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. Looking for more amazing soup recipes? Don’t miss my albondigas soup, pasta e fagioli soup, turkey soup and matzo ball soup!
When we have cool fall and winter nights, I like something warm and hearty. My kids love stuffed peppers so I started thinking about stuffed pepper soup. It’s delicious any time of the year, but it’s best on a chilly night!
Serve this soup with a baguette slices, cheesy pull apart bread, homemade dinner rolls or my elegant butterflake rolls!
Table of Contents
Stuffed Pepper Soup Ingredients
To make this stuffed pepper soup recipe, you will need olive oil, ground beef, onion, garlic, salt, black pepper, a red bell pepper, a green bell pepper, a can of diced tomatoes, tomato sauce, beef broth, Italian seasoning, white rice and fresh parsley.
How Do You Make Stuffed Pepper Soup?
When you make stuffed pepper soup, start by heating olive oil in a large pot, then add the ground beef. Cook the beef, breaking it up into small pieces as you go, then add onion. Cook until the onion is soft, then add garlic. Season the beef and onion mixture with salt and pepper. Add the cut bell peppers, then cook for a few minutes until the peppers start to soften. Next add tomatoes, tomato sauce, beef broth and Italian seasoning. Bring the soup to a simmer, and cook until the peppers are tender. Add in the rice, and season the soup with more salt and pepper. Sprinkle with parsley, then serve.
Tips For The Perfect Dish
- I recommend using 90% lean ground beef. It has a lot of flavor without excessive amounts of grease. If you use beef with a higher fat content, you may need to drain any excess grease from the pot before continuing with the recipe.
- This recipe calls for cooked rice. It’s important to use cooked rice because if you use raw rice, it will soak up all the broth from the soup.
- I recommend a long grain rice. You can use white rice or jasmine rice. I wouldn’t use basmati rice or a short grain rice.
- Stuffed pepper soup can be made up to 2 days before you plan to serve it. I recommend storing the rice separately and adding it when you reheat the soup.
- Leftovers will stay fresh in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 4 days.
- The soup will last in the freezer for up to 2 months. Again, it’s better to freeze the rice separately so it doesn’t absorb all the liquid. You can reheat the soup by letting it thaw overnight in the refrigerator and then you can heat in a microwave or on a stove top.
Quick Tip
You can use any type of bell pepper in this dish. Green, red, orange and yellow all work great!
Recipe FAQs
Stuffed pepper soup contains ground beef, bell peppers, rice and tomatoes, all in beef broth with onion, garlic and herbs.
You need to remove the seeds from peppers before you cook with them. Pepper seeds have a hard texture which is unpleasant in most dishes. Use a small paring knife to cut the seeds out of peppers before you use them.
Peppers are done cooking when they are tender. You can check to see if your peppers are tender by piercing them with a fork. If the fork goes in easily, the peppers are ready.
To cut bell peppers for soup, simply cut off the top and bottom off the peppers. Next Cut the peppers in half lengthwise and remove the seeds and ribs. Finally cut the outside of the peppers into vertical strips and cut them again horizontally so that you have squares that are approximately an inch long.
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Flavor Variations
While this soup is delicious as-is, you can swap out some of the ingredients to customize the flavors to your tastes.
- Protein: You can swap out the ground beef for ground chicken, sausage, ground turkey or even ground pork with good results.
- Rice: Many people have substituted cauliflower rice to turn this into a low carb dish. Brown rice also works well, or experiment with other cooked grains such as quinoa or farro.
- Vegetables: Feel free to add more veggies to the mix. Some great options include spinach, carrots, mushrooms or celery.
- Broth: If you prefer chicken broth, you can use that instead of beef broth.
- Vegetarian: Omit the meat and use vegetable broth instead of beef broth for a vegetarian version of this soup.
- Flavorings: Amp up the flavor of the soup with some spices such as smoked paprika, cumin, garlic powder, oregano or onion powder. You can also substitute green onions or a little chopped basil for the parsley.
