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.
Lisa says
I made this recipe for my family tonight. It was so great! We loved it and know it will become part of my regular Fall/ Winter rotation.
LyubaB says
Thanks, Lisa!
Jackie says
This is delicious! Thanks for sharing.
LyubaB says
You are so welcome, Jackie!
Penelope says
Made this for tonight. Just waiting to pour over rice. Looks good & smells fantastic!
LyubaB says
Awesome! I hope you loved it!
Kdietl says
Great addition to my soup recipe rotation…after the first try my husband said it’s his new favorite!
LyubaB says
Awe thank you! I am so happy you guys enjoyed it!
Julie says
When do I drain the ground beef?
LyubaB says
Hi Julie,
I don’t drain it because the fat adds a lot of flavor but you can drain it after step 4 before adding the tomato paste.
Katie says
Love this recipe! Super easy and delicious. I subbed tomatoes for a can of Rotel (because I was too lazy to chop a real tomato lol) and I browned Chorizo instead of ground beef. Came out delicious with a little extra kick. Thank you!
LyubaB says
You’re very welcome! I am glad you liked it!
Jane says
Loved this recipe! So delicious, but curious how much one serving is?
LyubaB says
I like to split it into 6 servings. You can make your servings a bit bigger or smaller depending on how hungry you are at the time!
Madeleine mitchell says
Hi there
Looking forward to making this today. Love your recipes
Why do you have to make rice separately if not eating all In same day?
LyubaB says
Hi Madeline,
I make it separately so it won’t be soggy and overcooked when you reheat the soup.
Stacy Dexter says
Everyone loved it. New favorite added into the rotation!
LyubaB says
Hi Stacy,
I am so glad you like it! Thanks for stopping by to let me know! 🙂
Malinda says
Could I make this in the crockpot?
LyubaB says
Hi, Malinda! Sure you can make this in the crockpot. I would first brown the hamburger before adding it to the crockpot, then cook on low for 6 hours adding the rice at the 4th hour and cooking another 2 or so hours till the rice is done. You may need to add a little extra stock.
Carrie says
This is so funny. When my husband and I were first dating, the first meal he cooked for me was ….. Stuffed Green Pepper Soup. He is a soup lover and his mother had forced several stuffed peppers on him the weekend before. He pulled them out of the freezer, chopped them up and added a can of chopped tomatoes. For a non-soup-lover, it was actually very good. I’ll share this and we’ll get a nice smile.
Thanks for making my day a little sweeter.
lyuba says
Isn’t it funny to think about that 🙂
Thank you, Carrie!
Rena says
Should i decrease the amount of liquid if im cooking the rice seperately?
lyuba says
Rena,
It’s really up to you. You can keep the amount of broth and the soup will just be runnier or you can decrease it by a cup. I don’t think it will hinder the final result much.
I hope you enjoy it!