homemade croutons seasoned with olive oilgarlic powder, salt and pepper
freshly grated mozzarella and/or pepper jack cheese
fresh chopped parsley
Add the croutons, the cheese, or both! The soup is also phenomenal all on it's own! This recipe is both paleo and gluten-free sans toppings.
Instructions
Before you begin: You'll be able to belt out your prep-work while your sausage cooks and your onions start to caramelize away. Once you pile everything together, you'll then have enough time to let it simmer on the stove, allowing all the awesome flavors to meld and intensify. A little multi-tasking goes a long way!
First decide how you'd like your onions! Sliced onions will give the soup a French Onion Soup-esque feel to it while diced onions will be uniform with your peppers and a bit easier to fit on the spoon. I went with sliced, both will work fantastically.
Bring a large pot to medium heat with 2 TBSP of olive oil and add your onions. Stir to coat and reduce heat to medium-low. Stir often.
While your onions are cooking, chop your peppers, mince the garlic and prep the remainder of your ingredients.
Cook sausage via your favorite method.
I boil mine for about 20 minutes while the onions get all gorgeous and golden.
Keep stirring your onions to prevent sticking/burning. Once they start to semi-caramelize and take on a golden hue, add your bell peppers, garlic, salt, and black pepper, then allow them to simmer away until the peppers are tender.
Once they've softened, add the vegetable broth, crushed tomatoes, and sliced sausage [which should be done by now!] and reduce heat so the soup is gently bubbling/simmering.
Prep you toppings while the soup simmers and the flavors deepen.
Give it a taste, and if you'd like a little burst of heat to the soup, add the red pepper flakes. They're not essential but I LOVE the kick!
Serve piping hot with your choice of extras + toppings and dig in!
Notes
Recipe yields approx 2.5 quarts of soup and serves 6-8.Nutrition Facts below are estimated using an online recipe nutrition calculator. Adjust as needed based on choice/amount of toppings and enjoy!