Stuffed Pepper Soup
This easy Stuffed Pepper Soup has all the flavors of stuffed peppers but in a soup. Ground beef, peppers, rice, broth and seasonings!
ALL THE FLAVORS OF STUFFED PEPPERS IN A SOUP!
One of my absolute favorite comfort foods is Stuffed Peppers. They can be a bit tedious to make though, right? This Stuffed Pepper Soup is an easy way to get all that delicious stuffed pepper flavor without all the work. This soup is ridiculously yummy!! It is a hearty, filling soup made with ground beef, bell peppers, and rice that is all simmered in a seasoned tomato-based broth. You just can’t go wrong!
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS:
One cup of uncooked long grain rice will make about 3 cups of cooked rice.
Yes, you can make a vegetarian version of stuffed pepper soup by substituting the ground beef with a plant-based protein like lentils or chickpeas. You can also add more vegetables, such as zucchini, eggplant, and mushrooms.
Yes, you can make stuffed pepper soup in a slow cooker. To do this, brown the ground beef and sauté the vegetables in a skillet before transferring them to a 4 quart slow cooker. Add the remaining ingredients (minus the rice) to the slow cooker and stir to combine. Cover and cook on low heat for 4-6 hours or on high heat for 2-3 hours, until the vegetables are tender. Add the rice in the last 1/2 hour of cooking (so it doesn’t absorb too much broth.)
It doesn’t matter if you’re looking to cut carbs, choose “healthier” options, or just out of rice, there are tons of other options to try to use than traditional white rice if needed. You can try cauliflower rice, quinoa, orzo, or other options. You can try traditional white rice or brown rice too.
There are all sorts of ideas to try. You can try adding some crushed red pepper flakes, banana peppers, or hot sauce. Whatever your taste buds prefer and you have on hand. You can even try a can of Rotel.
Yes, you can make this soup ahead of time. Store as usual and then reheat when you’re ready to eat it.
Stuffed pepper soup will last about 2-3 days in the refrigerator. Keep in mind thought that the rice will continue to absorb liquid. If you are wanting to make stuffed pepper soup to have for the week, I would suggest making the soup without adding any rice. Store that in the refrigerator and add a bit of the cooked rice to the soup for each serving before reheating. This will keep the rice from being mushy.
Yes, stuffed pepper soup can be frozen for up to 3 months. To freeze the soup, let it cool completely, then transfer it to airtight containers or Ziploc bags and place it in the freezer. To serve, thaw the soup in the refrigerator and reheat it on the stove or in the microwave. However, keep in mind rice can become mushy when re-heated and it also continues to absorb the liquid it is in.
INGREDIENTS NEEDED (SEE RECIPE CARD BELOW FOR THE FULL RECIPE)
- ground beef– I recommend sticking to a leaner ground beef. If you choose a fattier ground beef, make sure to drain off any excess grease when cooking it. You could swap the ground beef out for ground chicken, ground turkey, or ground sausage. Over the years, I’ve even had readers share that they used venison and bison!
- onion – I use a sweet yellow onion here. I don’t know why they call them sweet since they aren’t sweet. I guess it just means they are slightly less pungent than your standard yellow onion.
- green pepper– if you prefer a sweeter profile, try this with red bell pepper.
- canned diced tomatoes – if you want to step up the flavor you can use fire roasted tomatoes.
- tomato soup– many of my readers have shared that they used V8 or other tomato juices instead of tomato soup. Also, some readers have shared using tomato sauce instead of soup to make this a rich soup. That’s something else you could try sometime.
- chicken broth – can be swapped for beef broth or vegetable broth.
- cooked rice– it really is important that it is COOKED rice! Otherwise the rice will absorb the liquid as it’s cooking and make this more of a thick stew.
- sugar – the sugar is there just to offset the acidity in the diced tomatoes. If you’ve ever meet an Italian grandmother you know she always puts a bit of sugar in her tomato sauces. This does not give it any sweetness at all. However, feel free to leave it out although I do feel you lose some of the balance of flavor when you do so.
- garlic powder – you could use fresh garlic or jarred garlic for this as well. I always say you measure garlic with your heart. Add a little in and taste and go from there.
