Olla-Podrida: Slow Cooker Stuffed Pepper Soup

Tuesday, July 24, 2018

Slow Cooker Stuffed Pepper Soup

Those of you who follow me on Facebook know that this past week I harvested my first green pepper from my deck garden (with glee). Those who follow me on Facebook also know that less than two days later, something (I suspect the dreaded Japanese beetle) completely defoliated both of my pepper plants. I was not happy. Undaunted, I gathered up and discarded the leaves that had been so viciously torn from the stalk of the plant that I had tended so religiously throughout this blazing hot summer, gave it a good watering, and pressed on. Here’s hoping the plant does the same.

I tasted the pepper, warm from the sun, just after harvesting, as I did my first tomato. It was so amazingly good, and nothing like those that I buy in the market. I decided to make good use of that pepper by making this Stuffed Pepper Soup in the crockpot. Because this homegrown pepper had flavor so much more intense than what I buy at the store, I knew this was going to be extra good. It was! (And I didn’t heat up the kitchen.)

Get cute with your garnishes! Here I used basil flowers.

Slow Cooker Stuffed Pepper Soup

1 pound ground chuck, browned
1 large Melissa’s French shallot, chopped
½ cup diced Melissa’s Fire Roasted Red Bell Peppers
½ green bell pepper, diced
1 14-oz. can petite diced tomatoes
1 14-oz. can tomato sauce
1 14-oz. can beef stock
1 teaspoon dried oregano
1 teaspoon garlic salt
½ teaspoon Montreal Steak Seasoning
1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
Freshly ground black pepper
2 cups cooked rice

Place everything except the rice into the slow cooker. Cook for 6 to 8 hours on “low,” or 3 to 4 hours on “high.“ Serve topped with a generous scoop of rice.

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If you hanker for a soup that is creamy rather than chunky, you will love this Cream of Red Bell Pepper Soup.

This post is linked to:

Dream, Create, Inspire

Wonderful Wednesday

O My Heartsie Girls Wonderful Wednesday
Wine’d Down Wednesday

Full Plate Thursday

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Tuesday, November 7, 2017

Stuffed Pepper Soup

Anyone who has suffered a significant loss, as in my case a spouse, knows how difficult the holidays can be. I try to stay enormously busy so that I don't think about the fact that my husband is now gone.

The other day I started thinking about our first couple of Christmases together. They were busy, they were stressful, but they were so much fun! After we celebrated Christmas ourselves, and then with my family and extended family at my mother's traditional Christmas Day brunch, we would hop onto a plane and head to New Jersey to visit Jim's friends and family. It was always a busy and festive time.

During our Eastern holiday, we always spent a day in New York soaking up all of the Christmas atmosphere, and then would head to Jim's sister’s house in Red Bank where we took up residence for the remainder of our trip. I always liked visiting Red Bank, enjoying particularly walking the length of Broad Street, viewing all of the festive decorations.

It was often flurrying and very cold, so we would duck into a local restaurant for a warming drink and a cup of soup. During one of our visits, we stopped in a place called Murphy Style Grill, where we both enjoyed the soup of the day that happened to be a stuffed pepper soup. I particularly enjoyed it, and even went so far as to contact Bon Appétit magazine to see if they could get the recipe to no avail.

The other day as I was looking at the peppers in my crisper, and box of Rice-A-Roni Spanish Rice in my cupboard, I got to thinking about that soup, and I got an idea! I was going to trying to recapture that wonderful time and come up with my own recipe.

I know that, as with cilantro, there are people who either really like peppers or really don't. I fall into the former category, I love them, and have since I was a little girl, salting them and eating them over the sink while still warm after my dad had brought some in from the garden. Whether you're a pepper fan, or not, this is a tasty, hearty, warming and soothing soup, that is perfect for the upcoming winter.

Stuffed Pepper Soup

1 pound ground chuck
1/2 teaspoon Montréal steak seasoning

5 to 6 cups water
1 15-ounce can tomato sauce
1 14.5-ounce can diced tomatoes, undrained
1 ½ cups chopped green pepper
1 cup chopped onion
1 tablespoon minced garlic
2 tablespoons packed brown sugar
½ teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon beef soup base

¼ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1 6.8-ounce box of Rice-A-Roni Spanish rice
1-1 ½ cups heavy cream

In a 10-inch skillet over medium heat, brown ground chuck, seasoned with steak seasoning, until crumbly. Drain on a paper towel lined plate. Place ground meat into the bottom of a six-quart slow cooker that has been sprayed with Pam. Place other ingredients, in the order listed, on top of the ground meat; stir to combine. Cook on high 4 to 5 hours until rice is done. Stir in heavy cream, adding more or less depending upon desired thickness. Ladle into bowls, and top with chopped parsley, cilantro, or crumbled feta or bleu cheese.