This stuffed pepper soup is a hearty meal loaded with ground beef, onions, rice and bell peppers in a tomato based broth. It tastes just like classic stuffed peppers, but without all the work!
I love stuffed peppers, but it seems like they take forever to bake, and I always end up with peppers that are either too crunchy or too mushy. Stuffed pepper soup has all the same flavors but is so easy to put together on a busy weeknight.
It’s not long before fall will be upon us. I can’t believe it’s almost time for the kids to go back to school, which is what got me thinking about this stuffed pepper soup. It’s delicious any time of the year, but it’s best on a chilly night!
HOW DO YOU MAKE STUFFED PEPPER SOUP?
This delicious and hearty soup has a mixture of ground beef, onions, rice, and bell peppers. It’s simmered to perfection in a tomato based broth. It’s like eating a stuffed pepper without all the extra work – easy and delicious.
I suggest using 90% lean ground beef; it has a ton of flavor but without all the grease. You can swap out the ground beef for ground turkey if you’re looking to save a few calories. I like to use a mixture of red and green bell peppers because green is classic for stuffed peppers, but the red are a little sweeter so it gives a good balance to the flavor.
You may be tempted to just throw the rice into the soup pot uncooked and let it simmer with the rest of the ingredients. However, if you do that, the rice will soak up all the liquid. I prefer to stir cooked rice into the soup just before serving so that there’s a nice ratio of rice to soup broth.
WHAT ARE THE HEALTH BENEFITS OF RICE?
Although given a bad rap sometimes, rice has many health benefits when consumed. Not only is it a quick source of energy, but it’s also a natural anti-inflammatory. Rice promotes nervous system health, heart health, and reduces the risk of cancer along with a plethora of other benefits. You can use either brown or white rice in this stuffed pepper soup.
WHAT DOES 90% LEAN GROUND BEEF MEAN?
When you buy ground beef, there is often a percentage given with it. This percentage lets you know how much fat has been removed from the meat. Therefore, if it states 90% lean ground beef, that means it’s 90% fat free, or 90% lean beef with 10% fatty beef.
I always love a good bowl of soup, especially during the fall and winter months. We enjoy our soup with a few toppings so I recommend trying shredded cheese, sour cream, or fresh herbs on top of this delicious stuffed bell pepper soup. Add a side of bread or a green salad, and dinner is served!
MORE SOUP RECIPES YOU’LL LOVE
- Cabbage Roll Soup
- Hamburger Soup
- Chicken and Wild Rice Soup
- Ham Bone Soup
- Slow Cooker Chicken Tortilla Soup
Stuffed Pepper Soup
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 pound ground beef I use 90% lean
- 3/4 cup chopped onion
- 1 1/2 teaspoons garlic minced
- salt and pepper to taste
- 1 red bell pepper cut into 1/2 inch pieces
- 1 green bell pepper cut into 1/2 inch pieces
- 1 14.5 ounce can petite diced tomatoes
- 1 15 ounce can tomato sauce
- 1 14.5 ounce can beef broth
- 2 teaspoons Italian seasoning
- 2 cups cooked white rice
- 2 tablespoons chopped parsley
Instructions
- Heat the olive oil in a large pot over medium high heat. Add the ground beef and cook until browned, breaking up into smaller pieces with a spatula (approximately 5-6 minutes).
- Add the onion to the pot and cook for 4-5 minutes or until softened. Add the garlic and cook for 30 seconds.
- Season the beef and onion mixture with salt and pepper.
- Add the bell peppers to the pot and cook for 2-3 minutes.
- Add the tomatoes, tomato sauce, beef broth and Italian seasoning to the pot; bring to a simmer.
- Cook for 15-20 minutes or until peppers are tender.
- Stir in the rice and season the soup with salt and pepper to taste as desired. Sprinkle with parsley and serve.
Amanda Howell says
Do you drain the beef?
Sara says
If there’s a lot of grease left over, then yes, drain it!
Jen says
Could I pressure can this without rice?
Sara says
I’m not familiar with pressure canning so I can’t really say, is it safe to pressure can ground beef?
Nicole says
This is a great recipe, thanks! Made it a couple of days ago. Super easy and filling, but something was missing, I can’t put my finger on it, but I’ll figure it out one way or the other. I used spanish rice, which was great! Maybe next time I’ll use enchilada sauce instead of regular tomato sauce and give it a good ole mexican flair.
Sara says
Love the idea of giving it a Mexican spin! Thanks for reporting back!
Jaime says
My husband hates rice, so I make pastina or acini de pepe pasta (round little pasta in wedding soup) and throw that in 🙂
Sara says
Love that idea!! Will try it next time.
