Stuffed pepper soup is a hearty, thick soup that is like eating a stuffed bell pepper with the ground beef, cooked rice, tomatoes and bell peppers that you love, but you eat it out of a bowl.
This easy soup recipe has ground beef and ground sausage for extra flavor along with bell peppers crushed tomatoes and your choice of white or brown rice.
This soup has the consistency of a beanless chili and flavors similar to the stuffed cabbage rolls my grandmother would make when we visited.
Jump to:
🥫 Ingredients needed:
- ground beef - I like a 80/20 blend
- ground sausage - using a hot sausage will give the dish some extra heat.
- onion diced - white onion is what I typically use but red onion would be fine.
- bell peppers - I like a mix of red bell and green bell
- garlic, minced - fresh is best but use jared if that is your only option
- crushed tomatoes - your favorite brand but frozen will work if you freeze tomatoes
- diced tomatoes, undrained - see above
- Italian seasoning
- beef broth
- Worcestershire sauce
- carrots
- brown sugar (optional)
- long grain white rice
Scroll down to the recipe at the bottom for quantities.
📝 Notes on the ingredients
Can I substitute raw rice for the cooked rice? - This recipe calls for cooked rice and leftover cooked rice would be perfectly fine to use. But if you don't have cooked rice you can use 1 cup of raw rice but be sure to add an additional 2 cups of beef stock or water so the rice has moisture to absorb as it cooks.
Why is there carrot in this recipe? - I add a bit of carrot to my recipes that have a lot of tomatoes as the main ingredient. For some people, tomatoes can be very acidic and hard to digest. The carrot will help neutralize the acid and make the dish more enjoyable. I use a Microplane grater to finely grate the carrots and my kids have no idea they are eating carrots! My halupki recipe and bolognese also have my secret grated carrot trick.
Can anything else be substituted for the rice? - For a lower-carb option use cauliflower rice for the white or brown rice. I have omitted the rice altogether and served the soup over cooked wide noodles or a baked potato.
Is there a substitute for the diced tomatoes? -If you are like my oldest daughter, who doesn't like chunky tomatoes in her food, you can still make this stuffed pepper soup recipe by omitting the diced tomatoes and substituting in equal amounts of tomato sauce.
🥄 Instructions:
- In a large pot over medium high heat, brown the ground beef and the bulk sausage until brown, breaking up into smaller pieces with a wooden spoon (approximately 5-6 minutes).
- Remove the cooked ground beef and sausage to a clean plate and drain the rendered fat from the pan, leaving just enough fat to coat the bottom of the pan.
- Add the onions and the bell peppers to the pot and cook for 4-5 minutes or until softened and the vegetables are taking on color.
- Add the grated garlic and cook for 30 seconds.
- Add the beef and sausage mixture back to the pot and stir to combine.
- Add the crushed tomatoes, diced tomatoes, beef broth, Italian seasoning, Worcestershire sauce, carrot and brown sugar, if using, to the pot; bring to a simmer.
- Cook for 15-20 minutes to allow the flavors to marry.
- Stir in the rice and season the soup with salt and pepper to taste as desired.
♨️ Variation: crock-pot instructions:
- Brown the meats and transfer the cooked meat to a crock-pot or slow cooker.
- Add the rest of the ingredients with the exception of the cooked rice to the pot and stir to combine.
- Cook on high about 3-4 hours or low for 6-8 hours.
- Stir in cooked rice when you serve the soup.
🍲 More Soup Recipes
- Lasagna Soup - This comforting soup is ready in 30 minutes and has all the classic lasagna flavors you love without turning on the oven.
- Autumn squash soup recipe (Panera copycat) - delicious, creamy, and full of fall flavors.
- Corn chowder recipe - comes together fast enough for a busy school night but tastes like you spent hours in the kitchen.
- Creamy tomato soup recipe - garden-fresh tomatoes, onions, garlic, chicken stock, and then garnished with fresh basil and a drizzle of heavy cream.
🗒️ Frequently asked questions and tips:
I add a splash of water or beef stock to my soup when I reheat it in the microwave or in a pan on the stove. The rice will continue to absorb moisture over time so adding extra water or stock will help loosen up the soup when you reheat it.
This recipe has 446 calories for a 1 cup serving. But keep in mind that can vary depending on what type of ground beef you use or if you substitute in ground turkey.
Recipe Card
Stuffed Pepper Soup Recipe
Ingredients
- 1 ½ pounds ground beef
- ½ pound ground sausage
- 1 onion diced
- 2 green bell peppers
- 1 red bell pepper
- 2 cloves garlic minced
- 1 teaspoon Italian seasoning
- 6 cups low sodium beef broth
- 1 can 16 ounces crushed tomatoes
- 1 can 28 ounces diced tomatoes undrained
- 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
- 2 tablespoons brown sugar optional
- ¼ cup shredded carrots
- 2 cups cooked long grain white rice
Instructions
- In a large pot over medium high heat, brown the ground beef and the bulk sausage until brown, breaking up into smaller pieces with a wooden spoon (approximately 5-6 minutes).
- Remove the cooked ground beef and sausage to a clean plate and drain the rendered fat from the pan, leaving just enough fat to coat the bottom of the pan.
- Add the onions and the bell peppers to the pot and cook for 4-5 minutes or until softened and the vegetables are taking on color.
- Add the grated garlic and cook for 30 seconds.
- Add the beef and sausage mixture back to the pot and stir to combine.
- Add the crushed tomatoes, diced tomatoes, beef broth, Italian seasoning, Worcestershire sauce, carrot and brown sugar, if using, to the pot; bring to a simmer.
- Cook for 15-20 minutes to allow the flavors to marry.
- Stir in the rice and season the soup with salt and pepper to taste as desired.
Video
Notes
Stuffed pepper soup crock-pot instructions:
- Brown the meats and transfer the cooked meat to a crock-pot or slow cooker.
- Add the rest of the ingredients with the exception of the cooked rice to the pot and stir to combine.
- Cook on high about 3-4 hours or low for 6-8 hours.
- Stir in cooked rice when you serve the soup.
Shadi Hasanzadenemati
I was looking for a recipe like this, thank you for sharing!