Stuffed Pepper Soup
Tired of the cold? Then make a big pot of this tasty Stuffed Pepper Soup for lunch today!
What is your favorite place you’ve ever been on vacation? Mine is Italy. Hands down. No questions asked. I’ve been lucky enough to make it over to Italy on a couple of occasions, and each trip has been better than the last. My wife and I took a delayed honeymoon to Italy a couple of years ago, and I just recently stumbled across some of those photos again. There’s nothing like pulling out the photo book (or to be more accurate, opening up the photo folder on the computer) for a nice trip down memory lane.
We went all over Italy on this trip. From Rome to Chianti to Venice and then all the way south to Capri. I am more than a little jealous at the European train system. It makes travel all over the country crazy easy. No cars needed. (Now, Scotland was another story…but I’ll save that one for another time.) Picking my favorite place in Italy is like asking me to select my favorite dessert. It’s impossible, so I don’t even try. Instead, I just sample a little bit of everything, and then go back to the best ones again.
Some number of years ago, my parents traveled to Italy (without me…the nerve!) and ended up stopping in an art gallery in Assisi. The artist painted these unique paintings on the back of glass. When framed, these paintings are nothing less than awesome! My parents gave me one as a graduation gift, and I love it. So when my wife and I were planning our trip to Italy a couple of years ago, I suggested we make our way over to Assisi. Aside from visiting this iconic town, we could get another one of these glass paintings as a way to remember our trip. I also had the crazy idea to email the artist (Massimo) and ask if we could take him out to lunch when we came to Assisi.
Well, Massimo one-upped me. He and his daughter took us out to dinner. He drove us all over town to see some of the local places that tourists wouldn’t normally see. He gave us restaurant recommendations for the next day, and the place he sent us still ranks as the best pizza I’ve ever eaten in my entire life. Not kidding! And we had never even met him before this trip. How awesome is that? If you ever find yourself near Assisi, do me a favor and stop by Massimo’s shop and say hello. He’s an incredible guy, and I can promise you’ll fall in love with his paintings, too.
While it’s difficult to pick out my favorite places in Italy, Assisi will always hold a special place in my memory. The same thing goes for Italian food, too. I love Italian food. (Surprise surprise, right?) But I can’t pick out a single favorite dish. Whether it’s a quick and easy Ricotta Gnocchi or pasta in a tasty Parmesan cream sauce, I’m fairly certain that I could live solely off of Italian food.
Stuffed Pepper Soup
Stuffed Pepper SoupSince we’ve been buried in snow the past few months here in upstate New York, we’ve become quite fond of eating a bowl of hot soup for lunch. I’ll whip up a big pot of soup on the weekend, and then we just reheat it throughout the week for a quick and tasty lunch at work. Stuffed Pepper Soup was the latest creation, and it’s been a great comfort food for lunch around here lately. Are you dealing with the same winter weather as we are? If so, grab some bell peppers at the store and make a big, steaming pot of Stuffed Pepper Soup this week.
This Stuffed Pepper Soup features all of the flavors of the classic baked stuffed pepper…just in soup form. It’s a delicious way to chase the winter blues away…at least until you step outside again! Stay warm, my friends!
Did you make this Stuffed Pepper Soup at home? Leave a comment, or snap a photo and tag me on Instagram (@Spicedblog). I’d love to see your version!
Stuffed Pepper Soup
Ingredients
- 8 cups low-sodium vegetable stock divided
- 2 cups wild rice uncooked
- 1 pound lean ground beef
- 2/3 cup yellow onion diced
- 4 cloves garlic minced
- 5 bell peppers seeded and chopped (I like to use a variety of colors)
- 1 can chickpeas drained and rinsed
- 1 24-oz. jar marinara sauce
- 1½ tsp Italian seasoning
- 1½ tsp salt
- 1 tsp chili powder
- 1 tsp black pepper
- 1 cup mozzarella cheese shredded (optional garnish)
Instructions
- Use 4 cups of vegetable stock to cook the wild rice according to the package instructions; set cooked rice and remaining vegetable stock aside.
- While the rice is cooking, place the beef into a large stock pot or Dutch oven over medium heat. Cook, stirring occasionally, until browned.
- Drain the fat from the pan and add the onion, garlic and bell peppers. Cook, stirring occasionally, for 5-6 minutes.
- Add the remaining 4 cups vegetable broth along with all of the remaining ingredients (chickpeas, marinara sauce, Italian seasoning, salt, chili powder and pepper).
- Bring mixture to a boil. Reduce heat, cover and simmer for 45 minutes, stirring occasionally.
- Stir in cooked rice and garnish with shredded mozzarella cheese prior to serving (optional).
Looking for more tasty soup recipes? Check out some of these other favorites, too:
OMG those pictures are GORGEOUS. I have to agree with you, Italy is hands down one of the best places to visit in the world. And the food, is there such a thing as bad food in Italy? I don’t think so…
I’m all for having soup for lunch, and this Stuffed Pepper Soup is perfection!