Jan Gardner says
What kind of rice do you use….instant or long grain ???
Sara says
Long grain!
Michelle Stevens says
Was wondering if you know if this freezes well or canned well?
Sara says
Yes it will freeze well, I recommend leaving the rice out and adding after you’ve thawed and reheated!
Louise says
I would make it with ground turkey and chicken broth or veg broth and brown rice.
Sara says
That should work fine!
Melanie says
This looks amazing! Would it work as well without rice? I’m a diabetic and need to limit my carbohydrate intake. Thanks!
Sara says
Yes a lot of people substitute cauliflower rice!
Deb says
What is considered a serving?
Sara says
About 1 1/2 cups
Colleen says
Why so much Italian seasoning?
Sara says
You can reduce the amount if you prefer!
Shelley says
Can this be made ahead & frozen? I am unsure about freezing rice. We are going on a 10 day camping trip & want to have this, but not sure if I have the means of making at the campsite…
Sara says
You can freeze it with the rice, the rice will just be softer when thawed. Or you could make it without the rice, then stir in cooked rice just before serving.
Cory says
Would I be able to do this in the slow cooker? If so how long could I cook it for
Sara says
Yes you can, cook on low for 3-4 hours, then stir in the cooked rice right before serving.
Sue Hargraves says
Love that a slow cooker can be used! After the meat is browned and strained, would you throw everything but the rice in the slow cooker all at once instead of going thru the above steps? Have everything out to make this for supper tonite!
Sara says
Yes that would work just fine!
Sue Hargraves says
Thanks so much! Made it the regular way and my husband loved it!! So did I! Added a little too much rice, so tonight I’m going to add a small can of tomato sauce and put it over mashed potatoes. This is really a “keeper”!
Sharon says
Will this freeze good? Wondering if can substitute rice with like pearl barley or potato? If used rice and froze could add rice when thawed and warmed?
Sara says
Yes it will freeze well. You can substitute something else for the rice, it just may need to cook a little longer!
Jill says
I make the soup w/ everything but rice, cook rice separately and put in bowl and put soup base over it. Then I can freeze the base and make fresh rice when i reheat it. I do this with chicken soup also- add noodles, rice or tortellini when I eat it.
Sara says
Sounds like a good idea!
Linda says
Soups looks wonderfuk!
Terri says
Yummmm going to try this tonight!
Yvonne says
Made this last night it is so delicious!
Sara says
So glad to hear you enjoyed it, thanks for reporting back!
Toughcookiemommy says
This soup looks so delicious. I love all the hearty ingredients and I imagine that it has some savory flavor combinations.
Debbie says
This looks amazing and I’m a fan of the one pot meals!
Joy Seeskin says
I’m a vegetarian. This would be great with veggie crumbles. Going to make tomorrow.
April says
I used vege crumbles and substituted beef broth with vegetarian broth. Sooo yummy!!
Sara says
So glad you enjoyed it!
Heather says
This looks really tasty and would make my house smell amazing while I cooked! This meal is definitely getting added to our fall lineup when it cools down a bit.
Courtney says
Can spaghetti sauce be used to omit the tomato sauce and the chopped tomatoes and the Italian seasoning
Sara says
Yes that would work!
Jody says
I would think spag sauce would be too heavy in this dish. It would be more of a chunky spag sauce for topping pasta.
Marie Kait says
THis looks delicious. We’re in for a cold spell here. This will be a great meal for one of those days!
Silvia says
This soup is how I like it, with tons of peppers and rice in it! So comforting!
Emma Riley says
I do love soup a lot and this STUFFED PEPPER SOUP looks really delicious and look so easy to follow the procedure. I will definitely make this for our dinner tonight.
Caroline says
That looks so delicious!!!
Hannah Kliza says
This is right up our alley and looks absolutely amazing! I love finding new recipes online, as we approach fall in the Northeast we get closer and closer to stew/soup time of year in our house 🙂
Cityrocka Perry says
wow does this dish look tasty! It also seems easy enough to make, so I am going to give it a go over the weekend. Thanks so much 🙂
princess quinn says
I love bell peppers but I can’t make my kids eat them. Maybe this recipe will them eat this nutritious veggie.
sundeep says
its looking so interesting and healthy.. Thanks for sharing
Ade Young says
This recipe looks yummy, the pictures makes me crave for one. I am not a fan of much bell pepper but this one is a must try. Thanks for sharing your recipe!
GiGi Eats says
Yup! I am all about this life – minus the rice! I do love stuffed bell peppers!
Beth says
I make this a lot. I add a little brown sugar to mine and really makes the difference. Sounds weird but try it.
Richard Sands says
What’s a little?