- salt and pepper
- shredded cheddar cheese – this is optional. We all like to top ours with cheese but that is definitely a personal preference.
HOW TO MAKE STUFFED PEPPER SOUP:
Dice up the onion and green pepper. In a large pot, brown and crumble ground beef along with diced green peppers and onion over medium-high heat. When cooked, drain excess grease from beef mixture.
Put beef back into pot. Add in diced tomatoes, tomato soup and chicken broth (or beef broth). Give it all a good stir. Then add in rice. Stir in seasonings; sugar, garlic powder, salt & pepper (to taste).
Cover and let soup simmer on low heat for about 30 minutes to let all the flavors blend. The longer it simmers – the thicker it will get as the rice continues to absorb the liquids. And serve! Optional: serve this soup with shredded cheddar cheese on top.
CRAVING MORE RECIPES?
- Stuffed Pepper Casserole
- Crock Pot Stuffed Peppers
- Chicken Stuffed Peppers
- Crock Pot Taco Soup
- Crock Pot Chicken Parmesan Soup
- Instant Pot Stuffed Peppers
- Cabbage Roll Soup
- Crock Pot White Lasagna Soup
- Hamburger Vegetable Soup
- Lasagna Soup
- Sausage Corn Chowder
- 100 Ground Beef Recipes
- 25 Fall Soup Recipes
Originally published: November 2012
Updated photos and republished: November 2024
Stuffed Pepper Soup (with Video)
Ingredients
- 1 pound ground beef
- 1 small onion, diced
- 1 large bell pepper, diced
- 29 ounce can diced tomatoes
- 10 ounce can tomato soup (or tomato sauce)
- 14 ounce can chicken broth (or beef broth)
- 2 cups cooked rice
- 1 Tablespoon sugar
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- salt and pepper, to taste
- shredded cheddar cheese (for topping, optional)
Instructions
- In a large pot, brown and crumble 1 pound ground beef along with 1 small onion, diced and 1 large bell pepper, diced over medium-high heat.
- When meat is thoroughly cooked, drain excess grease from beef mixture. Put beef mixture back into the pot.
- Add in 29 ounce can diced tomatoes, 10 ounce can tomato soup and 14 ounce can chicken broth.
- Give it all a good stir. Then add in 2 cups cooked rice. Stir again.
- Then stir in 1 Tablespoon sugar, 1 teaspoon garlic powder and salt and pepper, to taste.
- Cover and let soup simmer on low heat for about 30 minutes to let all the flavors blend. (The longer it simmers, the thicker it will get.)
- Serve with shredded cheddar cheese on top of each serving (optional.)
Video
Notes
- Please refer to my FAQ’s (Frequently Asked Questions) and ingredient list above for other substitutions or for the answers to the most common questions.
Nutrition
Nutritional Disclaimer
“The Country Cook” is not a dietician or nutritionist, and any nutritional information shared is an estimate. If calorie count and other nutritional values are important to you, we recommend running the ingredients through whichever online nutritional calculator you prefer. Calories and other nutritional values can vary quite a bit depending on which brands were used.
My husband made this soup since he is the cook and added orange,red, green and yellow peppers. It made it very colorful. It was delicious!!
Love this recipe I’ve been making it for years! I tweak it a bit.
Thank u the stuffed pepper soup is very good. I didn’t have plain diced tomatoes I did have fire roasted tomatoes used them.
That was my only adjustment honestly I believe I’ll always used the fire roasted. Anyway it’s delicious thank u
It’s more then 5 I’d say 10 stars well instead of stuffing the peppers u still could get the same flavors in way less time that’s why I’ll give it a 10
absolutely amazing had it in a little restaurant when I crossed into west Virginia came home next day found this recipe and just as good
Love hearing that Kurt! I appreciate you coming back to comment!
So so good! Beef broth is too strong a taste for me so I am like you and prefer chicken or vegetable broth. Great recipe!
I have a similar recipe from an Amish lady in Pennsylvania. Her recipe did not include onion but I think next time I make it I will try the onion.
Most possibly my favorite soup. I add a bay leave or 2.
Great idea with the bay leaf! Thanks so very much Gladys!!
