Serbian potato soup

Ingredients for 6 servings:

• 750 g potatoes, waxy
• 3 bell peppers, red
• 2 carrots
• 1 ½ liters vegetable broth
• 3 bay leaves
• 4 large onions
• 2 cloves garlic
• 500 g minced beef
• 1 tbsp paprika powder, sweet
• 1 tsp paprika powder, hot
• 1 tsp thyme
• Salt
• 4 tbsp olive oil

Instructions

Working time approx. 25 minutes; Cooking/baking time approx. 30 minutes; Total time approx. 55 minutes

Wash, peel, and dice the potatoes. Trim and dice the bell peppers and carrots. Place both in a large pot along with the broth and bay leaves. Bring to a boil, cover, and simmer for 25 minutes. Meanwhile, chop the onions and peel the garlic cloves, halve them lengthwise, and slice them. Fry in olive oil until translucent. Add the minced meat and fry, breaking it up frequently with a spatula. When the meat has browned, sprinkle with sweet and hot paprika powder and stir in. Add the meat to the soup 5 minutes before the end of the cooking time. Season with thyme and a pinch of salt. A truly hearty stew for cold autumn and winter days. Serve with: Farmer’s sausages, such as Debreziner. Side dish: Flatbread tastes particularly good with this dish, but you can also serve it with fresh country or white bread. Variation 1: Instead of 500 g ground beef, add 300 g sausage meat and 200 g ground beef to the soup. Variation 2: Instead of 3 red bell peppers, use one each of red, yellow, and green bell peppers (they are often cheaper in packs of three).