Category: Beef

Packed with veggies, lean ground beef and topped with rice, Slow Cooker Stuffed Pepper Soup will quickly become a favorite meal for busy weeknights.

Can you believe that school starts up in a few weeks? Or maybe, school has already started where you live… it’s nuts! I feel like this summer flew by in the blink of an eye.

This month features lots of recipes on the blog as well as on the Books n’ Cooks Facebook page for heading back to school. In particular, this weekend, the #SundaySupper crew have come together to bring you some great Back-to-School dinners, to help deal with those crazy hectic weeknights. From slow cooker and Instant Pot meals to skillet and sheet pan dinners, the #SundaySupper tastemakers have a great set of recipes to make school nights easier. You can find the list of those recipes at the bottom of this post.

It feels a bit weird to be posting a soup recipe when it’s 90-100F out, but I’ve really been enjoying this soup for both lunch and dinner this summer. I love that it’s packed with vegetables and even thought my hubby doesn’t like any of those vegetables, he does like this soup. I also love that it makes enough for leftovers for our family, making weekday lunches a bit easier. In fact, most frequently, I make a batch of this soup on Sunday morning, let it cook throughout the day, and then package it up for lunch for the week. Can’t go wrong with that. But for dinner, with a little prep ahead, it’s a life saver. I prep everything the night (or sometimes weekend) before and let the soup simmer away in the slow cooker all day. I love coming home to a meal that’s pretty much ready to plate!

Recipe Notes: 

• Instead of using canned tomatoes, I have also made this with fresh tomatoes. If you have tomatoes on hand, dice 4-6 small to medium tomatoes (by weight, mine were about 18 ounces, diced). The result is a slightly sweeter soup.
• I added an extra cup of chicken broth to this recipe, in part because I do make and portion this out for a week’s worth of lunches. I find that the rice soaks up some of the liquid when it sits in my fridge and is reheated, so 3 cups is necessary, instead of the 2 cups that the recipe originally calls for.
• This recipe was written to make in the slow cooker, however, I’d imagine that it would do just fine simmering away on the stove for an hour or two if you prefer.
• Prep Ahead: I have prepped everything the night before – everything before actually turning on the slow cooker – and stuck the slow cooker pot in the fridge for the night. Then returned to the slow cooker to cook the following morning. Everything worked out great and dinner was ready when I came home from work that evening.

Slow Cooker Stuffed Pepper Soup

Adapted from SkinnyTaste Fast and Slow (p. 50)

Serves 6

Ingredients: 

• 1 lb. 93% lean ground beef
• 1 onion, chopped
• 1 green bell pepper, chopped
• 1 red bell pepper, chopped
• 3 cloves garlic, finely minced
• 3 c. reduced-sodium chicken broth
• 2-14.5 oz. cans petite diced tomatoes
• 1 3/4 c. canned tomato sauce
• 1 Tbs. dried Italian seasoning
• 3/4 tsp. kosher salt
• 1 tsp. freshly ground black pepper
• 3 c. cooked white or brown rice (whatever you prefer)

In a large skillet set over medium heat. Stirring and breaking into small pieces every few minutes. When completely cooked, drain fat and transfer beef to a slow cooker. Return skillet to the stove and saute onions, bell peppers, and garlic until vegetables are translucent. Transfer to slow cooker. Add chicken broth, tomatoes, tomato sauce, Italian seasoning, salt and black pepper to slow cooker and stir to combine.

Cook on high for 4 hours or on low for 8 hours.

Serve hot with 1/2 cup of rice.

