CSA Bounty: Stuffed Green Pepper Soup

My favorite time of the year - the CSA box is hitting it's peak. This week's share: carrots, radishes, basil, lettuce, potatoes, tomatoes of many sizes and colors - heirlooms, hot peppers and some green peppers.

I ate most of the radishes and handful of carrots straight from the box.

Then I made a big batch of Stuffed Green Pepper Soup with my friend and fellow personal chef, Laura Whalen's recipe: It looks, and tastes, like stuffed peppers, in soup form. I doubled the recipe and used a 2.5# package of lean ground turkey. You could use ground beef, if you prefer.

Stuffed Green Pepper Soup

Yield: 5 quart

1 1/2 pounds ground turkey
26 ounces tomato basil tomato sauce -- Newman's works well.
1 C rice cooked (I buy the Uncle Ben's Ready Rice -- Brown)

1 C onions chopped
2/3 C green pepper, chopped
2/3 C red bell pepper chopped
2/3 C yellow bell pepper, chopped
2/3 C Celery, chopped
1/2 C carrot chopped
4 cloves garlic, minced

1 T oregano
1 1/2 T chili powder, adjust as needed
1/8 C soy sauce
1/4 C dark brown sugar, add as needed for taste
2 quarts beef stock
16 ounces Italian style tomatoes, chopped
salt and pepper as needed
1 T olive oil

Directions:
1 Cook rice according to directions and set aside.
2 Heat oil in large saucepan till very hot. Add ground beef and brown, stirring once in awhile till well browned.
3 Drain beef and remove from pan, saving 1 T of oil then add chopped vegetables and garlic and sautéed till vegetables are starting to soften.

4 Add ground beef back to pot with vegetables. Add oregano and chili powder, cook 2 minutes stirring once.
5 Add stock, tomatoes, tomato sauce and brown sugar; bring pot to a boil. When boiling, turn down to a simmer. Simmer 1 hour, and then adjust seasonings according to taste. Adjust herbs, salt, pepper and brown sugar as needed.
6 When ready to serve, stir rice into pot. Serve in warmed soup bowls.
7 If desired, you may add chopped green onions and cheese to top when serving.