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Stuffed Pepper Soup gives you every cozy flavor of a classic stuffed pepper, ground beef, sweet peppers, rice, and a rich tomato broth, in a one-pot soup that is ready in 30 minutes. I started making it on busy weeknights when I wanted comfort food without the fuss of hollowing out peppers, and it has been a cold-weather staple ever since. If hearty bowls are your thing, you will also love our creamy chicken pot pie soup.
All the comfort of stuffed peppers with none of the work, simmered into one big, satisfying pot.
Stuffed Pepper Soup Quick Look
- 🕒 Prep Time: 10 minutes
- 🌡️ Cook Time: 20 minutes
- ⏳ Total Time: 30 minutes
- 🍽️ Serving: 6 servings
- ⚡ Calories: 318kcal
- 🌶️ Flavor Profile: Savory and hearty with sweet peppers, beef, and a rich tomato broth
- ✋ Difficulty: Easy, as simple as our cozy white chicken chili
Quick Answer
Brown ground beef in a Dutch oven and set it aside. Cook chopped green pepper and onion in olive oil until tender, then add garlic. Stir the beef back in along with chopped and crushed tomatoes, beef broth, and Italian seasoning, then simmer for 20 minutes. Stir in cooked rice, season with salt and pepper, and serve garnished with parsley.
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Why This Recipe Works
Click to see the technique science
- It tastes just like stuffed peppers. Beef, peppers, rice, and tomato deliver all the classic flavor without the work of stuffing and baking.
- One pot, 30 minutes. Everything cooks in a single Dutch oven, so it is a fast, comforting weeknight dinner with easy cleanup.
- Two kinds of tomatoes build the broth. Chopped tomatoes add texture while crushed tomatoes make the broth rich and thick.
- Cooked rice keeps it quick. Stirring in already-cooked rice at the end means it stays tender and never turns mushy.
- It is naturally hearty and filling. A bowl is a complete meal of protein, veggies, and grains, no sides required.
- It reheats and freezes beautifully. The flavor only deepens overnight, making it a perfect make-ahead and meal-prep soup.
Why You’ll Love This Recipe
- It delivers all the cozy flavor of stuffed peppers in a fraction of the time and effort.
- It is a true one-pot meal, ready in about 30 minutes with easy cleanup.
- It is hearty enough to be dinner on its own, just like our comforting corn chowder.
Key Ingredients
Here is what gives this soup its stuffed-pepper flavor. Just simple, hearty staples you probably already have.
- Ground Beef: the savory base; brown it well for the best flavor, or swap in ground turkey to lighten it up.
- Green Peppers and Onion: the classic stuffed-pepper aromatics that give the soup its signature taste.
- Chopped and Crushed Tomatoes: the duo that builds a broth that is both chunky and rich.
- Cooked White Rice: stirred in at the end so it stays tender; it is the heart of any stuffed pepper.
- Beef Broth and Italian Seasoning: the savory, herby backbone, like the base of our chicken enchilada soup.
See recipe card for exact quantities.
Variations and Substitutions
This soup is easy to customize for your family or whatever you have on hand.
- Use a different protein: ground turkey, chicken, or Italian sausage all work beautifully.
- Mix up the peppers: use red, yellow, or orange bell peppers for a sweeter, more colorful soup.
- Swap the grain: brown rice, quinoa, or cauliflower rice make easy substitutions.
- Add cheese: top each bowl with shredded mozzarella or cheddar for a cheesy stuffed-pepper feel.
- Make it in the slow cooker: brown the beef, then add everything but the rice and cook low, stirring in cooked rice at the end, like we do with our cheeseburger tater tot casserole components.
How to Make Stuffed Pepper Soup
- In a large Dutch oven, cook the ground beef over medium heat until no longer pink, then drain off the excess fat and set the beef aside.
- Heat the olive oil in the same pot and cook the chopped green pepper and onion until tender, about 5 minutes, then add the garlic and cook until fragrant.
