In a large pot or Dutch oven, heat 2 tablespoons of the olive oil over medium-high. Add the diced onions (2) and diced bell peppers (3) and sauté until very and starting to brown, stirring occasionally, about 10-12 minutes.
Add the ground beef (1 - 1½ lbs.), fresh chopped parsley (¼ cup), dried oregano (1 teaspoon), and fresh chopped mint (2 tablespoons), if using. Break beef apart with a wooden spoon and continue cooking until beef is fully cooked and browned.
Pour in the wine (½ cup), if using, and scrape up any browned bits from the bottom of the pan (if not using, just skip it entirely). Pour in the chicken broth (6 cups) and crushed tomatoes (15 oz.). Bring to a boil. Turn heat down to low, stir in the rice (1 cup), cover, and cook until rice is done, about 20 minutes (depending on type of rice used, see notes).
Turn off heat. Stir in remaining 2 tablespoons of olive oil. Season to taste and serve sprinkled with Romano or parmesan cheese, if desired.
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Notes
I prefer lean ground beef for this recipe, since we're adding olive oil to the soup. But any kind will work (you may want to remove some of the fat after browning the beef with a spoon, if you can, if you use a fattier ground beef).
Alternatives to ground beef: ground pork, turkey, chicken, lamb, or a combo will work in this soup. You can use ground sausage if you like; since it has salt in it, be careful of adding too much extra salt. A vegan alternative to ground beef will also work.
I usually use homemade chicken stock but feel free to use vegetable or beef broth, or something like better than boullion for the broth base here.
Different rices cook for different amounts of time. I used converted/parboiled rice (Ben's Original), but basmati, brown rice, or even wild rice would be delicious here. Just keep an eye on cooking time and add more or less liquid depending on which rice you use (if you are unsure, you can start with 4 cups and just add more broth or water if needed toward the end of cooking).
The amount of salt you'll need depends on how much salt is in your chicken broth. If you are unsure, start with 1/2 teaspoon and add more after the soup is done to taste.
This soup freezes well in an airtight container for 6 months.
Make it vegetarian / vegan: use vegetable broth and a vegan alternative to ground beef, like beyond beef or a vegan sausage.