Slow-Cooker Stuffed Pepper Soup

Serves 6

Recipe from SkinnyTaste Fast & Slow by Gina Homolka

Husband-Tested in Alice’s Kitchen

Our local food co-op had loads of local peppers and so I decided to make this soup that is reminiscent of stuffed bell peppers.  This soup is made in the slow cooker.  It’s low calories and by substituting cooked brown rice for the white rice, it’s a bit healthier.  We thought this tasted even better the next day.  So, this would be a perfect meal to prep on the weekend for those busy weeknights.  Next time I make this, I’ll use ground turkey for a little change.

1 pound 95% lean ground beef

¾ teaspoon kosher salt (Optional)

1 cup chopped onion

2/3 cup chopped green bell pepper

2/3 cup chopped red bell pepper

3 garlic cloves, chopped

2 cups reduced sodium chicken or vegetable broth

2 (14.5 ounce) cans diced tomatoes

1¾ cups canned tomato sauce

½ teaspoon dried marjoram

Freshly ground pepper

3 cups cooked brown rice, for serving

In a large nonstick skillet over high heat, brown the ground beef that has been sprinkled with salt.  Use a wooden spoon to break up the beef into small bits.  When the meat has browned, drain the fat from the pan.  Add the onion, peppers, garlic, and cook, stirring, until soft, 6-8 minutes.  Transfer to a slow cooker and add the broth, tomatoes, tomato sauce, marjoram, and black pepper to taste.  Cover and cook on high for 4 hours or on low for 8 hours.  Ladle the soup into 6 serving bowls. Top each serving with ½ cup of the cooked brown rice.  Serve hot.

Notes:  I used 3 Poblano peppers, 1 red pepper, and 1 jalapeno pepper because that’s what the co-op had.  I didn’t measure them.  I also used Homemade Vegetable Broth, which is so easy to make using scraps.  By using homemade, you’ll also cut down on sodium.

Nutritional Info for 1 Serving (1 ½ cups soup plus ½ cup brown rice):  347 calories; 7.5 g fat; 2.5 g saturated fat; 48 mg cholesterol; 45 g carbohydrates; 6 g fiber; 23 g protein; 12 g sugars; 927 mg sodium (I was able to reduce the sodium by using homemade vegetable broth and omitting the salting of the ground beef.  We thought the soup was plenty salty with all the tomatoes.)