I had someone ask the other day if you can "can" stuffed green peppers. The short answer is no but, you can pressure-can them as a soup under the NCHFP Soup Guidelines. I searched out and read up on a number of Stuffed Pepper Soups that called for various items from cider vinegar to parsley and chili powder - for this thick soup, I went with the flavor profile I prefer. I wanted a hint of basil to come through all the tomato and bell pepper goodness and a bit of sweetness from some sugar to offset any overly acidic tomatoes. From the broth to the tomatoes, onions and peppers - you can use all your own homemade or homegrown items in this soup as well. If you'd like to make this soup to serve and not 'can' it - then cut the recipe exactly in half. My canning recipe yields approximately 5 quarts total. You DO NOT CAN RICE *add rice when opening jars to heat/eat. ~Enjoy! Diane Diane's Stuffed Pepper Soup *for Pressure Canning makes 5 Quarts Ingredients: 2 Lbs Ground Beef (1 lbs 80%, 1 lbs 93%) 4 Cups Onions, chopped 1 teaspoon Salt 1/2 teaspoon Pepper 6 Cups Sweet Bell Peppers, cleaned, peeled & chopped 1-1/2 Quarts Beef Broth 1 Quart (or 28oz can) Diced Tomatoes 1/4 Cup Tomato Paste 1 teaspoon Garlic Powder 1 teaspoon Basil 1/2 teaspoon Oregano 1 Quart Tomato Sauce 1/4 Cup of Sugar Directions: Place ground beef and onions in a large soup/stock pot. Add salt & pepper over mixture, let that cook down (stir often) over medium heat for about 7 minutes, until meat is no longer pink. Place cooked onion and beef mixture into a colander over a drip bowl in sink (to let as much fat drain off as possible, use the back of a large wooden spoon to press the meat against colander. While meat is draining off fat - place all the chopped bell peppers into the stock pot and let cook for about 3 minutes, then add all the remaining ingredients, bring up to a medium heat and cook for about 10 minutes. Taste the soup for any additional seasonings. Prepare your pressure canner and jars for canning, fill jars half full with solids and top off with remaining liquid/broth from soup to 1-inch head-space. Process Quarts for 90 minutes and Pints for 75 minutes according to your canner type and altitude. (I use the higher processing time called out in NCHFP's Ground Meat for my own personal safety measure and the filling procedure and Guidelines for NCHFP's Soups - listed below.) If preferred, add in cooked rice upon heating this soup to eat as rice is unsafe to can. NCHFP Soup Guidelines: http://nchfp.uga.edu/how/can_04/soups.html Recipe & Photos by: Diane Baker for Canning and Cooking at Home Recipe Adapted/Inspired by: Cooking Classy Dianes Stuffed Pepper Soup
12 Comments
Traditional Stuffed Sweet Bell Peppers
Ingredients: 4 large bell peppers (green, red, orange or yellow) 1 pound ground beef 1/2 cup chopped onion 1 can/pint tomato sauce, divided 1 1/2 cups cooked rice 1/4 teaspoon salt 1/4 teaspoon garlic powder 1/4 teaspoon dried parsley 1/4 teaspoon pepper 2 Tbs tomato paste concentrate, optional 1 cup shredded Cheese, optional Directions: Wash and cut tops off peppers and remove seeds. Place peppers in a large saucepan and cover with water. Bring to a boil; cook for 3 minutes. Drain and immediately place in ice water; invert on paper towels. In a skillet, cook beef and onion over medium heat until meat is no longer pink; drain. Return to heat, Stir in 1 1/2 cups tomato sauce, tomato paste concentrate, rice, salt, garlic powder, parsley and pepper and heat through. Spoon into peppers. Place in an ungreased shallow 2-qt.or 8x8 baking dish. Drizzle tops of peppers with remaining tomato sauce. Sprinkle shredded cheese over tops of peppers (optional and use your choice of cheese, we like Romano, Parmesan or Mozzarella) Cover and bake at 350° for 25-30 minutes or until peppers are tender and cheese is melted. Yield: 4 servings Recipe adapted from: Taste of Home Photos by: Diane Baker for Canning and Cooking at Home |