Diane's Stuffed Pepper Soup

Diane's Stuffed Pepper Soup

       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