Whole30 Stuffed Pepper Soup
Servings 6
Ingredients
For the beef base
- 1 Tbsp avocado oil or olive oil
- 1-1½ lbs ground beef 85/15 fat content
- 1 medium yellow onion diced (about 1½ cups)
- 2 large or 3 medium bell peppers about 3 cups, chopped uniformly (make sure 1 pepper is green)
- 5 cloves garlic minced
- 3 Tbsp tomato paste
For the seasoning
- 1 tsp table salt or fine sea salt plus more to taste
- 1½ tsp dried oregano
- 1 tsp dried basil
- 1 tsp smoked paprika
- 1 tsp onion powder
- ½ tsp garlic powder
- ½ tsp black pepper
- ¼ tsp red pepper flakes optional
- 1 bay leaf
For the broth
- 1 28 oz can diced tomatoes, with juice
- 1 15 oz can tomato sauce
- 4 cups Whole30 Approved® Kettle & Fire Beef Bone Broth
- 1 Tbsp coconut aminos
- 1½ tsp Red Boat fish sauce
- 1-2 pitted Medjool dates finely minced (or 2 Tbsp 100% orange juice)
To finish
- 3 cups cauliflower rice one 12 oz bag
- 1-2 tsp red wine vinegar or fresh lemon juice
- ¼ cup fresh basil chopped, plus more for serving
Instructions
- BROWN the beef. Heat the oil in a large pot over medium-high heat. Add the beef and press it into a flat layer. Let it sit undisturbed 3–4 minutes to brown before breaking it up, then cook 4–5 minutes more until no pink remains. Leave the fat in the pot — it carries flavor through the whole soup.
- COOK the peppers and onion. Add them right into the pot with the beef. Cook over medium-high, stirring occasionally, 5–8 minutes — closer to 5 for a fine chop, 8 for ½-inch pieces — until the onions are translucent and the peppers have a few browned edges. Don't rush this.
- ADD the garlic, tomato paste, and spices. Reduce the heat to medium. Cook the garlic 30–45 seconds, until fragrant. Stir in the tomato paste and cook for 2 minutes, until it darkens to a deep brick red. Add all the seasonings and stir 30 seconds more.
- ADD the liquid. Pour in the diced tomatoes with their juice, the tomato sauce, and the bone broth, scraping the bottom to lift the browned bits. Stir in the coconut aminos, fish sauce, minced dates, and bay leaf.
- SIMMER uncovered. Bring to a boil over medium-high, stirring so the bottom doesn't catch, then drop to medium-low and hold a steady simmer. Cook uncovered 20–25 minutes, scraping the bottom every 5 minutes or so, until the peppers are tender and the broth coats the back of a spoon. Leaving the lid off is what turns this from brothy to hearty.
- TASTE and adjust. Remove the bay leaf. Add salt a little at a time until the flavors come forward. If it still tastes sharp, add another half a date.
- STIR in the cauliflower rice. Simmer just 4–5 minutes, until barely tender — it keeps cooking in the hot pot, and overcooked cauliflower rice turns mushy and watery.
- FINISH and serve. Off the heat, stir in the vinegar and fresh basil. Taste once more for salt. Ladle into bowls and top with more basil.