Earlier this week I made stuffed peppers and there were a few left over.  While we love leftovers, and truthfully, sometimes leftovers taste even better than they did the first time around, this time I decided to repurpose them.  We have had some pretty chilly May days and soup sounded perfect so I turned the peppers into soup.  Definitely an easy dish.  Earlier this year I posted my recipe for stuffed peppers.  I use ground pork and rice, lots of onion and garlic, and tomatoes.  Any recipe that you use for peppers would work in this soup.

Ingredients:

2-3 leftover stuffed peppers

1 pint of diced tomatoes

2 cups of beef broth (I use Better than Boullion)

2 T olive oil

1 cup rough diced sweet onion

3-4 cloves of garlic minced

basil and oregano

1 T brown sugar

1 pint green beans

Heat olive oil in a heavy kettle or Dutch oven and add the diced onion.  Cook for two to three minutes stirring occasionally until the onion are tender but not brown.  Add the garlic and cook for another minute.

Rough chop the peppers and add them to the pot.

Add the tomatoes, brown sugar and broth.

Stir in the green beans and fresh herbs.

Bring to a gentle boil.  Reduce heat and simmer for 10-15 minutes.  All of the ingredients have already been cooked.  Add salt and pepper to taste.  Ladle into bowls and garnish with a little shredded cheese.  I used Asiago but you can use any of your favorites.  Perfect on a chilly evening with some good, crusty bread.

NOTE:  You can substitute corn, diced zucchini, or frozen peas for the green beans.  If you have more leftover peppers increase the broth and tomato portions.  Enjoy your leftovers!