#WolfpackSoup #WolfpackEats
Thanks, Mike! We pretty much ate our way through Italy on this trip, and I think we only had a bad meal one time…and honestly, we should have known better looking at the restaurant. I’m pretty sure I could move to Italy and be a happy camper. Maybe we can have a yearly Wolfpack retreat in Tuscany??
I gotta agree with Mike, David – those pictures are totally “GORGEOUS!” And, what a wonderful chap Massimo is – but then again, he might have just thought you and Laura sounded pretty swell via email! As for his paintings, I checked out that link and WOW – amazing work – specially seeing its done on glass!
I am sorry, but I don’t think there’s be much leftover of this soup with my favorite legume!
Haha…chickpeas are pretty tasty, Shashi! And they added a nice texture to this soup. Laura and I had a little argument the other day about who got to have the last bowl…haha! But yes, Massiso is incredible. Not only are his paintings amazing, but the guy is genuine. It makes me want to go back and visit Assisi again soon!
I’ve never been to Italy!!! That is the one place I’ve always wanted to visit!!! I want “the best pizza I’ve ever eaten in my entire life!!!” 😛 David, love this soup! I love stuffed bell peppers so having it in soup form, during the winter, is winning!!! love! Happy weekend!
Oh, man, Alice…you totally need to go to Italy! It’s absolutely incredible. Hands down. And while you need to see some of the bigger cities (Rome), make sure to get out into the countryside a bit, too (Assisi and Chianti). Italy is such a charming country…not to mention all of the delicious food!!
My favorite vacation spot is Bora Bora! I went there for my honeymoon and I have never seen a more beautiful place in my life! We will be definitely going back there maybe on our 5th or 10th wedding anniversary! 🙂 I have been wanting to visit Europe for so long, we had plans this year but again got cancelled! The pictures are really pretty David and the soup looks so good!
Thanks, Manali! I’ve never been to Bora Bora, but I’ve seen pictures..and it looks incredible. Almost like it’s out of a painting instead of real life. I’d love to make my way there at some point! But, yes, Europe is awesome…I absolutely love everything about European culture and history. 🙂
….NO WAY. Who thinks of these genius ideas? Excuse me as I go off and email artists I’m a fan of. That would have been an amazinfg experience! I liked some parts of Italy minus my travel companion. They decided to go all Atkins there…it was a nightmare. My favourite vacay spot…America. Okay, NYC.
Anyway, this soup looks so hearty and I love how it has rice, meat and cheese which is NOT optional.
Who goes Atkins in Italy??? There’s way too much amazing pasta and Italian bread to eat!! That’s like the saddest thing I’ve ever heard. Clearly you need to go back to Italy! But yes, NYC is pretty darned awesome…so very different than Europe, but so very awesome at the same time.
P.S. I agree with you. The cheese is really not optional at all!
I went to Italy almost four years ago now. EASILY the best vacation I’ll ever have too!! And that soup looks SO yummy and such a great idea for all these cold, winter days!! 🙂
Thanks, Christina! Yeah, we’ve loved our other trips to Europe…but Italy is hands down our favorite. No questions asked. We want to go back again soon, but we just gotta plan it. I’m pretty sure I could move to Italy and be perfectly happy. 🙂
I will absolutely try this recipe. My Mom made soup that looked just like this with the rice, ground beef & chick peas. I loved it, Thank you.
Thanks, Wendi! We just finished off this soup…and I’m already ready for another batch. It was the perfect comfort food for lunch…especially with a little cheese on top. I hope you enjoy it! 🙂
Oh my goodness, this looks amazing! All the things I love in one recipe!
I would adore going to Italy, Italian food is one of my favs <3
Gina
Pink Wings
Thank you so much, Gina! I’m pretty sure I could move to Italy and be perfectly happy. I love everything about that country from its food and wine to its culture and history. I hope you get to visit one day!
First – this soup sounds fantastic! Loved stuffed peppers and that you took all that wonderfullness and stuffed it (ha! a pun so early in the morning!) into a soup! Well done, David, well done! AND that second picture of the stairs?! GORGEOUS! I have pinned it to my travel board and I will absolutely be knocking on Massimo’s door because I want the best pizza ever. Yum!
You would absolutely love Assisi, Lindsey! It’s an incredibly beautiful (but pretty small) town…and plus, they have the best pizza in the world there. (That’s my educated opinion on the matter. Educated because I eat a lot of pizza. Haha!) Tell Massimo hi for me when you go. Actually, check that, just bring me with you and I’ll introduce you to Massimo! 🙂
Done. Pack your bags, David.
Oh, if it means we’re going to Assisi (and all of Italy), then bags will be packed in like 5 minutes! I might forget something important…but I can deal since it’s Italy!!
We still haven’t made it to Italy and since we are both historical buffs it surprises me! Definitely on the list as would be this soup. Love the chickpea addition and killer photos. Mangiare! #WolfpackEatsSoup!
Oh man…you and Dave HAVE to go to Italy. As a classical history buff, it’s pretty much the best place ever. There is so much to see…I mean I could spend months there and not see everything I want to see! Soup for the win!!