Take that wonderful taste of stuffed bell peppers and put them into a rich, hearty and comforting soup. Serve with a crusty bread, if desired.
1 lb. ground beef
1 large onion, chopped small
4 large bell peppers, combination of red, green and yellow
1 1/2 c. cooked black beans, or 1 can, drained and rinsed
32 oz. beef stock
16 oz. tomato sauce
2 T. Worcestershire sauce
1 T. Italian seasoning
2 t. kosher salt, divided
1 t. black pepper, divided
1/4 crushed red pepper flakes or to taste
3 c. warm cooked rice
Cook and crumble ground beef in a skillet over medium high heat. Season meat with 1 t. salt and 1/2 t. pepper while it's cooking. Add onions when meat is almost browned. When onions are tender, discard grease.
Place a slow cooker liner in slow cooker for easy clean up. Transfer meat mixture to the slow cooker; add all remaining ingredients EXCEPT for the rice. Set cooker to High and cook for 3-4 hours or set to Low and cook for 8+ hours.
When peppers are tender, place a scoop of warm, cooked rice into each serving bowl; ladle soup over rice.
*If you would prefer to make this on the stove, cook meat and onion in a large pot. Once cooked, add all remaining ingredients to the pot, EXCEPT for the rice; simmer on low until peppers are tender. This takes about 1 hour.
8-10 servings.