Stuffed Pepper Soup with a Healthy Twist

This Stuffed Pepper Soup with Ground Chicken and Farro has all of your fav tastes from stuffed peppers, but it is prepped and cooked in half the time!

I use farro - an ancient grain packed with protein and fiber - instead of rice in this pot of yumminess. You can of course use rice, if you choose! 

I top my bowl of awesome soup with fresh herbs - basil and parsley, and a sprinkle of mozzarella. Parm would be fab, too. A drizzle of olive oil is also a must!

You can of course use ground beef or turkey, but I made my version with ground chicken. In essence, I just wanted a healthier and quicker way to make a stuffed pepper!

Enjoy!

Stuffed Pepper Soup with Ground Chicken and Farro

Makes 8 servings

1 lb. ground chicken

1 onion, diced

1 red bell pepper, chopped

1 green bell pepper, chopped

4 cloves garlic, minced

1 28 ounce can, diced tomatoes

1 15 ounce can tomato sauce

2 cups chicken broth

1 cup water

1 chicken bouillon cube

1 tsp. Italian seasoning

2 Tbsp. olive oil, divided

Salt and pepper to taste

1 cup farro, uncooked

Fresh basil and/or fresh parsley, minced 

Shredded mozzarella to serve

Drizzle of olive oil, to serve

In a large soup pan, heat up 1 Tbsp. olive oil over medium heat. Add ground chicken. Brown. Remove to a plate. 

In same soup pan, add another Tbsp. of olive oil. Add green peppers, red peppers and onion. Season with salt and pepper. Cook until softened, about 5 minutes. Add garlic. Cook another minute or two.

 

Add diced tomatoes, tomato sauce, broth, water, bouillon cube, Italian seasoning, browned chicken. Bring to a boil. Season with salt and pepper. Partially cover and simmer for 30 minutes.

Meanwhile, in a small pot bring water to a boil and cook farro according to package instructions. Drain.

Once soup has simmered for 30 minutes, add farro. Heat through for a few minutes.

Stir in parsley and basil.

Serve drizzled with olive oil and topped with shredded mozzarella cheese.

Asparagus Soup

Tis the season for Jersey asparagus. As soon as my fave farmer's market opened on May 1, I snatched up a bundle of spears. I decided to make a simple asparagus soup. OMG. It's amazing. 

I used my "Silver Spoon" cookbook as inspiration. This is a book that is considered to be the "Joy of Cooking" of Italy. It was translated to English in 2005, and it was quite a big deal according to The New York Times and esteemed culinary institutions so I decided to snatch one up right then and there.

Honestly, I don't cook from it very much, but I totally need to! This book is a great reference.

I followed the recipe very closely. I did add about 6 sprigs of fresh thyme tied together with kitchen twine as my thyme is already bumping in my herb garden. And thyme and asparagus are totally homies.

I also used a splash of half and half instead of cream because that's what I have. Finally, I blended the soup with my immersion blender rather than transferring it to a food processor or standard blender. I'm pretty confidant the immersion blender took longer to puree the soup than the processor or standard blender, but it's less cleanup. So, pick your poison. My immersion blender did make the puree crazy smooth. It was a great texture.

This soup reheats nicely the next day. The parboiled asparagus spears really maintain their crispness. 

The ingredient list is sparse and that allows the asparagus to truly shine. I garnished with chopped fresh chives, because like my thyme they are bumping in my garden already! Woo hoo. 

Cream of Asparagus Soup

Serves 4

From "The Silver Spoon" cookbook

1 lb., 5 oz. green asparagus spears, trimmed

1/4 cup butter

1 onion, thinly sliced

2 Tbsp. all-purpose flour

scant 1/2 cup white wine

4 cups vegetable stock

2-3 Tbsp. heavy cream

Salt and pepper

1. Cut off and reserve the asparagus spears and chop the stems. 

2. Melt the butter in a pan, add the onion and cook over low heat, stirring occasionally, for 5 minutes until softened. Add the asparagus stems and cook for a few minutes, then sprinkle with flour, stir well and pour in the wine and stock. Season with salt and pepper and cook over low heat, stirring frequently, for 30 minutes. 

3. Transfer to a food processor and process to a puree. Bring 1 1/2 cups water to a boil in a pan and parboil the asparagus spears for 2 minutes. Pour the puree into a clean pan and reheat. Drain the asparagus spears and add to the soup with cream. Serve in individual soup plates.

Please note: The Jersey Girl added 6 thyme sprigs tied together with kitchen twine while sauteeing the onion and asparagus stems. She removed them before pureeing with her immersion blender. She also used half and half in lieu of heavy cream. She garnished the soup with chopped fresh chives.

Roasted Veg Pasta Salad

I'm always looking for new ways to rock out a pasta salad. As the weather warms up, I feel like a little pasta and veg is the perfect side to your grilled faves. 

Plus, it's an easy dish to make ahead so that you can enjoy that sweet sunshine.

This is a take on a Barefoot Contessa recipe called Orzo with Roasted Vegetables. I followed it pretty closely, but I used zucchini instead of eggplant because that's what I had on me. I sprinkled the veggies with 1/2 tsp. garlic powder in place of chopped garlic because I was worried the fresh garlic would burn. I also omitted the pine nuts, since I have the food allergies to those little rascals.

This tastes really nice at room temperature. Roasting the veggies makes the kitchen smell magnificent. Just saying. Making it a bit ahead allows the flavors to all marry well, in my opinion.

I served this lovely dish with turkey burgers. For that recipe, click here.

Orzo with Roasted Vegetables

Serves 6

From "Barefoot Contessa Parties!"

By Ina Garten

1 small eggplant, peeled and 3/4-inch diced

1 red bell pepper, 1-inch diced

1 yellow bell pepper, 1-inch diced

1 red onion, peeled and 1-inched diced

2 garlic cloves, minced

1/3 cup good olive oil

1 1/2 tsp. kosher salt

1/2 tsp. freshly ground black pepper

1/2 pound orzo

For the dressing:

1/3 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice (2 lemons)

1/3 cup good olive oil

1 tsp. kosher salt

1/2 tsp. freshly ground black pepper

To assemble:

4 scallions, minced (white and green parts)

1/4 pignolis, toasted

3/4 pound good feta, 1/2-inch diced (not crumbled)

15 fresh basil leaves, cut into chiffonade

Preheat the oven to 425 degrees Fahrenheit. Toss the eggplant, bell peppers, onion and garlic with olive oil, salt and pepper on a large baking sheet. Roast for 40 minutes, until browned, turning once with a spatula.

Meanwhile, cook the orzo in boiling salted water for 7 to 9 minutes, until tender. Drain and transfer to a serving bowl.

Add the roasted vegetables to the pasta, scraping all the liquid and seasonings from the roasting pan into the pasta bowl.

For the dressing, combine the lemon juice, olive oil, salt and pepper and pour on the pasta and vegetables. Let cool to room temperature, then add the scallions, pignolis, feta and basil. Check the seasonings and serve at room temperature.

Please note: The Jersey Girl used 1 zucchini, unpeeled in lieu of the eggplant and 1/2 tsp. garlic powder in lieu of the fresh garlic. She also omitted the pignoli nuts due to a food allergy.