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 garlic knots or an Italian salad, and dinner is served!
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Stuffed Pepper Soup Video
Love This Recipe?
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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.
Notes
- I recommend using 90% lean ground beef. It has a lot of flavor without excessive amounts of grease. If you use beef with a higher fat content, you may need to drain any excess grease from the pot before continuing with the recipe.
- This recipe calls for cooked rice. It’s important to use cooked rice because if you use raw rice, it will soak up all the broth from the soup.
Had to share this on Facebook. Having an unexpected overcast/raining week in Cali and this made it all the better. 80/20 beef. Extra beef broth. No red pepper. And I added one bag Uncle Bens Spanish ready rice to save time and add flavor. Totally loved this so making my second batch in as little as a week! Top with cheese and dip tortilla chips for an over the top experience! Thank you!
This was very good I did modify it slightly. I didn’t add the Italian seasoning, but added 1 packet of taco seasoning, and 1 (15oz) can Pizza Sauce along with approx only 1/2 the can of the (15oz) tomato sauce.. and added mozzarella cheese at serving. Delish..
So happy to hear you enjoyed it, I appreciate you reporting back!
My all time favorite soup! Reminds me of my mom’s Spanish rice when I was a kid. Made a double batch so that we have extra for work lunches or anytime. Delicious! Thank you for sharing!
So glad to hear you enjoyed it, thanks for reporting back!
LOVE LOVE LOVE this I also added grated cheddar cheese to individual bowls DELISH
So glad to hear you enjoyed it, thanks for reporting back!
Made this tonight and added an extra 2 cups of broth and a approx a teaspoon of Worcestershire
So glad you enjoyed it, thank you for reporting back!
This was very good thank you for sharing it I did however added one more can of tomato sauce.
I don’t have ground beef, but I do have chicken. I may use beans instead of meet. Chicken broth instead of beef…I love your recipe & will try when I need to use up peppers & have ground beef…I love the versatility of recipes & cooking. I love inspiration from other cooks & just rolling up my sleeves & perfect my amateur culinary skills one meal at a time 🙂 Thanks for sharing!
Thanks, hope you enjoy!
I thought it needed more tomato sauce, my family said it needed more rice. Either way we loved it!
I thought it was amazing, mine turned out super think almost no juice. Would probably add a little tomato juice next time to thin it out.
Made this for dinner tonight. YUM !! Perfect for our cold, rainy weather. I made a double batch so we’ll have leftovers.
So glad to hear you enjoyed it!
Forgot to mention that since I doubled the recipe, I used 1 lb of ground beef and 1 lb of Italian sausage. SO good !!
Do you drain the beef?
If there’s a lot of grease left over, then yes, drain it!
Could I pressure can this without rice?
I’m not familiar with pressure canning so I can’t really say, is it safe to pressure can ground beef?
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.
Love the idea of giving it a Mexican spin! Thanks for reporting back!
Try corn! I’m going to do that the next time I make it. I am making it now and it tastes awesome. Added a few extra things though. Thyme, rosemary, and cayenne pepper.
My husband hates rice, so I make pastina or acini de pepe pasta (round little pasta in wedding soup) and throw that in 🙂
Love that idea!! Will try it next time.
What kind of rice do you use….instant or long grain ???
Long grain!
Was wondering if you know if this freezes well or canned well?
Yes it will freeze well, I recommend leaving the rice out and adding after you’ve thawed and reheated!
Yes! I make this, cook the rice separately and just add it to the bottom of the bowl and then add the soup on top. It freezes well !
You can freeze it complete or can it without the rice. I can a lot of different soups, but without rice or noodles. It’s easy to add them later.
I would make it with ground turkey and chicken broth or veg broth and brown rice.
That should work fine!
This looks amazing! Would it work as well without rice? I’m a diabetic and need to limit my carbohydrate intake. Thanks!
Yes a lot of people substitute cauliflower rice!
What is considered a serving?
About 1 1/2 cups
Why so much Italian seasoning?
You can reduce the amount if you prefer!
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…
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.