice by about 25 percent, and added about two cups of water to increase the liquid. Both DH and I agree we like it both ways, and I'll pick which way I make it depending on how much spice I'm in the mood for. Next time I may try a second can of diced tomatoes instead of some of the water.

Wow! This soup was sooooo good! My husband doesn't really like soup, but he is eating this up so fast. I didn't even have all the ingrediants. I substituted the Italian Seasoning with dried basil and had no mushrooms. I added 1 24 ounce can of diced tomatoes and it was great. I highly recommend this soup. Mmmmmm.... yummy!

To thicken the broth, add one teaspoon of xantham gum to a cup of the beef broth, whisk well, then add to the pot. Also, if you don't like mushrooms, you can add some sliced black olive instead.