Laura Lea Balanced: Stuffed Pepper Soup

I don’t hide the fact that I’m not much of a soup person.

Well, I guess I should qualify that—I’m not much of a BROTHY soup person. I’m not totally sure why; I just don’t find brothy soups enticing or particularly satisfying. So if you see a soup here, in my world, it will be thick and/or creamy and usually encroaching on “stew” territory. That’s the deal!

Hopefully there are others out there who feel me on the soup front, but regardless, this dish is pretty awesome. Basically, it provides all of the textures and flavors that you find in a traditional “stuffed pepper” recipe, but in a more casual and more forgiving form (has anyone else dealt with a pepper-oven-explosion??).

This almost-stew-soup is robust with rich flavors, a little spice, caramelized ground turkey and rice…good ole-refined white rice. I personally have no problem making recipes with and enjoying white rice, when I’m pairing it with healthy fat and protein. This prevents an unpleasant blood-sugar spike, which is often the downside of consuming refined grains. That said, you can absolutely substitute brown rice or quinoa or farro or another whole grain of choice. Just make sure to rinse it thoroughly before and note that you may need to adjust your simmering time.

For any of my vegan babes out there, you can substitute 16 ounces of crumbled tempeh for the turkey and use veg stock instead of chicken.

I am totally in love with this Stuffed Pepper Soup, and I swear it tastes better every day it sits in the fridge. As we head into cooler months, I hope this recipe makes your meal-planning easier, cozier and yummier, and I can’t wait to hear what you think!