This Stuffed Pepper Soup has all the incredible flavors of stuffed peppers, like ground beef, bell peppers, fire-roasted tomatoes, garlic, and rice, with much less time and effort.
Think of this recipe as deconstructed stuffed peppers. Serve this hearty soup with corn muffins or garlic cheese bread for a down-home memorable meal.
This soup has the same fantastic flavors as stuffed peppers with much less work. Think of it as deconstructed stuffed peppers in soup form. Preparing this soup takes about thirty minutes, making it doable for weeknights.
Ingredient Notes and Substitutions
- Ground beef: Use ground beef with some fat. Fat gives the beef flavor. You can substitute ground turkey, pork, chicken, or Italian sausage for the ground beef.
- Bell Peppers: Use any color bell pepper.
- Fire Roasted Tomatoes: I love the added flavor, but you can use any canned diced tomatoes.
- Rice: You can use any long-grain rice or short-grain rice, including white rice, brown rice, jasmine, basmati, or even quinoa. Brown rice will require a slightly longer cooking time.
How To Make Stuffed Pepper Soup
First, heat the olive oil over medium heat in a large pot or Dutch oven. Add the ground beef and brown it, breaking it up as it browns. About halfway through the browning process, add the onions and bell peppers. Stir several times to keep the meat browning and the vegetables from burning. Drain any excess grease from the pan. Reduce the heat to low and add the minced garlic, oregano, basil, and thyme, stirring constantly.
Add the fire-roasted tomatoes, tomato sauce, beef broth, brown sugar, and rice. Bring the mixture to a boil and then reduce it to a simmer, covering it with a lid. Simmer for about 30 minutes or until the rice is tender. Season with kosher salt and fresh ground black pepper to taste. Top each bowl with a bit of shredded cheese, fresh parsley, or red pepper flakes. This soup is best served promptly.
Preparation Tips and Storage
- Dice your bell peppers into small bite-size pieces. You can use any combination of colored bell peppers.
- If you know you will save leftovers, cook the rice separately and spoon a small amount into each bowl before adding the soup. This way, the rice will not continue to soak up the liquid and swell.
- Leftovers can be stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. When reheating, use a reduced power level in the microwave and an extra low on the stovetop to prevent the rice from cooking more.
Serving Suggestions
This is a hearty, thick soup that is filling. I like to serve it with baguettes with sweet cream butter or cornbread. Other options include a garden salad, grilled cheese, or chicken quesadilla. I serve something light for dessert, like lemon chiffon pie or orange sherbet.
Frequently Asked Questions
You can substitute ground turkey, pork, chicken, or Italian sausage for the ground beef.
You most certainly can, although the peppers will be a little softer. First, cool the soup thoroughly. Then, ladle the cooled soup into quart or gallon-sized heavy-duty freezer zipper bags. Lay the soup bags in a single layer on rimmed baking sheets and place the sheet in the freezer.
Once fully frozen, stack the bags on their sides in the freezer to save space. Thaw the soup in the fridge overnight.
More Soup Recipes
Stuffed Pepper Soup Recipe
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 lb ground beef
- 1 small onion finely chopped
- 1 green bell pepper finely chopped
- 1 red bell pepper finely chopped
- 3 cloves garlic minced
- 1 teaspoon dried oregano
- ½ teaspoon dried basil
- ½ teaspoon dried thyme
- 2 (14.5-ounce) cans fire roasted tomatoes
- 1 (15-ounce) can tomato sauce
- 2 cups low sodium beef broth
- 2 tablespoons brown sugar
- ¾ cup uncooked white or brown rice
- Kosher salt and fresh ground black pepper
- 1 tablespoon chopped fresh parsley
- Shredded cheddar cheese garnish
Instructions
- Heat the olive oil over medium heat in a large pot or Dutch oven. Add the ground beef and brown it breaking it up as it browns. About halfway through the browning process, add the onions and bell peppers and cook until the veggies are soft. Stir several times to keep the meat browning and the vegetables from burning. Drain any excess grease from the pan.
- Reduce the heat to low and add the minced garlic, oregano, basil, and thyme, stirring constantly.
- Add the fire-roasted tomatoes, tomato sauce, beef broth, brown sugar, and rice. Bring the mixture to a boil and then reduce it to a simmer and cover. Simmer covered for 25-30 minutes or until the rice is tender. Stir several times.
- Season with kosher salt and fresh ground black pepper to taste. Sprinkle with fresh parsley and if desired, cheddar cheese and serve.
Notes
- Dice your bell peppers into small bite-size pieces. You can use any combination of colored bell peppers.
- If you know you will save leftovers, cook the rice separately and spoon a small amount into each bowl before adding the soup. This way, the rice will not continue to soak up the liquid and swell.
- Leftovers can be stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. When reheating, use a reduced power level in the microwave and an extra low on the stovetop to prevent the rice from cooking more.
Nutrition
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Tammy
This was awesome other then i added extra can of tomatoes and some basil and oregano
Beth Pierce
Thanks Tammy! So glad that you liked it!
Shelia
My family isn’t big on peppers so I chopped up some cabbage instead. Delicious 😋
Beth Pierce
Thanks Sheila! So glad that you were able to make it work!
Mary
Does this soup freeze well?
Beth Pierce
Yes it does! Enjoy!
Jennifer Smith
I’ve never heard of salsa tomatoes and even looked on amazon. Can you post a brand or a picture of the can?
Beth Pierce
Here is a link and Walmart sells them under the great value label and believe I have bought hunts brand before too. You can also use a can of fire roasted tomatoes.
Van
If ur not adding rice u don’t need to add as much beef & chicken broth. I only used 2 c beef broth & 1 c of chicken broth. I probably should have used 1 c of beef broth. Oh well. This is my first time making this. I have my rice on the side! Can’t wait to taste. Looks yummy!
Beth Pierce
Thanks for the tip Van! I hope you enjoyed the soup!
Evelyn lightsey
I don’t see recipe, but I want to try it, I love stuff peppers. I just want this recipe. Then I can rate it.
Beth Pierce
The recipe is down at the bottom. Right below the post title in green font is the ability to Jump to Recipe! Just click that and you will be right at the recipe.
Kevin White
I can’t find a recipe on this page.
Beth Pierce
Sorry about that Kevin! I went in this morning and was revamping this recipe when I accidentally deleted the recipe. I am working on restoring it now. It should be up in about one hour.
Connie Bosselman
Can you use home canned tomatoes?
Beth Pierce
Yes you most certainly can!
Tawnie K Kroll
This was so easy and I loved how minimal the recipe is!!! Thank you, will have again!!
Beth Pierce
Thanks Tawnie! So glad that you liked it!
Claudia Lamascolo
I just looked at all the ingredients and have everything in my pantry and freezer to make these tonight cant wait!
Caroline
Sounds like a hearty bowlful.