Stuffed Pepper Soup

Having today off from work, I wanted to make something for lunch that would carry over into the week for workday lunches.  The solution?  Stuffed Pepper Soup!  Very easy to make and packed with flavor.  It's essentially a meal in a bowl.

Ingredients:

• olive oil
• 1 diced yellow onion
• 1/3c diced celery
• 3 diced green bell peppers
• 3 minced garlic cloves
• 1lb ground beef or turkey
• salt & pepper
• 1c white rice, uncooked
• 2c water
• 1c tomato juice + 1/2c
• 28oz crushed tomato
• 1 tbsp sugar
• 1/2 tsp allspice
• optional garnish: grated parm 

1. Saute the onion through garlic in olive oil for 10 min.  Add the beef or turkey, season with salt and pepper, and cook until the beef has browned.
2. Stir in the rice, mixing well, and cook for 1 min.
3. Add the water, 1c tomato juice, crushed tomato and sugar, as well as some additional salt and pepper.  Cover and cook on medium heat for 25 minutes, stirring every so often.
4. Uncover and add another 1/2c tomato juice if the soup is too thick.  Simmer uncovered for 5 min.
5. Add the allspice, stir, and serve it up!  Garnish with grated parm if desired.

This makes a nice big batch... you've got a good 6-8 bowls to enjoy throughout your week.