More Back to School Dinners

Beef and Pork

• Bacon Cheeseburger Zucchini Boats by The Crumby Kitchen
• Beef and Sweet Potato Stew by What Smells So Good?
• Easy Meatloaf Meatballs by Palatable Pastime
• Mexican Lasagna with Corn Tortillas by Sunday Supper Movement
• One Dish Taco Goulash by Fantastical Sharing of Recipes
• Pierogi with Sausage and Peppers by Hezzi-D’s Books and Cooks
• Pot Roast with Mushrooms, Tomatoes and Red Wine by That Skinny Chick Can Bake

Pastas, Soups, Rice and Stews

• Casimer Rice by A Day in the Life on the Farm
• Dad’s Glop by My Blissful Mess
• Homemade Lasagna by Soulfully Made
• Kid-friendly Salmon Curry by Caroline’s Cooking
• Salmon with Pappardelle and a Brandy Cream Sauce by Mysavoryspoon
• Slow Cooker Stuffed Pepper Soup by Books n’ Cooks

Poultry

• Chicken Enchiladas by The Freshman Cook
• Chicken Parmesan by Bottom Left of the Mitten
• Chicken with Creamy Lemon Caper Sauce & Roasted Asparagus by Gourmet Everyday
• Chicken with Sautéed Zucchini Peppers and Mushrooms by Cindy’s Recipes and Writings
• Cornflake Chicken Tenders by Renee’s Kitchen Adventures
• Easy Instapot Roast Chicken by Our Good Life
• Easy Ranch Chicken Pasta with Bacon by Cricket’s Confections
• Perfect Scrambled Eggs by Pies and Plots
• Roasted Chicken Breasts by Life Tastes Good
• Slow Cooker Creamy Tomato Chicken & Spinach by My Life Cookbook
• Whole30 Mini Turkey Meatloaf by Bites of Wellness

Join the #SundaySupper conversation on twitter on Sunday! We tweet throughout the day and share recipes from all over the world. Our weekly chat starts at 7:00 pm ET. Follow the #SundaySupper hashtag and remember to include it in your tweets to join in the chat. To get more great Sunday Supper Recipes, visit our website or check out our Pinterest board. Would you like to join the Sunday Supper Movement? It’s easy. You can sign up by clicking here: Sunday Supper Movement.

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We’re having unseasonably warm weather this year, but that doesn’t mean that I’m not craving your typical winter comfort foods, like pastas and stews. A very busy month has had me looking towards recipes that require little extra work from me and meals that make large quantities so that we’re set for leftovers for a couple days (or in this case, almost the entire week). This stew recipe, heavily adapted from my uncle’s recipe, fits that bill. It makes 14 HUGE, filling servings and with the exception of a few minutes chopping of some veggies, the dish can be set and forget to cook all day long.

I know I’ll be making this recipe a couple times over the next two months. Not just because we enjoy it, but because this week, both my hubby and I got hit with some craziness at work. Over the next 6 weeks, we each have a week of training, which tends to equate to long days with the other parent doing the majority of the kid-duties. Add that to a looming deadline for me on a huge project at work… life is going to be busy and a bit rough until mid-March.

I plan to do my best and continue posting as much as possible, but please forgive me if there’s a lack of posts on here or on social media. Please send positive thoughts that everything goes smoothly!

Slow Cooker Beef Stew

By Books n’ Cooks

Makes 14 2-Cup Servings

Add the following to a 7-quart (or larger) slow cooker and whisk to combine.

• 32 oz. low-sodium beef broth
• 32 oz. low-sodium vegetable broth
• 6 oz. tomato paste
• 6 Tbs. homemade stew seasoning (or 2 packets, if purchasing store-bought)
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 2 Tbs. Worcestershire sauce
• 1 tsp. sugar
• 1/2 tsp. kosher salt
• 1 tsp. paprika
• 1 tsp. freshly ground black pepper

Then add the meat, potatoes, and vegetables:

• 8 oz. sliced white button mushrooms
• 7-8 oz. frozen peas
• 1/2 an onion, cut into 1-inch pieces
• 2 lbs. lean stew meat, cut into 1-inch pieces (trimmed of fat, if needed)
• 6 medium carrots, peeled and cut into 1-inch pieces
• 3 medium potatoes, cut into 1-inch pieces

Stir to combine. Cover and cook on low for 9-10 hours, until potatoes are soft and meat is tender.

A couple tablespoons at a time, whisk in:

• 1/4 c. all-purpose flour

and allow stew to cook and thicken with the lid cracked another 15-30 minutes.

Serve hot, with a side salad and/or dinner roll.