This one-pot Stuffed Pepper Soup is a comforting 30-minute meal made with a satisfying mix of ground beef, bell peppers, rice, and tomatoes. Stovetop, slow cooker, and Instant Pot instructions included.
Stuffed peppers are a perfect dinner… when you have the time. The mix of ground meat, veggies, and rice stuffed and baked in hollowed bell peppers gives you a filling meal AND helps you clean out your fridge! While I love making my vegan stuffed peppers or Mediterranean quinoa stuffed peppers, I must admit that they’re not the quickest dinner recipes.
That’s precisely why I love this easy Stuffed Pepper Soup recipe. It takes the time and effort out of classic stuffed pepper recipes!
A hearty mix of ground beef, bell peppers, and pre-cooked rice makes this soup a perfect quick and easy winter comfort food. Just combine these 3 key ingredients with Italian seasonings, canned tomatoes, and beef broth, simmer until your kitchen is filled with its wonderful Italian aromas, then dig in! You’ll be amazed at how you can get all of this comforting goodness in a one-pot, 30-minute meal.
Recipe features
- A comforting soup with everything you love about classic stuffed peppers!
- The easiest one-pot, 30-minute comfort food.
- A perfect clean-out-your-fridge meal that gives new life to your leftover rice, beef, and vegetables.
Ingredients
Ground beef – Most stuffed peppers recipes are made with a base of cooked ground beef and this soup is no exception. For a lighter option, feel free to use ground turkey, chicken, or pork instead.
Bell peppers – The more peppers, the better! I used both red and green bell peppers, but yellow and orange peppers are more than welcome, too.
Seasonings – I seasoned the soup with Italian seasoning, garlic powder, and salt.
Canned tomatoes – Both fire-roasted diced tomatoes and canned tomato sauce infuse the broth with comforting umami, tangy flavors. If you prefer, you can chop fresh tomatoes instead of using canned tomatoes.
Broth – A quality store-bought beef broth is needed for the base of the soup. Chicken broth and vegetable broth will both work as substitutes. Or, for a boost of collagen, use homemade beef bone broth instead.
Rice – We need something to bulk up this brothy soup, which is where pre-cooked rice comes in handy. Both day-old white or brown rice work well here. If you can, use long-grain rice (like jasmine or basmati rice), as it holds up better in the broth.
Instructions
Step 1: Cook the meat and veggies. Brown the ground beef in a large pot. Once it’s almost fully cooked through, add the bell peppers and onions. Sauté until fragrant.
Step 2: Season. Stir in the garlic, Italian seasoning, garlic powder, and salt.
Step 3: Add the rest. Pour the diced tomatoes, tomato sauce, and beef broth into the pot and heat to a boil. Reduce the heat to a simmer and cook until the peppers are soft.
Step 4: Add the rice, then serve. Stir the cooked rice into the soup. Once it’s heated through, ladle the soup into bowls and top with feta cheese and parsley. Enjoy!
Tips and FAQs
- Remember to cook the rice at least 1 day in advance. Chilled day-old rice has already had a chance to dry out, which prevents it from becoming mushy in the soup.
- This soup is pretty brothy, but you can bulk it up by adding an extra ½ cup of cooked rice or with extra sautéed vegetables, like zucchini, mushrooms, charred corn kernels, or eggplant.
Tip
This recipe moves pretty quickly, so have all of your ingredients chopped and measured before you get started.
Variations
- Turn up the heat – Sauté a diced jalapeno with the bell peppers, add a pinch of chili flakes with the other seasonings, or stir in a generous dollop of harissa paste with the canned tomatoes.
- Vegetarian option – For vegetarian stuffed pepper soup, swap the ground beef for your favorite store-bought vegan ground beef and use vegetable broth instead of beef broth.
- Instead of rice – Use your favorite cooked grain, like quinoa or farro, as a substitute. You can also omit the rice entirely if you prefer a thinner consistency.
- Add more herbs – Fresh basil, thyme, or oregano stirred into the soup at the end would take the fresh Italian flavors up a notch!
Serving suggestions
Treat yourself to a steaming hot bowl of this soup when it’s particularly cold and gloomy outside. Top it with a sprinkle of fresh parsley and crumbled feta cheese, then grab a hunk of crusty bread or crackers for dipping. You can pair it with equally comforting side dishes, like cheesy mashed potatoes, cauliflower gratin, or balsamic brussels sprouts, but I find that one bowl is satisfying all on its own.
Can I make this with freshly cooked rice?
If you don’t have leftover rice, cook a fresh batch in a separate pot on the stove while the soup is simmering. Instead of adding the rice to the soup, add some to each bowl and ladle the soup over top. Store extra rice separately from the soup to keep it tender and fluffy.
Can I make stuffed pepper soup in the slow cooker?
Crockpot stuffed pepper soup is even more hands-off than the stovetop version! Start by browning the beef, peppers, onions, and seasonings in a skillet as normal, then add the mixture to a slow cooker along with the tomatoes and broth. Cook on LOW for 5 to 6 hours or on HIGH for 3 to 4 hours. Stir in the rice during the last 30 minutes, then serve and enjoy.
What about the Instant Pot?
To make stuffed pepper soup in the Instant Pot, turn on Sauté mode and sauté the beef, peppers, onions, and seasonings as normal. Turn off Sauté mode, pour in the tomatoes and broth, and seal the lid on top. Cook on high pressure for 10 minutes, then open the valve and perform a quick release. Stir in the rice, then serve and enjoy.
Storage
I recommend keeping the rice separate if you plan on saving the leftover soup for later. As it sits, the rice will soak up the broth and become mushy when reheating.
Refrigerator: Once the leftover pepper soup has cooled, transfer it to individual airtight containers and store in the refrigerator for 3 to 4 days.
Freezer: Stuffed pepper soup also freezes well for up to 3 months. Allow the leftovers to thaw in the refrigerator overnight before reheating.
Reheating: Add as much soup as you plan on eating to a saucepan and reheat it over medium heat on the stove. Stir in the rice before serving. If the rice has absorbed the broth or the soup is thicker, reheat it with a splash of broth to loosen the consistency.
More cozy winter soups
If you made this recipe, be sure to leave a comment and star rating below. Thanks!
Stuffed Pepper Soup
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Ingredients
- 1 lb. ground beef
- 1 red bell pepper diced
- 1 green bell pepper diced
- 1 cup onion diced
- 3 garlic cloves minced
- ½ teaspoon italian seasoning
- ½ teaspoon garlic powder
- ½ teaspoon salt plus more to taste
- 28 oz. fire roasted diced tomatoes
- 14 oz. canned tomato sauce
- 32 oz. beef broth
- 2 cups cooked rice
- ½ cup feta cheese for garnish
- ¼ cup fresh parsley for garnish
Instructions
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Cook the beef in a large pot or dutch oven, using a wooden spoon to break it up. Once it’s almost cooked all the way, add the bell peppers and onion and sauté for 3-4 minutes.
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Then, add the garlic, Italian seasoning, garlic powder, and salt and stir for 1 minute.
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Pour in the diced tomatoes, tomato sauce and beef broth, then bring the soup to a boil. Reduce heat to a simmer and simmer the soup for 10-15 minutes or until the peppers are soft.
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Add in the cooked rice and stir to combine.
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Divide the soup into bowls, top with feta cheese and parsley and enjoy!
Notes
*Rice soaks up a lot of the broth, so if you are eating this as leftovers, you may need to add more broth when reheating.
