Crock-Pot, Skinny Pepperoni Pizza Soup

This main course soup is absolutely delicious! Wonderful pepperoni pizza flavors yet have a lot fewer calories than a pizza. Your kids will love it too!  Each big, hearty bowl has 238 calories, 6 grams of fat, and only 5 Blue WW Freestyle SmartPoints and 5 Green.

Prep Time: 20 minutes

Cook Time: 3 hours on high heat or 6 hours on low heat

Ingredients

1½ cups onions, chopped

1 (28 oz) can crushed tomatoes, undrained

2 cans (14-½ ounces each) reduced-sodium chicken broth

1½ cups fresh mushrooms, sliced

1 cup red bell peppers, diced

34 Hormel 70% reduced-fat turkey pepperoni slices, halved (~1¼ cups), see shopping tips

1½ teaspoons dried Italian seasonings

Fresh ground pepper, to taste

⅛-¼ teaspoon red pepper flakes, to taste

1 package (9 -10 ounces) refrigerated cheese tortellini, see shopping tips

Shredded part-skim mozzarella cheese or parmesan cheese, optional for topping

Instructions

1. Cook onions in microwave for 1-2 minutes to soften.

2. To the crock-pot, add onions and all other ingredients except the cheese tortellini and optional cheese topping. Mix well. Cover and cook on low heat 6 -7 hours or high heat 3-4 hours. Crock-Pots do vary, so time depends on your crock-pot.

3. Make cheese tortellini in a separate pot according to package directions. Drain. Add to finished soup. Top each serving with a little cheese if desired.

Makes 6 servings. Each ~1¾ cups.

Shopping Tips
I use Buitoni’s three-cheese tortellini or Trader Joe’s cheese tortellini. Most supermarkets carry a few other brands, It’s usually displayed in the refrigerated section where other fresh pasta and sauces are displayed.

Hormel’s 70% reduced-fat turkey pepperoni can be found in most larger supermarkets in the luncheon meat section. So low in calories and fat, it’s a real find!

Looking for a new crock-pot? Here’s one of my favorites:
Crock-Pot SCCPVL610-S 6-Quart Programmable Cook and Carry Oval Slow Cooker, Digital Timer, Stainless Steel

SKINNY FACTS: for ~1¾ cup serving (w/out cheese topping) 238 calories, 6g fat, 1g sat. fat, 17mg chol,15g pro. 35g carbs, 4g fiber, 938mg sod, 3g sugar

FACTS: for SmartPoints 170 calories, 1g sat. fat, 12g protein, 2g sugar