- Add the browned beef back to the pot along with the cooked rice, chopped and crushed tomatoes, beef broth, and Italian seasoning, then bring to a boil and simmer for 20 minutes until the peppers soften.
- Season with salt and pepper to taste, then ladle into bowls, garnish with fresh chopped parsley if desired, and serve hot.
Recipe Tips & Tricks
- Brown the beef well and drain the fat so the broth stays rich, not greasy.
- Add the rice at the end and keep it separate if meal-prepping, so it does not soak up all the broth and turn mushy.
- Use both chopped and crushed tomatoes for the best balance of chunky texture and thick, rich broth.
- Simmer a little longer if you like softer peppers and a deeper-flavored broth.
- Taste before serving and adjust the salt, the same way we season our white chicken chili.
- Add broth when reheating; the rice absorbs liquid as it sits, so loosen it with a splash of broth or water.
Serving Ideas and Suggestions
Stuffed Pepper Soup is a complete meal in a bowl, but a slice of crusty bread or a warm dinner roll is perfect for soaking up the rich tomato broth.
Top each bowl with shredded cheese, a dollop of sour cream, or extra parsley, and serve it alongside a crisp green salad for a cozy, balanced dinner, much like our chicken pot pie soup night.
Make it part of a comfort-food spread with a batch of homemade meatballs for the table, or follow it with another hearty bowl like our creamy Zuppa Toscana later in the week.
Stuffed Pepper Soup FAQs
Yes. Brown the ground beef first, then add it to the slow cooker with the peppers, onion, garlic, tomatoes, broth, and seasoning. Cook on low for 6 to 7 hours, then stir in the cooked rice at the end.
Yes, this recipe stirs in already-cooked rice at the end so it stays tender. If you store leftovers, keeping the rice separate prevents it from soaking up all the broth and turning mushy.
Absolutely. Ground turkey, ground chicken, or Italian sausage all work great and let you customize the flavor and richness.
Store it in an airtight container in the fridge for up to four days. Reheat on the stovetop or in the microwave, adding a splash of broth since the rice absorbs liquid as it sits.
Yes, it freezes well for up to three months. For the best texture, freeze the soup without the rice and add freshly cooked rice when you reheat it.
It is a hearty, balanced meal with lean protein, vegetables, and whole grains all in one bowl. To make it even lighter, use lean ground beef or ground turkey, choose a low-sodium broth, and stir in extra peppers, zucchini, or spinach. Swapping in brown rice or cauliflower rice boosts the fiber or trims the carbs, so it is easy to fit into almost any eating plan.
Craving another warm bowl of comfort? Our creamy chicken pot pie soup is another easy, family-favorite weeknight dinner.
Love a cozy bowl? Our hearty beef barley soup is pure comfort food.
For another cozy bowl, simmer up our turkey chili.
Pair this soup with our moist jalapeno cornbread for the coziest meal.
Stuffed Pepper Soup
Ingredients
- 1 lb ground beef
- 1 Tablespoon olive oil
- 2 cups green pepper chopped
- 1 cup onion chopped
- 2 cloves garlic minced
- 1 14.5 ounce can chopped tomatoes
- 1 14.5 ounce can crushed tomatoes
- 4 cups beef broth
- 1 Tablespoon Italian seasoning
- 1 cup cooked white rice
- Salt and pepper to taste
- Optional fresh parsley for serving
Instructions
- In a large dutch oven, cook ground beef until no longer pink. Drain and set aside.1 lb ground beef
- Heat olive oil over medium heat and cook the green pepper and onion until tender. Add the garlic and cook for one additional minute.1 lb ground beef
- Add the beef back into the pot, along with the chopped tomatoes, crushed tomatoes, beef broth, italian seasoning and white rice.1 lb ground beef
- Simmer for 20 minutes.1 lb ground beef
- Add salt and pepper to suit taste.1 lb ground beef
- Serve garnished with fresh chopped parsley if desired.1 lb ground beef
Video
Nutrition
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