Unstuffed Pepper Soup

2 lbs ground chuck

1 medium onion, chopped (you can cheat and use the frozen already chopped ones! 1 bag.)

2 bell peppers, chopped (you can cheat here too…use 2 bags!)

2 14.5 oz cans of diced tomatoes

1 15 oz can of tomato sauce

1 14.5 oz can of beef broth

1 14.5 oz can of water (use the beef broth can)

1/4 tsp dried oregano

1/2 tsp dried parsley

1/2 tsp Basil Paste (in the produce section at your grocery store)

1 bag of Minute Rice (The cook in the bag kind.) (I used Great Value Brand)

Brown the ground beef, onions and peppers in a dutch oven (or big soup pot).

I cooked it until it cooked all of the liquid away. There was not much fat left so I didn’t drain it. If you use ground beef or have much fat after it is browned you will want to drain before you add the other ingredients.

Add the remaining ingredients except the rice and bring to boil. Cover and simmer for a couple of hours.

Cook the rice according to directions. Drain and add to soup. Cook an additional 15 to 30 minutes.

We topped ours with parmesean cheese and some cheddar. Hubby added some oyster crackers to his too!

Enjoy!

Jo