Pepperonia Soup & Italian Style Beef

                 10 cups (serving size: 1 cup)

1              pound extra-lean ground beef
1              cup sliced turkey pepperoni (3 ounces)**Vegetable cooking spray **
1             cup sliced fresh mushrooms 1             green bell pepper, seeded and chopped 1             bunch green onions, chopped
2             garlic cloves, minced
1             teaspoon olive oil
2             tablespoons tomato paste
1             (28-ounce) can crushed tomatoes 4             cups low-sodium fat-free chicken broth 1             tablespoon chopped fresh or 1 **teaspoon dried basil **
1             tablespoon chopped fresh or 1 teaspoon dried oregano
1             teaspoon freshly ground pepper **Garnishes: sliced fresh basil, shredded Parmesan cheese **
**Parmesan Toasts (recipe below)**
1 .         Cook ground beef and pepperoni in a Dutch oven coated with cooking spray over medium-high heat 8 minutes or until beef crumbles and is no longer pink. Rinse and drain beef mixture. 2 .        Sauté mushrooms and next 3 ingredients in hot oil in Dutch oven 5 minutes. Stir in beef mixture, tomato paste, and next 5 ingredients. Bring to a boil; reduce heat, and simmer 30 minutes. If desired, garnish and serve with Parmesan Toast Points. PARMESAN TOAST:
1 small sourdough loaf
Parmesan cheese

Cut 1 small sourdough loaf into thin wedges. Arrange wedges on a baking sheet. Sprinkle evenly with shredded Parmesan cheese. Bake at 400º for 5 minutes.