Delicious soup! I substituted riced cauliflower for the rice. My husband is diabetic and I am always looking for ways to reduce sugar and carbs. Just a note, if using fresh riced cauliflower you will need to let it simmer in the soup for about 20 minutes and may need to add a little more broth.
Absolutely love this soup. To me it’s so much better than everything stuffed in the pepper. The flavors are blended better in the soup.
Delicious Stuffed Pepper Soup. I followed the recipe aside from omitting the sugar. I used Tomato Bisque Soup which had a sweet taste so decided to skip the sugar. The soup came out very good and I’ll be using this recipe again.
Delicious! A hit with the whole family and now part of the regular dinner rotation. Highly recommend adding the shredded cheese, takes it to a whole ‘nother level. So yummy!
I’m absolutely honored when a recipe becomes a keeper! Thanks so very much Keri! ❤️
Brandie to the rescue! We had a last unexpected round of late bell peppers (in November!) but had to clear the bushes before a hard freeze. Everyone wanted stuffed peppers, but the peppers, while ripe and excellent, were all much too small for stuffing. This soup worked perfectly and got gold stars from everyone. Perfect compromise and a great way to use the last garden produce! Thank you, as always!
Elizabeth, I think I need to hire you to be my full time hype woman – ha! You’re the best and I truly appreciate you always taking the time to come back and comment! So happy this one was a hit – yay!!!
can you freeze this soup
Yes you should be able to freeze it.
Can I use crockpot/slow cooker for this soup ? Let me know
I don’t see why not! I haven’t tested it yet though so I couldn’t really give you exact instructions.
Delicious and so easy! Very little dishes required. My favourite! I switched the can of tomatoe soup for a half jar of medium salsa. Nobody in my household likes green peppers, so I switched them to orange.
I am making this for dinner tonight. It sounds really yummy. Do you know what is considered a serving size? I saw it feeds 6 people.
This was a super easy, quick recipe, and it is as good warmed up as when its fresh.
I used a can of Roasted tomatoes plus a can of diced tomatoes. Outstanding.
This is the best stuffed pepper soup!
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I know! I’m sorry! I have a help ticket into them. I’ve heard it’s part of a recent update glitch. Bear with me – we’ll get it fixed!
This soup has become a family favorite! Easy, quick and delicious.
This was easy & delicious! I used one red bell pepper and one yellow… next time I may add an orange too. It was pretty thick, reminded me of eating the inside of the pepper – the best part! Even better reheated the next day.
So you doubled the recipe? Since it calls for 1 pepper
I made this tonight and I couldn’t believe how easy it is. For the rice, I microwaved a package of Uncle Bens 90 second rice. It was perfect. My husband and I loved this soup, it’s a new favorite!
Excellent!
Thank you so much Karol!!
So easy! First time this season just as good as I remember!
Wonderful soup idea. I used a lot of V8 juice instead of the soup. Also substituted orzo for the rice near the end of the 30 minute cook time and let it cook with the other ingredients. Used freshly grated asiago cheese for a topping. Simply delicious. Thanks
Love it Terri! Thanks so much for coming back to let me know how it went for you!
Big hit at my house. I use some turkey and some ground beef. I’m watching my carbs like a hawk so we make rice on the side and you laddle on however much soup you want. I always make a double batch heavy on the veggies and very rarely do we have too many leftovers. So yummy!
So easy and one of our favorites!!
Was wondering about adding cooked rice, then cooking it another 30 mins, rice coos in 20minutes., I would add uncooked rice if and when I make this recipe, sounds easy and delicious.
I see what you’re saying. The only problem is, adding uncooked rice will cause the rice to soak up the liquid it is being cooked in. So, then you’ll need to add more of the liquid ingredients so it’s still a soup.
Rainy/cold day in Wisconsin so I decided to give this recipe a try. The only thing I’d do differently next time is use Tomatoe sauce versus the soup to give it a richer flavor. I also added more garlic and some italian seasoning. Great recipe, thanks for sharing!
Thanks so much Jenn!
I made it just like your recipe and it was absolutely delicious!
