Are you craving stuffed peppers, but want less fuss and mess to clean up? Try this easy stuffed pepper soup recipe.
It tastes similar to stuffed peppers, but can be ready faster. You can turn your cold day into a warm, tasty moment with a little spin on this American dinner classic!
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Questions
What is the best way to cut up a bell pepper?
- Start by rinsing and drying off the bell pepper.
- Slice off the top, including the stem, then cut it in half from top to bottom.
- Scoop out the membrane and seeds with a grapefruit spoon, then discard them.
- Slice into ¼ to ½ inch strips.
- Line up 4 or 5 strips and cut into smaller pieces.
How do you make this in a crockpot?
- Brown the meat in a large skillet, or in a crockpot designed for browning meat in it. Drain the meat.
- Add the cooked meat to the crockpot with all the other ingredients, except the oil, rice, and garnishes.
- Add an extra ½ cup of broth and put the lid on.
- Cook on high heat for 3 to 4 hours, or on low for 6 to 7 hours.
- Just before serving, add cooked rice to each bowl and sprinkle freshly grated Parmesan cheese and parsley.
Can you make this as a freezer meal?
Yes, you can! It's so simple--just follow the directions below.
- Brown and drain the ground beef.
- Cut up the bell peppers, chop up the onion, and mince up the garlic.
- Place the cooked meat, peppers, onion, garlic and dry spices in a zip-top freezer bag.
- Label the bag and write the date on it. It will keep for 2 months in the freezer.
- When ready to use, thaw in the fridge overnight.
- Place the thawed ingredients in the crockpot. Add beef broth, diced tomatoes, tomato sauce, Worcestershire sauce, and cubed Parmesan rind.
- Cover and follow the crockpot instructions from above.
Is this gluten free?
It's simple to make sure this recipe is gluten free. Just check that the diced tomatoes, tomato sauce, and beef broth are gluten free before you leave the grocery store. Substitute the rice for quinoa or cauliflower rice.
How to Make
Gather the ingredients. Chop up the onion and peppers, mince the garlic, and cut the Parmesan rind into cubes.
Brown the ground beef over medium-high heat, breaking up the chunks of meat into smaller pieces with a metal flipper.
Drain the beef using a large slotted spoon and place into a bowl.
Cut up the bell pepper. (See tips at the beginning of this post.)
Heat the oil over medium high heat, then add the peppers and cook for 3 minutes.
Add the chopped onion and garlic and saute.
Add the rest of the ingredients, except the rice and garnishes, then pour in the beef broth.
Stir until well combined. Cover and bring to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer for 30 minutes. Cook the rice while the soup simmers. Taste and adjust seasonings, if necessary.
Skim the fat off the top with a large spoon.
Add the rice to individual bowls, ladle the soup on top, and garnish with parsley and freshly grated Parmesan cheese. Serve hot with a crisp side salad and fresh homemade rolls or cornbread.
Variations
- Can't eat rice? Swap it out for quinoa, cauliflower rice, or pearl barley.
- Want it spicy? Use jalapeno, poblano peppers, and crushed red pepper flakes.
- Need it to be vegetarian? Use meatless crumbles or red lentils and vegetable broth.
- Don't eat red meat? Switch it to ground turkey, ground pork or Italian sausage.
- Want a Mexican flair? Use enchilada sauce, green chilis, hominy, and pinto or black beans.
- Want other rice options? Use brown, yellow, or Spanish rice.
- Looking for different spices? Try Italian seasoning, thyme, chili sauce, parsley, or onion powder.
- Want additional vegetables? Use celery and grated carrots.
Pro Tips
- Don't like green peppers? Use red, orange or yellow bell peppers.
- Need a one pot option? Cook everything in a Dutch oven.
- Want a thinner soup? Increase beef broth by 1 cup, and reduce cooked rice to 1 cup. Add the cooked rice to individual bowls instead of the pot.
- Want to freeze leftovers? Leave out the rice and Parmesan cheese.
Comfort food is the best dinner on a cold day. Here's some ideas to get you hungry!
The pleasure of a 5-star review would be greatly appreciated.
Recipe
Easy Stuffed Pepper Soup Recipe
Ingredients
- 2 ¼ pounds ground beef
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 4 cups green bell pepper, chopped (4 large peppers)
- 2 ½ cups yellow onion, chopped (2 large onions)
- 2 tablespoons garlic, minced
- 28 ounce can petite diced tomatoes, no salt added
- 28 ounce can tomato sauce, no salt added
- 4 cups unsalted beef broth
- ¼ cup Parmesan cheese rind
- 3 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
- 3 tablespoons dried basil
- 2 tablespoons dried oregano
- 2 tablespoons light brown sugar, packed
- 4 teaspoons salt
- 2 teaspoons black pepper
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 cup uncooked jasmine rice, or 2 cups cooked rice
- ½ cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese, for garnish
- ¼ cup fresh parsley, for garnish
Instructions
- In a large skillet over medium high heat, cook the ground beef until no longer pink. Stirring to break up the beef. Drain. Place meat in a bowl and set aside.
- In a dutch oven, heat up the oil over medium high heat. Saute the green peppers for 3 minutes while stirring occasionally then add the onion and cook 3 more minutes. Add the garlic and cook until fragrant, roughly 1 minute while constantly stirring.
- Add the cooked ground beef, diced tomatoes, tomato sauce, beef broth, Parmesan cheese rind and spices to the Dutch oven. Stir until well combined. Cover and bring to a boil over medium high heat. Reduce heat to medium low and simmer for 30 minutes stirring occasionally. Taste it as it simmers and adjust spices, if necessary.
- While it simmers, cook the rice separately according to the package instructions and put in a bowl.
- If necessary, skim any fat from the surface with a large soup. Place the fat in a small bowl.
- To serve, add cooked rice to each bowl then ladle the soup over top. Stir to combine. If you choose to add all the cooked rice to the big pot of soup, the rice will absorb some of the liquid, which will result in a thicker soup. If you plan on having leftovers, and you added the all the rice to the soup, you will have to thin the soup with water, beef broth, or tomato sauce before eating it. You will also have to adjust the seasonings, because the soup has been diluted.
- Garnish with a sprinkle of freshly grated Parmesan cheese, fresh parsley, and a few grinds of fresh black pepper. Serve with a side salad and a slice of fresh bread.
Notes
- This soup keeps for up to 4 days covered in the fridge.
- Freeze in a zip-top freezer bag for up to 2 months. Just leave out the rice and cheese, and add when ready to serve.
- If you added all the rice to your soup, thin it out with extra beef broth, tomato sauce, or water the next day, then adjust seasonings.
- If this recipe was too thick, thin the soup by increasing beef broth by 1 cup, and reduce cooked rice to 1 cup. Add the cooked rice to individual bowls instead of the pot.
Beth
I really like how this soup has all the ingredients of stuffed peppers, but in soup form. This is super yummy.
Emma
Thanks, Beth!