Stuffed pepper soup is a comforting homemade soup packed with rich flavors of bell peppers, onions, tomatoes, ground beef, and rice. It’s a delicious and easy soup that’s perfect to enjoying any day!
Essentially, this recipe is a deconstructed stuffed pepper that’s served in soup form. Now you can have all of the comforting flavors of stuffed peppers in a comforting bowl of soup that’s perfect for chilly evenings! (You can also try these classic flavors in a pasta casserole that your family will love)
As a bonus, everything cooks in the same one pot, so there are fewer dishes to wash after the meal. We can always appreciate one pot meals… because who wants to do the dishes all night?! Enjoy the night of sharing a wonderful meal with the family instead or make a double batch for a gathering of friends.
This soup is also known as “unstuffed pepper soup.” Instead of stuffing the bell peppers with the ground beef and rice mixture, the bell peppers are IN the soup along with other ingredients. It’s a lot less work but all the same great flavors we know and love.
How to Make Stuffed Peppers Soup
- Prepare. This is great to do before you get started. That way, everything is ready to go! Dice all of the vegetables and set the aside.
- Sauté the vegetables. Preheat a Dutch oven (or other large pot) over medium heat and add olive oil. Add the diced onions and bell peppers and cook until they begin to soften. Mix in diced tomato and cook for a few more minutes.
- Cook the ground beef. Move the vegetables over to the sides and add ground beef to the middle of the pot. Break it apart, cover the pot with a lid, and cook for a few minutes. After a few minutes, break up the meat some more and start mixing it with veggies. Close the lid and keep cooking until the beef is mostly done. Make sure to break up as many clumps as you can.
- Add the liquid. Mix in tomato paste, then pour in beef stock.
- Season and cook. Season with oregano, basil, garlic powder, salt, and pepper, (5) mix well and lower the heat to low. Close the lid but leave a small crack for the heat to escape. Cook for about 20 minutes.
- Add rice. Mix in rice (6), close the lid back up and cook until rice is done (7).
PRO TIP: If you know you’ll have leftovers, cook the rice separately instead and add it to the soup as needed. Otherwise, the rice will continue to absorb the liquid from the soup and the texture may become too mushy.
Can I Add More Vegetables?
Absolutely, you can always add extra veggies that are already in the soup or add some other vegetables. Some good veggies to add are mushrooms, leeks, kale, carrots, green beans, and corn.
Can I Make Stuffed Pepper Soup in the Crockpot?
Yes, technically you can make this soup in a Crockpot. I do want to note that is is a fast soup made with ground beef, which is a soft meat, so there’s no reason to make it in a slow cooker. You will also have much more flavor making it in a pot rather than slow cooker.
To make it in the slow cooker: Follow the instruction of cooking veggies and beef in the recipe and when beef is just about done, transfer everything to the slow cooker. Mix in tomato taste, beef stock, and season with oregano, basil, garlic powder, salt, and pepper. Mix well, close the lid, and cook on LOW for 6 hours.
You can add the rice during the last 20 minutes or so and cook until rice is just tender. (Or, you can cook rice separately and add rice to each bowl as you serve.)
Storing, Reheating, and Freezing Instructions
Storage – Store the stuffed pepper soup and rice in separate airtight containers and keep in the refrigerator. Both will last up to 4 days before the texture starts to change.
Reheating – Simmer the soup on the stove or heat in the microwave until warmed through. Then, mix in fresh rice or add cooked rice towards the end of reheating to warm it at the same time.
Freezing – Again, store the unstuffed pepper soup without the rice for best consistency. Freeze in a zip-top bag or sealed container for up to 3 months, then thaw in the refrigerator before reheating. It may help to store the soup in individual portions so you can thaw just what you need.
More Comforting Recipes To Try
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Stuffed Pepper Soup Recipe
Ingredients
- 3 tbsp olive oil
- 1 small yellow onion
- 1 green or red bell pepper*
- 1 yellow bell pepper*
- 1 large tomato
- 1 lb ground beef 85/15 recommended
- 3 cups beef stock
- 3 tbsp tomato paste
- 1 tsp dried oregano
- 2 tsp dried basil
- 1 tsp garlic powder
- 1/4-1/2 tsp black pepper
- salt
- 3/4 cup Jasmine rice**
Instructions
- Dice all the vegetables first and set the aside.
- Preheat a Dutch oven over medium heat and add olive oil.
- Add diced onions and bell peppers and cook until they start to soften. Mix it diced tomato and cook for a few more minutes.
- Move vegetables over to the sides and add ground beef to the center of the pan. Break it apart, cover the pot with a lid, and cook for a few minutes. After a few minutes, break up the meat some more and start mixing it with veggies. Close the lid and keep cooking until the beef is mostly done. Make sure to break up as many clumps as you can.