I’m going to make this for a dinner I’m going to over the weekend where everyone brings a different soup. I might make it the day before. Do you think I should keep the rice separate and just add it when I reheat it right before serving so it doesn’t absorb too much of the liquid?
Hi Denise! Yes, exactly! The rice will just keep absorbing the liquid. So it definitely only needs to be added just before serving (to give it enough time to heat up) Hope that helps!
This looks amazing! I can’t wait to try it. Fall is coming, and so is soup season!
I made a few tweaks to this very wonderful recipe. I used ground turkey instead of ground beef. I felt it didn’t need any added sugar. I used chicken broth and did not add any cheese. Only 185 calories per cup. It is also very filling!
My husband and I are trying our hardest to really cut down on carbs. I’ve been using cauliflower for a TON of recipes that call for rice. I use my food processor and make “rice” from raw cauliflower. Granted, it does’t absorb like rice does, but add enough and it’s SO good. Doesn’t taste like cauliflower. My kids have been fooled in a few recipes that they’ve loved for a long time.. no clue I’ve subbed this in for rice the last few times I’ve made it!
This soup is AMAZING!!
Love, love, love hearing that! Plus, if anyone is wondering how this work with cauliflower, they will know thanks to you! Sure do appreciate you commenting! 🙂
This soup was really good. I will say though I had never cooked rice in a recipe before therefore I was a bit clueless. I actually ended up putting 2 cups of dry rice and making it separate thinking that was equivalent to 2 cups of cooked, boy I was wrong. I had liquid for the first bowl and the rest thickened so fast that the recipe just reminded me of the insides of cabbage rolls. Haha
I found it tough finding the right measurements for the canned stuff . Not sure if it’s because I’m in Canada or not so I compromised on some things,
Note to anyone that makes this and doesn’t know how rice works like me…. 2/3 cup of dry rice is equivalent to 2 cups of cooked rice . Lesson learned . Was still delicious though
Saw and saved this recipe, cooked this up tonight and we all loved it. I did add crushed red pepper and few beef bouillon cubes because I used Venison instead of beef. Thank you for the recipe!
OMG… SO good! With this random artic cold front that came thru Texas today, I wanted to make sure we had a warm homey soup. This was perfect. This is going to my recipes for sure!
Great recipe! Living alone…I halved it and substituted a can of Progresso Hearty Tomato Soup for the tomatoes and tomato soup. Definitely a keeper!
Perfect, I like to add a can of ro-tel chilies and tomatoes… Adds a lil kick.
When I cook, especially soups, nothing in my kitchen is safe! I doubled this recipe, used diced tomatoes and tomato soup. It was a bit bland for my taste so I added whatever I had on hand: can of pizza sauce, 2 cans diced green chili’s, couple table spoons of basil, couple dashes of worechestershire, and cayenne pepper. Turned out great!
I made this with a red and green pepper and doubled the recipe for my family. It was amazing! Definitely making this again soon. I don’t usually cook but this was so delicious!
So sweet Kayla! Thank you for taking the time to come back and let me know. I love that you mixed up the peppers!! I have a ton of banana peppers coming out of my garden right now and I was thinking I might cut a couple up to add into this soup. Give it a little kick! Ha!
Where can I find the nutritional information? Sounds Delicious! Especially with substituting turkey for beef….
Hi Christine! There might be some nutrition apps out there that you can download on your phone. I think if you plug in the ingredients, it will give you a break down of the nutritional information. Hope that helps! 🙂
I made this tonight for the first time. Amazing. But I did several substitutes:
Turkey instead of beef
Barley instead of Rice (more hardy)
Added an extra can of diced tomatoes since the barley is so hardy
Added worcheshire sauce for a little kick
Sounds like some good substitutions 🙂
I have a family of 6, my husband and I, an 9yr old, 8 yr old, and 6yr old girls, then the baby my 2 yr old son. Would this be enough to feed the whole family?
I guess it would really depend on appetites. You could certainly double the recipe and if you have leftovers they are great for lunches the next day or even another dinner. Hope you get to try it soon.
I doubled my recipe. Had about 1/2 left. I would say yes.i added little more meat and extra chicken stock. It’s a thick, heart soup. You could add more liquids for sure.