Punjene Paprike Corba / Stuffed peppers stew

I made a balkan dish a few posts ago , "stuffed peppers"/ punjene paprike... and now I made the stew/soup version. Its more like a stew then a soup I would say.. it has just enough sauce for you to dip some deliciously crunchy bread in.. but not runny enough to call it a soup. Everyone knows that the best part of Punjene Paprike is the runny gooey deliciousness once you crack that pepper open and dig in with some crusty bread... well this recipe makes that all the more enjoyable.

Step 1

step 2

and final product:

                   This was so delicious and I am very very picky when it comes to mince meat dishes.

I think my Cave Man will be a huge fan of this dish..and i can see myself making it again.

Prep Time: 10 minutes

Cook Time: 40 minutes

Yield: About 6 servings

Ingredients

• 1 lb lean ground beef
• 2 Tbsp olive oil, divided
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 1 small yellow onion chopped (1 cup)
• 3/4 cup chopped red bell pepper (a little over 1/2 of a medium)
• 3/4 cup chopped green bell pepper
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 2 (14.5 oz) cans petite diced tomatoes
• 1 (15 oz) can tomato sauce
• 1 (14.5) can beef broth
• 2 1/2 Tbsp chopped fresh parsley, plus more for garnish
• 1/2 tsp dried basil
• 1/4 tsp dried oregano
• 1 cup uncooked long grain white or brown rice (I've tried and like both)
• Cheddar or mozzarella cheese, for serving (optional)

Directions

• In a large pot heat 1 Tbsp olive oil over medium heat, once hot add beef to pot and season with salt and pepper. Cook, stirring occasionally while breaking up beef, until browned. Drain beef and pour onto a plate lined with paper towels, set aside.
• Heat remaining 1 Tbsp olive oil in pot then add onions, red bell pepper, green bell pepper and saute 3 minutes, then add garlic and saute 30 seconds longer. Pour in diced tomatoes, tomato sauce, beef broth and add parsley, basil, oregano and cooked beef, then season with salt and pepper to taste. Bring just to a light boil, then reduce heat to low, cover and simmer, stirring occasionally, 30 minutes.
• While soup simmers, prepare rice according to directions listed on package, then once soup is done simmering stir in desired amount of cooked rice into soup*. Serve warm topped with optional cheese and garnish with fresh parsley.
• *For a thinner soup don't add all of the rice and for a thicker heartier soup add it all. Also, if you plan on having it for leftovers the next day then don't add the rice to the pot of soup, just add it to each individual bowl, then reserve the rice in a separate container in refrigerator to add to the soup the next day (otherwise it would turn into mush).
• Recipe Source: inspired by this recipe on allrecipes