There are no bell peppers to blanch or fill in this quick and easy soup that combines the classic savory flavors of your favorite stuffed peppers into one hearty, comforting soup. Stuffed pepper soup cooks in just 30 minutes and is so much easier to prepare than traditional stuffed peppers!
This Is the Perfect Clean-Out-the-Fridge Recipe for Busy Weeks
I live for an easy, clean-out-the-fridge or raid-the-pantry type of meal. Inspired by one of my favorite comfort food dinners — stuffed peppers — this stuffed pepper soup is perfect for using up the odds and ends left in your fridge at the end of a busy week.
It’s hearty, comforting, and teeming with awesome, savory flavor. I make this soup with lean ground beef, a blend of veggies, chunks of green pepper, and cooked white rice.
Just like my stuffed peppers, I serve it topped with cheddar cheese and all of its melty goodness (it’s a favorite part). It’s delicious and so easy, I guarantee it will become a family favorite.
Enjoy!
Heidi’s Tips for Recipe Success
Choose whichever color of pepper is your favorite. I prefer the slightly bitter, almost grassy flavor of green bell peppers in this soup. Green bell peppers cut through the rich broth better than sweet red peppers or mild yellow or orange peppers. You’re welcome to use whichever color you have on hand, though.
Cook the rice separately for a soupier soup. I’ve made this recipe before by adding uncooked white rice directly to the pot. Although this makes the rice super flavorful, it also gives it a soggier texture and ultimately makes more of a stew than a soup.
Add the rice last to prevent mushiness. The cooked rice is stirred into the soup in the final few minutes of cooking. It needs just 3 to 4 minutes to warm up, then the soup is ready to serve. If you add the cooked rice any earlier, it will turn mushy.
The Main Ingredients
The full recipe, with amounts, can be found in the recipe card below.
- Ground beef — I use lean ground beef but you could try ground sausage too.
- Aromatics — Yellow onion, celery, and garlic form the flavor base of our soup.
- Green bell peppers — I prefer the flavor of green bell peppers best for this soup, but you could use red, yellow, or orange if that’s what you have.
- Tomato products — I used a blend of tomato paste for deep umami flavor and fresh Roman tomatoes for extra tomato flavor without adding excess moisture.
- Beef base — I prefer using concentrated beef base over a beef stock as it has a richer beefy flavor and lends the best savory notes to the soup.
- Bay leaf — For aromatics (you can use fresh or dried).
- Cooked white rice — In keeping with the classic stuffed peppers dish, I like cooked white rice in this soup (you could also use brown rice though).
- Cheddar cheese — I like a medium yellow cheddar but any melty cheese works great.
How to Make Stuffed Pepper Soup in One Pot
- Brown your beef. Break the beef into bite-size pieces but don’t make them tooooo small. You still want to enjoy chunks of beef alongside chunks of the bell pepper.
- Sauté the veggies. First, cook the celery, onion, and garlic together until they’ve softened. Then add the green pepper and cook for another 3 minutes. Adding the veggies in stages lets us cook each to the perfect level of doneness and prevents them from steaming in the pot.
- Build the savory soup base. Stir in the tomato paste and cook for 1 minute to lose its raw flavor. This deepens the umami character and adds depth.
- Add the tomatoes and beef base. Stir well to combine, and season with freshly ground black pepper and salt. The beef base rounds out the acidity from the tomatoes.
- Boil and simmer. Add the water and bay leaf, then bring to a boil and return to a simmer. Water with the beef base creates an unctuous broth when it cooks with the vegetables.
- Skim any foam from the soup, cover, and cook for 10 minutes.
- Stir in the cooked rice and finish the soup. Don’t forget to top your bowl with shredded cheddar to lock in that stuffed pepper flavor!
Love stuffed peppers? Be sure to make my Mexican stuffed peppers or Southwest stuffed peppers next!
If you make this recipe, please let me know! Leave a ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ rating below, leave a comment to tell us what you think, and tag me on Instagram @foodiecrush.
Stuffed Pepper Soup Recipe
Ingredients
- 1 pound 85% lean ground beef
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt , divided
- ½ yellow onion , chopped
- 1 celery stalk , chopped
- 2 cloves garlic , pressed or minced to make 1 tablespoon
- 3 green bell peppers , seeded and chopped
- ¼ cup tomato paste
- 2 Roma tomatoes , seeded and chopped*
- ½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- 3 tablespoons concentrated beef base
- 6 cups water
- 1 bay leaf
- 1 ½ cups cooked rice
- 1 cup shredded cheddar cheese
Instructions
- Brown the ground beef. In a large stock pot or Dutch oven, brown the ground beef over medium-high, breaking it into small pieces, about 5 minutes. Season the beef with ½ teaspoon kosher salt.
- Sauté the aromatics. Add the onion, celery, and garlic and cook until the onion softens, 3-4 more minutes. Add the green pepper and cook for another 3 minutes.
- Build the soup. Stir in the tomato paste and cook for 1 minute to lose its raw flavor. Add the tomatoes and beef base and stir well to combine. Season with freshly ground black pepper and the rest of the salt. Add the water and bay leaf, then bring to a boil and return to a simmer. Skim any foam from the soup, cover, and cook for 10 minutes.
- Stir in the cooked rice. Cook until the rice is warmed through, 3-4 minutes. Taste for seasoning and serve topped with shredded cheddar cheese.
Notes
Nutrition
What to Serve With Stuffed Pepper Soup
Ingredient Substitutions
- Swap 1 or 2 of the green bell peppers for another color like red, yellow, or orange
- Instead of fresh tomatoes, use a 15-ounce can of diced tomatoes in its juice
- Add some chopped Savoy cabbage
- Try cooked orzo instead of cooked rice, or omit the rice if you’re looking to cut carbs
- Swap the ground beef for ground turkey
- To make this soup vegetarian, use a concentrated vegetable base instead of beef base, and add white beans or pinto beans in place of the ground beef
- Serve with a dollop of sour cream if you like
More Cozy Soups Made with Ground Beef
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Katie
This was easy to make and perfect for a one pot meal. I’d definitely make it again and have loved every foodie crush recipe I’ve tried!
Thank you for your positive comment Katie! Happy to hear you enjoyed it!
nessa
a very tasty and filling soup! i freeze extra portions and save them for lazy lunches
Great meal prep tip Nessa! Thank you for the comment and 5 stars too.