Stuffed Pepper Soup

I’m a big fan of stuffed pepper recipes. Peppers make for a great food “vessel,” but eating a whole pepper can be a bit awkward. I’ve found that the filling-to-pepper ratio can be a little out of wack and most of the time I’m left with too much pepper and not enough filling. This soup takes care of that problem quite well and combines all the flavors of a stuffed pepper without the ratio problems. I was surprised at how similar it tasted to your basic stuffed pepper recipe! One trick I advise using with this recipe: In order to avoid the rice from absorbing too much of the valuable broth I cook the servings separately and add them in to each bowl. I’ve learned that pasta, noodles and rice love to soak up the broth you took pains to prepare and I use this trick on almost every soup recipe now. This recipe has become a staple weeknight meal and makes a lot for several days. Makes for some tasty leftovers when you’re too busy to make dinner each night.

Stuffed Pepper Soup
(Makes about 8 servings)
Printable Recipe

Ingredients:

• 2 yellow onions, chopped
• 2 tbsp olive oil
• 4 cloves garlic, minced
• 2 red peppers, chopped
• 2 green peppers, chopped
• 3 cans (about 45 oz.) petite diced tomatoes
• 29 oz. tomato sauce
• 1 tbsp basil
• 1 tbsp fresh oregano
• 1 tsp red pepper flakes
• 1 small handful parsley, loosely chopped
• 4-5 cups chicken or beef stock, depending on desired consistency
• 1 lb. ground beef
• 8 servings white or brown rice, cooked
• salt and pepper to taste
• sharp cheddar or mozzarella, grated

Directions:

1.  Heat 1 tbsp olive oil in large sauce pot, add ground beef and cook until browned and crumbled, about 5 minutes.
2. Remove from heat and set aside in a medium bowl.
3. Add more olive oil to the same sauce pot and combine the onions and peppers. Cook covered on medium high heat for 7-8 minutes, until the onions are translucent and the peppers are tender.
4. Stir in the garlic and cook until fragrant, about 1 minute.
5. Stir in the basil, oregano and red pepper flakes, cook for another minute.
6. Pour in the diced tomatoes, tomato sauce, stock, parsley and cooked ground beef. Season with salt and pepper and bring to a simmer, covered.
7. Cook on low for about 30 minutes, stirring occasionally.
8. Meanwhile, prepare your rice in a separate sauce pot. Place several spoonfuls into each bowl and ladle in a serving of the soup.
9. Garnish with parsley and grated cheese.