Easy Pizza Soup

Ingredients

• 1 red onion
• 4 cloves garlic
• 1 green bell pepper
• 1 red bell pepper
• 2 medium portobello mushroom caps
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• ½ teaspoon kosher salt
• 1 tablespoon dried oregano
• 1 teaspoon fennel seeds
• 15 ounce jar pizza sauce (or Easy Pizza Sauce)
• 28-ounce can fire-roasted crushed tomatoes
• 1 quart (4 cups) vegetable broth
• ½ cup Parmesan cheese, plus more for the garnish
• Fresh basil, for the garnish (optional)
• 1/2 recipe Homemade Croutons, crusty bread, garlic bread or garlic toast, for serving (optional)

Instructions

1. Dice the onion. Mince the garlic. Dice the bell peppers. Destem and chop the mushroom caps into bite-sized pieces.
2. In a large pot or Dutch oven, heat the olive oil over medium high heat. Add the onion, mushrooms, and peppers and sauté for 4 minutes, until translucent. Add ½ teaspoon kosher salt, the garlic, oregano, fennel, and red pepper flakes and cook 2 to 3 minutes until fragrant and the veggies have softened.
3. Add the pizza sauce, canned tomatoes and their liquid, and vegetable broth. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer 10 minutes.  Stir in the cheese and simmer 5 more minutes until it is melted. Taste and add additional kosher salt if necessary. 
4. Serve warm topped with homemade croutons, additional Parmesan cheese, and fresh basil leaves (or simply serve with crusty bread or a gluten free bread substitute).