Stuffed Pepper Soup
by Chungah
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Coziest stuffed pepper soup! Made with ground beef, bell peppers, tomatoes and rice. Budget-friendly and comes together so fast in one pot!
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Why you’ll love this stuffed pepper soup
- No-fuss comfort food. This soup has all the best, warm, cozy flavors of stuffed peppers with a fraction of the work – no more hollowing or stuffing peppers here! With a savory tomato broth and all the hearty fillings (ground beef, vegetables, and rice), this is simply ultra-cozy comfort food.
- Budget-friendly. This is an incredibly budget-friendly meal, utilizing inexpensive ingredients such as ground beef, rice, and pantry staples, yielding large servings to feed a big crowd.
- Flexible recipe. You can swap out for different proteins or grains, or incorporate additional vegetables for a true clean-out-the-fridge meal (more on that below).
- Freezes like a dream. Yes, this can keep in the freezer for up to 3 months, perfect for a rainy day or the busiest of weeknights, adding in freshly cooked rice just before serving.
What is stuffed pepper soup?
This is a deconstructed version of traditional stuffed peppers, where bell peppers are hollowed out and filled with a ground beef mixture, topped with cheese, and then baked until tender.
How to make stuffed pepper soup
- Prep the bell peppers. Core, seed, and dice the bell peppers into similar-sized pieces for a consistent bite.
- Brown the ground beef. Cook and crumble the ground beef in a Dutch oven over medium heat, draining the excess fat.
- Add the onion and bell peppers. Cook until the bell peppers are just softened and tender. The peppers will continue to cook in the soup.
- Sauté the aromatics. Stir in the garlic, Italian seasoning, and red pepper flakes.
- Simmer. Stir in the diced tomatoes, tomato sauce, beef broth and ground beef, simmering for 15-20 minutes. The longer it simmers, the more it will naturally thicken.
- Add the rice. Add the cooked rice (always cooking the rice separately) and parsley.
- Serve. Serve warm topped with shredded mozzarella, or grated Parmesan, and crusty bread.
Helpful swaps
Meat
Use ground beef, ground chicken, ground turkey, or sausage, or omit completely for a vegetarian version.
Peppers
Mix green, red, yellow, and orange bell peppers.
Veggies
Add carrots, celery, zucchini, mushrooms, or leafy greens to bulk up the soup (and clear out the fridge).
Grains
Long grain white rice, brown rice, quinoa, orzo, and barley are all solid options. For a low-carb option, try cauliflower rice.
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Tools For This Recipe
Dutch oven
Stuffed Pepper Soup: Frequently Asked Questions
Green, red, yellow, and orange bell peppers all work very well here. A mix is ideal though, adding different flavors from each of the peppers. Green bell peppers are more savory (classic flavors) whereas red, yellow, and orange are more sweet.
Yes! The seeds (as well as the ribs) should be removed as they can be bitter and have an unpleasant crunchy texture.
Yes! Omit the rice or substitute cauliflower rice.
This soup pairs beautifully with crusty bread, a simple side salad, and a light vegetable side dish.
Leftovers can be stored in an airtight container in the fridge for 3-4 days, adding a splash of beef broth when reheating.
Stuffed pepper soup freezes so well! Freeze the soup (without the rice) up to 3 months in individual freezer bags, thawing overnight and gently reheating on the stovetop until warmed through, adding in freshly cooked rice.
Stuffed Pepper Soup
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Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon canola oil
- 1 pound lean ground beef
- 1 medium sweet onion, diced
- 1 red bell pepper, diced
- 1 green bell pepper, diced
- 4 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 ½ teaspoons Italian seasoning
- ¼ teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
- 2 (14.5-ounce) cans diced tomatoes
- 1 (8-ounce) can tomato sauce
- 3 cups beef broth
- Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
- 2 cups cooked white rice
- 2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley leaves
Instructions
- Heat canola oil in a large stockpot or Dutch oven over medium heat. Add ground beef and cook until browned, about 3-5 minutes, making sure to crumble the beef as it cooks; drain excess fat and set aside.
- Add onion and bell peppers. Cook, stirring occasionally, until tender, about 3-4 minutes.
- Stir in garlic, Italian seasoning and red pepper flakes until fragrant, about 1 minute.
- Stir in diced tomatoes, tomato sauce, beef broth and ground beef; season with salt and pepper, to taste. Bring to a boil; reduce heat and simmer until flavors have blended, about 15-20 minutes.
- Stir in rice and parsley until heated through, about 1-2 minutes.
- Serve immediately.
Notes
- Use any colored bell pepper. Feel free to use any type of bell pepper (green, red, yellow or orange), or a mix of colors for a blend of different flavors.
- Remove the ribs and seeds. Always remove the white ribs (pith) and seeds from the bell peppers as they hold a tough, bitter texture.
- Use lean ground beef. 90/10 is ideal, often labeled as ground sirloin, because its low fat content keeps the meat juicy without yielding excess fat (grease) in the soup.
- Get the right consistency. If you prefer a thicker soup, let it simmer for longer (uncovered). If you prefer a thinner soup, add a splash of beef broth.
- Cook the rice separately. This will prevent the rice from soaking up all the broth, yielding a better texture. This also makes for easy meal prep!
- Add the toppings. Finish the soup with a sprinkle of shredded mozzarella or freshly grated Parmesan when serving.
- Prepare for leftovers. If you are planning for leftovers or freezing for later, store the rice separately and add just before serving.
Did you make this recipe?
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Made this exactly as written for lunch today, and it was superb! My wife said it was even better than stuffed peppers. High praise indeed. We’ll be making this one lots. Thanks again, Chungah and team!
This was so good and easy and simple and everyone at my table actually ate dinner. Thank you!
I didn’t serve it with crusty bread or a light salad because tiny people were getting hangery. The mozzarella was good, but we also enjoyed sharp white cheddar.
This is absolutely delicious! Since I’m trying to watch my weight, I followed your recipe but substituted some healthier ingredients… ground turkey for the ground beef, chicken broth for the beef broth, and riced cauliflower for the rice. I was skeptical of the substitutions but it was wonderful. It was hard to stop eating it!
Just made this with ground chicken instead of beef. It’s so delicious! It will be in regular rotation at our house!
Delicious and my kiddos who are normally pretty picky loved it as well!
I made this yesterday and my husband and I loved it. I’m passing the recipe on to my daughter-in-law.
Can you use ground turkey
Yes! Even Ground Chicken!!!
Absolutely delicious, and definitely replicates the flavors of stuffed peppers.
My only adjustments were to add a little sugar to cut the acid and shredded Parmesan sprinkle rather than mozzarella.
I would add a can of black beans to this recipe as I put that in my stuffed peppers.