Uzbek Stuffed Pepper Soup

Stuffed pepper soup made with baby bell peppers, beef and rice stuffing, carrots, onions and tomatoes, in a delicious sweet and tangy broth.

Uzbek Stuffed Pepper Soup

Course: Dinner, Main Course

Cuisine: American, Central Asian, European

Keyword: Stuffed Pepper Soup

Prep Time: 1 15

Cook Time: 1 20

Total Time: 2 35

Servings:

Calories: 386kcal

Author: Victor

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Ingredients

For the stuffed peppers

16 small bell peppers about 3 - 3 1/2" long
2 1/2 lbs ground beef chuck recommended; ground through a medium grinder plate (3/16" / 4.5mm)
2 medium onions should be about half the weight of the meat; chopped
6 garlic cloves minced
2 cups rice uncooked, rinsed
2 sweet chili peppers diced
12 basil leaves chopped; use Thai basil if possible, but Italian basil will work just as well
2 tsp sea salt
1 tsp black pepper ground

For the soup

4 large carrots cut into 1" chunks
2 medium onions cut in halves and sliced about 1/4" thick
4 tomatoes cut into 1" chunks
6-8 potatoes left whole or cut in halves or quarters if very large
8 garlic cloves whole
4 quarts water
2 beef bouillon cubes optional, but these add a lot of flavor
1 Tbsp sea salt plus more to taste
1/2 cup sunflower oil or any other cooking oil

Instructions

To prepare stuffed peppers

Wash the peppers and remove the stems. You can carefully cut them out with a paring knife or break them off by pressing hard with your thumb around the stem. The latter leaves a smaller and neater opening.
To prepare the stuffing, combine the ground beef with onions, rice, chili peppers, garlic, basil, salt, and pepper. Mix well, but don't overwork it and make it too sticky.
Next, stuff the peppers with the stuffing and set them aside.

To make the soup

Heat the oil in a large cast-iron Dutch oven or a wok over medium-high heat. Add the onions and cook, constantly stirring, until they turn golden brown.
Add the carrots and continue cooking for another 3 minutes.
Finally, add the chopped tomatoes and cook for another 3 minutes.
Add the stuffed bell peppers, potatoes, carrots, garlic, one tablespoon of salt, and crumbled beef bouillon cubes.
Next, add enough water to cover the peppers and the vegetables. If some parts stick out, that's not a problem, as they will cook from the hot steam inside the oven.
Bring the soup to a boil, lower the heat to medium-low, and cook, covered, for 1 hour and 20 minutes. About halfway through cooking, check the soup for salt and adjust if needed. After 1 hour and 20 minutes of cooking, check the pepper filling for doneness; the rice should be perfectly done. If not, cook for a little longer until perfectly done.
Serve hot, garnished with chopped fresh greens (cilantro, parsley, basil, etc.) and a dollop of sour cream, if you like it. Be careful not to break the peppers when transferring to serving plates. A large serving spoon works best for that.

Notes

Given the amount of work required to make this soup and because it is incredibly scrumptious, I like to make a larger batch. If you want a smaller batch, this recipe scales down quite easily by dividing all ingredients by two or four.

For nutrition calculation, one serving is one stuffed pepper with half a potato, a few carrot chunks, and broth. This is generally enough for one person, or one and a half to two peppers if you are very hungry.

Nutrition