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 Video
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.
Pat says
This soup is so good! I made it a couple of weeks ago and am making it again today. Although I am a household of one I make a double batch so I can freeze some. The only change I made is using a slow cooker instead of the stove. Love your Chicken Tortilla soup also!
Ron Foxx says
As a person living by himself I’m always on the lookout for simple, easy, one pot, basic ingredients recipes and this one jumped out at me for all of those reasons. I had every ingredient on hand and during a rainstorm I put on a pot and must say this is a seriously on point recipe that will be a great addition to my weekly meal prepping. Spot on, highly recommend giving this recipe a go.
Lisa Williams says
This soup is great, even my picky 12 year old ate it and went back for more!
Steve Dudley says
GREAT recipe!! However I did make three changes; I added a second bell pepper and one jalapeño pepper as I am a pepper head . The 2nd bell pepper enhances the pepper flavor. Before serving, I top with a handful of shredded yellow cheese.
Thanks for the recipe!!
Martha G. says
I made this recipe just as directed today for lunch. I must admit I loved the addition of the Italian seasoning for flavor rather than other high sodium or sugary ingredient options in other recipes. I did use diced tomatoes flavored with peppers, onion and celery. It is what I had. Included the fresh peppers and onion and garlic as well.
Dinner at the Zoo…you are amazing. I have turned to many of your recipes over the past couple of yrs having raised three boys myself. You never disappoint! Thank you.
Sara says
Thank you so much for your kind words!
Martha g says
My pleasure! I am preparing the soup again today.
Rewari says
So easy to make. This is a must keep for my family.
Haylee says
Do you drain the diced tomatoes or just add t entire can? I’m making it tonight for dinner (:
Sara says
I don’t drain the tomatoes!
Allison says
Don’t drain!! I use the basil, garlic and oregano flavored diced tomatoes for added flavor.
Laura says
Made this last night and today they’re fighting over the little that’s left over. I didnt have tomato sauce so I blended a can of petite diced tomatoes and added a can of rotel and a small can of tomato paste. I wanted to make this recipe exactly as the recipe is written, but not as much as I didnt want to go to the store. 😉 This is a keeper!
Teri says
I made this tonight and it’s a great start! I did need a bit more seasoning to make it work for me, but it guided me toward and amazing dinner. Thanks for posting!
I added extra basil for sweetness, oregano and garlic granules. I also added tomato paste to thicken and a splash of red wine. 🙂
Nancy says
I made this for dinner tonight and it was so delicious. It definitely will be a keeper in my home. Absolutely amazing. Everyone so enjoyed and loved it! Thank you.
Jessica says
Thank you for this recipe! I was honestly worried that it might taste a little bland, but holy cow. So good. I don’t love tomato soup so I left out the tomato sauce but did add a bit more fire roasted tomatoes. The fresh flat leaf parsley was perfect. Will be making regularly.
Paula says
I’ve literally made this twice (double batches) in the last week and a half. I use Italian sausage instead of ground beef and it obviously is a huge hit in our home ! Tried and true recipe.
John says
I made it exactly as written, wow this was great.
JJ James says
LOVED this soup! I tweaked the recipe a bit, after reading other comments. I skipped the italian seasoning and cheese.
I used 1/2 tomato sauce and 1/2 enchilada sauce for a little spice. Also added 1 Tablespoon dill to the pot.
After dishing into soup bowls, scooped a bit of cooked rice (I used brown rice, maybe 1/2 cup per bowl}, parsley and a dollop of sour cream.
BEST SOUP EVER. My family asked for seconds.
Marilyn Gum says
Loved this recipe. Followed recipe except added pasta sauce instead of tomato sauce. Was so good
Mike says
I made your recipe and I’ll make again soon. I like your view on the Green pepper being the traditional pepper. I wasn’t thinking about the ratio with the red. Tomorrow I’m going to buy the ingredients and I have a partial red in my fridge. Delicious !!
Laura says
Delicious! So warm and comforting in this wintry, wet weather! Thank you for posting!
Tracie Chamberlain says
This is insanely wonderful! For the tomato sauce I used fresh/homemade tomato sauce that I canned last month ( roasted roma tomatoes with garlic and onion) AND I did add 4 large cloves of garlic because I love garlic! I cannot get over how flavorful this soup is! THANK YOU for the recipe! I am following you on Pintrest now and I will post pictures of my dish to Instagram later and tag you! Gracias!