Hearty Hamburger Veggie Soup

Bell peppers have been cultivated for more than 9000 years, earliest cultivation having taken place in South and Central America. While the name "pepper" was given to this food by European colonizers of North America who first came across it in the 1500, 1600's and then transported it back to Europe, the original name for this food in Spanish was pimiento.

Bell peppers can be grown in a variety of climates and are popular in cuisines throughout the world, they can frequently be found on small farms in North America, South America, Central America, Africa, Europe, the Middle East, and parts of Asia. Commercial production, however, China has become by far the largest producer of bell peppers and produced 14 million metric tons in 2007. At about 2 million metric tons, Mexico is the second largest commercial producer, followed by the United States at approximately 1 million metric tons.

Florida and California are the largest bell pepper producing states. The average U.S. adult consumes about 15 to 16 pounds of peppers per year, including almost 9.5 pounds of bell peppers.

Research Source: WH Foods

 

This delicious soup will sure warm your belly.

Hearty Hamburger Veggie Soup

Recipe by Christine Lamb (Christine’s Pantry), 2015

Ingredients:

1 tablespoon olive oil

1 pound ground beef

1 onion, chopped

1 green bell pepper, seeded and chopped

salt and pepper, to taste

1 tablespoon minced garlic

1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce

8 cups beef broth

1 (14.5 oz.) can fire roasted diced tomatoes

1 (10 oz.) bag mixed vegetables

1 cup uncooked elbow macaroni

2 bay leaves

Directions:

Heat oil in soup pot over medium heat. Add ground beef, breaking meat up as it cooks. Add onion, green bell pepper, salt and pepper. Stir and cook until beef is no longer pink. Add garlic and Worcestershire sauce, cook 1 minute. Add remaining ingredients, stirring. Simmer 30 minutes, until pasta and vegetables are tender. Remove bay leaves and discard. Enjoy!