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.
Melissa says
Made this 2 weeks ago and everyone loved it. I wouldn’t change a thing. Heading to the store for ingredients to make it again today. Thank you for sharing the recipe.
Dana says
Absolutely loved! Next time I will cook the rice separately so I can freeze the leftovers.
Any recommendations on a dish that would pair well with this?
LyubaB says
I am so glad you liked it! I usually serve it with buttermilk biscuits or a salad.
Michelle says
SO Good! Thank you for sharing🙂
LyubaB says
I am so glad you liked it, Michelle!
Cari says
Would making this is the crockpot be doable? Had anyone tried that? If so, how did you go about the rice part and also adding the peppers without them turning to mush.. thank you!
LyubaB says
This is actually a fast soup so honestly, it should only take 45 mi from start to finish including prepping everything. But if you want to do the slow cooker then you could saute then add everything to the crockpot besides the rice. Cook the rice separately and then add it at the end with the rest of the ingredients in the slow cooker.
Melanie says
DELICIOUS. Doubled recipe will take camping and share with friends. I read the one unfavorable comment…harsh, and totally untrue
LyubaB says
Thank you, Melanie! I am so glad you liked it!
Ashley Brandsness says
How can you make this freezer friendly
LyubaB says
Store the unstuffed pepper soup without the rice for the 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.
If you scroll up I also have reheating instructions. I hope this helps 🙂
Robin says
I made this this evening. It was delicious and super easy. I used ground turkey.
LyubaB says
So glad you liked it, Robin!
Michelle says
Love this recipe it was delish, but curious about the calorie content…is that for one serving (if so how much is a serving?)
LyubaB says
Hi Michelle,
It is per serving and there are 6 servings. You would equally split up the soup into 6 servings which would be the serving size.
Judy says
Excellent soup, I love it. thanks for the recipe.
LyubaB says
Thanks, Judy! So glad you liked it!
Heather Smith says
Made this soup for the first time tonight. Family loved it. Will definitely make this again. However, my suggestion is use a little less olive oil and leaner beef. A little to greasy otherwise.
LyubaB says
Glad you liked it, Heather.
Boop says
I more than doubled the spices and it was super bland. Had to add in significantly more, and some cumin and coriander. Not a bad recipe, but absolutely no flavor if you go off of these measurements. And use home made beef stock. No amount of seasoning will save this if you use store bought.
POOP says
You sound like a real joy to be around
Charmaine says
If I pre-cook beef could I do this in a crock pot ? Just add rice maybe 20 min. Before serving ?
LyubaB says
Yes, I think that would work. You would just have to make sure the rice is cooked though.