Bold and flavorful this Puerto Rican easy stuffed pepper soup (sopa de pimientos) recipe is easily made on the stove or the slow cooker for a hearty meal using simple pantry items.
Peppers are one of my favorite ingredients of all time. Especially red peppers! I seriously can sit and eat red peppers dipped with ranch or hummus all day long. So yummy. Naturally, I love all recipes that include peppers. Now, take your traditional American family favorite recipes and give it a Latin twist with flavor profiles from Cuba or Puerto Rico and it's welcome to dinner at mi casa.
This tasty Puerto Rican stuffed pepper soup is the love child of the traditional stuffed pepper soup. You have your ground beef (or turkey), rice, peppers, and tomatoes. Now we're adding corn, homemade sofrito, and the spices traditionally used in all Puerto Rican cuisine.
How To Make A Simple Puerto Rican Stuffed Pepper Soup
First, we're going to brown our ground meat. I chose to use ground turkey because a, it's cheaper, and b, it's cheaper. (Large family of 7, remember?) When using ground beef, in the Puerto Rican culture we tend to make everything into almost a picadillo. One thing my mother has taught me is when browning ground meat, you always season it with salt, pepper, oregano, and garlic powder. That's the base of all ground meat. But we elevate it with chopped onions and peppers. While the ground turkey or beef is browning, add in onions and peppers and cook at the same time.
Once your meat is browned, you can drain the excess fat (if there is any). Return the meat to the stove and add in homemade sofrito, seasonings, and tomato sauce. Allow the sauce to simmer and infuse the flavors together for a few minutes before adding remaining ingredients EXCEPT for the rice. Be sure to taste the soup for seasonings. Adjust the salt to your liking.
Bring your soup to a light simmer, and slightly cover your pot. Let soup cook for 30 minutes, stirring occasionally. Once 30 minutes are up add in your leftover white rice and chopped cilantro. Let your rice warm through before serving.
When you serve this Puerto Rican stuffed pepper soup, serve it with a wedge of lemon and a dollop of sour cream. It is hearty and a side of tossed salad compliments it well.
What kind of peppers should I add to my Puerto Rican Stuffed Pepper Soup (Sopa de Pimientas)?
For this recipe, we went with the American version of stuffed pepper soup -green and red peppers. But all sweet and mild flavored like aji dulce would also be a welcomed pepper. Remember, our homemade sofrito has aji dulce peppers, and cubanelle peppers that lend it's flavors to this flavorful soup.
Other Puerto Rican Soup Recipes You Will Love:
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- Sancocho Soup
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- Enchilada Soup
Puerto Rican Stuffed Pepper Soup Recipe
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon of olive oil
- 1-2 lbs ground turkey
- 1 tablespoon of dried oregano plus 1 teaspoon
- ½ teaspoon of ground black pepper
- 1 teaspoon of salt
- 1 teaspoon of garlic powder
- 1 medium onion chopped
- 2 green peppers sliced
- 2 red peppers sliced
- 2 cloves of garlic minced
- ½ cup of homemade sofrito
- 1 packet of Sazon
- ½ teaspoon of ground thyme
- 2 15 oz cans diced tomatoes undrained
- 1 15 oz can of tomato sauce
- 2 bay leaves
- 4 cups of beef broth
- 2 Tablespoons brown sugar
- 1 can corn optional
- 1 cup cooked rice
- additional salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
- Heat oil in a large pot over medium high heat. Add in ground turkey, onions, 1 tablespoon of oregano, garlic powder, salt, and pepper. Cook 4-5 minutes, or until turkey is browned. Drain any excess fat.
- Return pot to heat, add in sofrito, seasonings, and peppers. Cook an additional 1-2 minutes, and add remaining ingredients, except for the rice.
- Cook on a low simmer for 30 minutes, slightly covered, stirring occasionally or until peppers have softened to your liking.
- Add in cooked rice and heat through before serving.
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