- Mix in tomato taste and then, pour in beef stock.
- Season with oregano, basil, garlic powder, salt, and pepper, mix well and lower the heat to low. Close the lid but leave a small crack for the heat to escape. Cook for about 20 minutes.
- Mix in rice, close the lid back up and cook until rice is done.
- Serve right away.
Alternate option:
- If you don't plan to eat all of the soup right away, you can cook rice separately and add some to individual soup servings. Cook the rice in salted water according to the package instructions and add it to each bowl of soup as needed.
- Store cooked rice separately from the soup. Make sure to keep it refrigerated in an air-tight food storage container.
Video
Notes
- * When it comes to the bell peppers, feel free to choose any colors you want. Choosing a couple of different colors will make the soup more fun though.
- **Jasmine rice is a personal preference but you can substitute long grain rice, Basmati rice, or even brown rice.
- Ground Beef – You can use lean ground beef like 90/10, but it tends to be chewier due to the lack of fat. I prefer to use 85/15 or even 80/20 ground beef for juicier and tastier beef. You can also substitute ground turkey for a leaner version of this recipe.
- You can also use lean ground turkey meat instead of ground beef. (Not extra lean!)
- Storage – Store the stuffed pepper soup and rice in separate airtight containers and keep in the refrigerator. Both will last up to 4 days before the texture starts to change
Nutrition
Originally published on Will Cook For Smiles in January, 2014.
Debbie @Dewdrop Gables says
I love stuffed peppers, too, and this soup really grabbed me when I saw you featured at 504 Main! Wow, so easy and I’ll bet it tastes every bit as good as you say!
Debbie 🙂
lyuba says
Awww, thank you, Debbie!
Holly Lefevre says
Oh my…what a perfect soup! My family will love it and so will our guest next weekend!
lyuba says
Aww, thank you, Holly!
Kelly says
This soup looks fantastic! What a comforting soup with so many wonderful flavors – I love stuffed peppers and a big bowl of this would be perfect on these chillier winter months 🙂
lyuba says
Thank you, Kelly!!
kristi@ishouldbemoppingthefloor says
Mmmm….I bet this is FANTASTIC, Lyuba! YUM!
lyuba says
It sure was, Kristi! Thank you!
Lisa @ Cooking with Curls says
What an awesome idea Lyuba, I will definitely have to give this a try! 🙂
lyuba says
I hope you do, Lisa! Thank you!
Erin says
We love stuffed peppers here at our house, so I know this soup will be a huge hit. Such a great idea! Stopping by from Show Stopper Saturday. Thanks so much for hosting another great party! ~Erin
lyuba says
Thank you, Erin 😉
Meegan says
You always have the best recipes! This looks another amazing soup to add to that list 🙂
Thanks for sharing. I can hardly wait to try it.
Make it a great weekend.
lyuba says
You are so sweet, Meegan! Thank you!
Linderhof says
I am so making this soup on Saturday! Sounds yummy!
lyuba says
I hope you did! Thank you 🙂
Nici says
This soup sounds so yummy! Thanks so much for sharing it with us.
Blessings,
Nici
lyuba says
Thank you, Nici!
Krista @ Joyful Healthy Eats says
Stuffed Peppers are my of my favorite comfort foods in the winter. Love that you turned that deliciousness into soup, also comforting. Just pass me a book, blanket, and this bowl of soup and I’d be good to go for the night! Pinning Lyuba! 🙂
lyuba says
That sounds like a nice, cozy night! Considering the baby is asleep 🙂
Thank you, Krista!
Debbie says
I am curious that the grease from the burger remains in – not drained. Or did I miss something?
lyuba says
Do you mean from the ground beef? I usually buy 80% lean so there is not much grease. It is juices that goes into the broth and give the soup a lot of its flavor. This is not a greasy soup by any means! Don’t worry, Debbie!
Maggie says
I didnt use a lean ground beef amd it definitely came out greasy. Since the grease rises to the top I just took a measurimg cup and scoop it out…took about 5 scoops…then it was fine…next time i would drain some off
lyuba says
You know what I do sometimes, when I have some grease on top? I place a clean, dry paper towel gently right on top and it soaks up the grease:) Just like a dab of paper towel on the spots with grease and it easily picks it up!
Emily @ It Bakes Me Happy says
What a fun soup Lyuba! I think this sounds just as delicious as the traditional meal without all the hassle 🙂
lyuba says
Absolutely! Thank you so much, Emily!
Michelle says
I made your chicken parm roll ups this weekend. So easy and good. Your recipes look so interesting. I am not an experienced cook thank tou
lyuba says
I’m so glad you liked it, Michelle!
Thank you! (No worries, we all start at the beginning 🙂 )