Stuffed Pepper Soup

Ingredients

• 2 cups cooked rice
• 2 tsp. + 2 tsp. olive oil
• 1 large onion, chopped fairly small
• 1/2 tsp basil
• 1/4 tsp oregano
• 1/4 tsp parsley
• 2 large green bell peppers, stems and seeds removed and chopped into pieces
• 8 oz. mushrooms, sliced
• 3 links (12 oz.) hot turkey Italian sausage
• 1 lb. ground beef
• 28 oz crushed tomatoes
• 28 oz water
• 32 oz beef broth
• 1 T Worcestershire sauce
• 1/2 cup ketchup
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1/4 tsp pepper
• freshly-grated Parmesan cheese for serving

Directions

1. Cook long-grain white rice according to package instructions to make 2 cups cooked rice.
2. Heat 2 tsp. oil in a large frying pan, add chopped onion and green peppter and saute over medium high heat until barely browned on the edges. Add basil, oregano and parsley and cook 1-2 minutes more. Add to soup pot.
3. Then add the mushrooms to the same pan and cook until mushrooms release their liquid and are slightly browned. Add mushrooms to soup pot.
4. Add the other 2 tsp. olive oil to the pan along with the ground beef and the sausage which you've squeezed out of the casing. Brown the meat.
5. Add browned meat to the soup pot along with the crushed tomatoes, water, beef broth, Worcestershire sauce, and ketchup. Bring soup to a low simmer, then cook on low about 30 minutes. Add the rice and cook 15 minutes more, adding more water if you think it's needed. Season to taste with salt and fresh-ground black pepper and serve hot, with freshly grated Parmesan cheese to add at the table if desired.
6. This soup will keep for quite a few days in the fridge and also freezes well. The rice will absorb some of the liquid in the soup when it's stored, so you'll need to add a little water or beef stock when you reheat. For best flavor, reheat in a small pan on the stove.