This is another recipe that my Nouna gave to my Mom, and it ended up in one of my recipe binders.  It is very reminiscent of the Greek Yemousto (stuffed veggies) in terms of ingredients and flavors, without as many steps!  Taylor even said, “This might be the best dish with a red sauce that I’ve ever had.”  I am blessed to have Taylor shower me with compliments frequently, but I considered that one significant enough to mention here.

The original recipe called for rice, brown sugar and cinnamon.  I eliminated them all.  The rice is a traditional addition to stuffed vegetables, but is not missed in my Paleo Yemousto, or this recipe.  Excluding the rice also makes the soup more brothy, as the rice would absorb a lot of the liquid.  Additionally, I didn’t feel that there was a place for the sweet flavors of brown sugar and cinnamon in this recipe.  Instead I added basil and a little pepper, keeping the recipe Paleo and brightening the flavors of the bell peppers.

This recipe is not only simple because it has few ingredients, but prep time is also minimal.  The only active cooking that needs to be done is the browning of the meat with the onion and garlic.  Then it all goes into the slow cooker for a few hours.

A note about ingredients: The original recipe called for ground turkey and chicken broth, but I didn’t have any on hand.  I had bison meat, so I used beef broth instead.  Feel free to use whatever you have!

I served this with my Paleo Moussaka, but it was great on its own for lunch the next day!

Ingredients

• 1 lb ground turkey, beef. or bison
• 1 medium yellow onion, chopped
• 1 tsp minced garlic (or 2 garlic cloves, minced)
• 28 oz can diced or crushed tomatoes with juice
• 6 oz can organic tomato paste
• 3 cups chicken or beef stock (depending on whether you use turkey, or beef/bison)
• 3 bell peppers (I used red, yellow, green)
• 1 tsp dried basil leaves
• 1/4 tsp cayenne pepper (optional)
• sea salt and ground black pepper, to taste

Instructions

• 1. In a large nonstick skillet, cook meat and onion over medium/medium-high heat until browned
• 2. Add garlic, and cook for one minute, and turn off stove
• 3. Add canned tomato, tomato paste, broth, bell peppers, and seasoning to slow cooker
• 4. Stir in meat mixture from pan until well-incorporated, then cover
• 5. Cook on HIGH for 3-4 hours
• 6. Before serving, taste to see if salt and pepper need to be added
• 7. Enjoy!