Stuffed Pepper Soup Recipe

Stuffed pepper soup takes everything good about classic stuffed bell peppers—savory beef, tender peppers, tomatoes and rice—and turns it into an easy, hearty soup. It’s especially good for fall because you get the comfort-food feel without having to individually stuff and bake peppers.

The broth becomes rich and tomatoey as everything simmers together, while the rice makes the soup filling enough to serve as dinner.

Recipe Summary

Prep Time: 15 minutes
Cook Time: 35 minutes
Total Time: 50 minutes
Servings: 6

Ingredients

1 lb ground beef

1 tablespoon olive oil, if needed

1 medium yellow onion, diced

1 green bell pepper, diced

1 red bell pepper, diced

3 cloves garlic, minced

2 tablespoons tomato paste

1 can (14.5 oz) diced tomatoes

1 can (15 oz) tomato sauce

4 cups beef broth

1 teaspoon Italian seasoning

1 teaspoon paprika

½ teaspoon dried oregano

½ teaspoon garlic powder

½ teaspoon onion powder

½ teaspoon salt, plus more to taste

¼ teaspoon black pepper

1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce

1 teaspoon brown sugar, optional

1 cup cooked white rice

1–2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley

Shredded mozzarella or Parmesan for serving, optional

How to Make Stuffed Pepper Soup

1. Brown the beef

Heat a large Dutch oven or soup pot over medium-high heat. Add the ground beef and cook for about 5–7 minutes, breaking it into crumbles as it browns.

Drain excess grease if necessary.

2. Sauté the vegetables

Add the diced onion, green bell pepper and red bell pepper to the pot.

Cook for about 5 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the onion begins to soften and the peppers become slightly tender.

Add the garlic and cook for another 30 seconds.

3. Build the tomato base

Stir in the tomato paste and cook for about 1 minute. This helps deepen its flavor before adding the liquid.

Add the diced tomatoes, tomato sauce and beef broth.

4. Season the soup

Stir in the Italian seasoning, paprika, oregano, garlic powder, onion powder, salt, black pepper and Worcestershire sauce.

For a slightly sweeter tomato flavor similar to traditional stuffed peppers, add the optional teaspoon of brown sugar.

5. Simmer

Bring the soup to a gentle boil.

Reduce the heat to medium-low, cover partially and simmer for 20–25 minutes, or until the peppers are tender and the flavors have come together.

Taste and adjust the salt and pepper.

6. Add the rice

Stir 1 cup of cooked rice into the soup just before serving and allow it to heat for 2–3 minutes.

Finish with chopped parsley.

Serve hot with shredded mozzarella or Parmesan on top if desired.

How to Make Stuffed Pepper Soup in a Crockpot

Brown the ground beef first and drain the grease.

Transfer it to the slow cooker with the onion, peppers, garlic, tomato paste, diced tomatoes, tomato sauce, broth, Worcestershire sauce and seasonings.

Cook on LOW for 6–7 hours or HIGH for 3–4 hours.

Stir cooked rice into individual servings rather than adding it to the entire slow cooker.

What to Serve With Stuffed Pepper Soup

This is filling enough to be dinner by itself, but it's especially good with crusty bread, garlic bread, a grilled cheese sandwich or a simple side salad.

For an extra cozy fall dinner, serve a big bowl with buttery garlic bread for dipping.

Ground Beef Substitutions

Ground beef gives this soup the most traditional stuffed-pepper flavor, but you can substitute:

Ground turkey

Ground chicken

Italian sausage

A 50/50 mixture of ground beef and Italian sausage

Italian sausage + ground beef is particularly good if you want a richer version.

What Peppers Are Best for Stuffed Pepper Soup?

I like using one green and one red bell pepper.

Green bell pepper provides the slightly savory, classic stuffed-pepper flavor, while red pepper adds sweetness. Yellow or orange bell peppers also work if you prefer a sweeter soup.

Why I Recommend Cooking the Rice Separately

You can cook uncooked rice directly in stuffed pepper soup, but I prefer keeping it separate.

Rice continues absorbing broth as the soup sits. By the next day, what started as soup can become extremely thick.

Cooking the rice separately lets you add exactly as much as you want to each bowl and keeps leftovers much soupier.

If you're planning to eat the entire pot immediately, you can add about ½ cup uncooked long-grain white rice during the simmer. You may need an additional 1–2 cups of broth.

Can You Make Stuffed Pepper Soup Without Rice?

Yes. Simply leave it out for a lighter soup.

You can also replace the rice with cauliflower rice. Add cauliflower rice during the last 5–7 minutes of cooking so it doesn't become too soft.

Storage

Store leftover stuffed pepper soup in an airtight container in the refrigerator for 3–4 days.

For the best texture, store the rice separately and combine it with the soup when reheating.

The soup base also freezes well. Freeze without the rice for up to 3 months, thaw overnight in the refrigerator and add freshly cooked rice when reheating.