Easy Stuffed Pepper Soup has all the flavors and textures you love about stuffed peppers without the extra time and work. This hearty soup is a complete meal and it can be on the table in around 30 minutes.
Stuffed peppers have always been a hit or miss dish for me. I’m not sure why they give me so much trouble. But, it seems that the peppers are always shriveled, super mushy and or tough by the time they finish baking. I tend to eat the filling and leave the pepper. I LOVE peppers, so that’s always disappointing.
In my delicious Stuffed Pepper Soup the peppers are softened, but still have a little crisp freshness to them. The savory tomato broth is flavored with garlic, onion, Italian seasoning, savory ground beef and a smidge of red pepper flakes. Rice adds, yet another layer of texture and makes the soup a full, hearty meal.
Soup can definitely be comfort food and Stuffed Pepper Soup is in that scrumptious category!
Table of Contents
As always, I have included a picture tutorial. I hope it’s great help. If you’re a seasoned cook, just click Jump to Recipe at the top of this page or The Recipe in the Table of Contents. Enjoy, Friends! Have a wonderfully blessed weekend! ~ Glenda
The Ingredients for Stuffed Pepper Soup
- Avocado Oil : We’ve talked about this one before. Use the oil you have on hand and are comfortable with. I like avocado oil because of it’s high smoke point and its neutral flavor.
- Lean Ground Beef : I use an 85/15 blend. It’s a perfect balance between flavor and not a lot of grease, for me.
- Onion : You know I usually opt for red, but any will work. I actually used a yellow onion in this batch, today. Use a large one. It’s a big part of the rich, savory flavor.
- Garlic: Fresh garlic, minced fine. Guys, truly, the flavor is so much better! You can even buy it pre-minced if you don’t like doing it on your own.
- Bell Peppers: I use all the colors! We eat first with our eyes and this bright colorful soup is so appealing. Choose your favorites, keeping in mind that green is stronger than the others. Red, yellow and orange are sweeter. So, do a combo that balances everything. You want your stuffed pepper soup to have notes of both.
- Seasonings: I used Italian seasoning, tarragon and crushed red pepper flakes. You can be flexible and pick a flavor profile that fits you and your pantry, but I love these flavors together.
- Tomatoes: see note, below
- Tomato Sauce
- Broth: I have successfully used vegetable, chicken and beef broth in this recipe. Use what you have on hand. If you feel that the flavor is weak, add a bouillon cube or two or your favorite chicken or beef base to zhoozh it up a little.
- Minute Rice: see note, below
- optional, Parmesan: Is it necessary? No. Is it over the moon delicious? Yes!!! I’m not talking about shaker can powder stuff, here. Fresh grated Parmesan with its savory, salty umami-ness. Yum!
Choose the Correct Tomatoes
For Stuffed Pepper Soup, use the best quality, whole, peeled canned tomatoes you can afford. The tomatoes are the base flavor for this entire dish. You want them to be “tomatoey”, not left over bits and pieces that couldn’t be sold fresh.
My favorite brand is Jovial. They come canned in glass jars and they have great tomato flavor. Wouldn’t you know, I can’t get them locally. Small town problems. -sigh- I order them on Vitacost.com, 10 jars at a time, since they have flat rate shipping and I can usually find a coupon. If you live in a bigger town or city, your stores probably carry them.
My second choice for tomatoes would be Cento San Marzano tomatoes. I can buy them locally. And the flavor is good.
I use whole, peeled tomatoes and crush them in my hand as I add them to the stuffed pepper soup. Diced tomatoes are often fine in quick recipe preparations. However, I am realizing more and more as I cook, that the diced tomatoes are left over bits and pieces. You’ll see a distinct color difference between whole and diced. Whole are deep red, while diced are pale in comparison. The flavor is simply better in whole peeled tomatoes.
Whole peeled tomatoes also break down more easily in the recipes you’re cooking. Diced have calcium chloride added. That helps them retain their shape, even during cooking. They don’t break down as easily.
Choose the Correct Rice
Minute Rice isn’t always the solution, but in this recipe, it’s a must. This is for speed. But, it’s also for texture.
Don’t use regular white or brown rice in this recipe. If you have pre-cooked rice on hand you can add that in place of the Minute Rice, but that’s the only acceptable substitution.
Regular white or brown rice will not only take longer, but will absorb all the liquid out of your pepper soup while it cooks.
How to Make Easy Stuffed Pepper Soup
2. Brown ground beef, breaking and crumbling as it cooks.
3. Add onions and garlic to ground beef over medium high heat. Cook until onions are softened, about 5 minutes.
5. Add diced peppers and herbs.
6. Add the tomatoes and their juice. Break the tomatoes into pieces by hand.
8. Once soup is boiling, shut off the heat. Stir in the Minute Rice and cover the pot with a lid.
9. Leave the pot covered for 5 minutes to cook the rice. