Stuffed Pepper Soup

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. 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!

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.

Recipe FAQs

What is stuffed pepper soup made of? Stuffed pepper soup contains ground beef, bell peppers, rice and tomatoes, all in beef broth with onion, garlic and herbs. Do you take the seeds out of peppers before cooking? 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. How do you know when peppers are done cooking? 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. How do you cut peppers for stuffed pepper soup? 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.

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 try.

• 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.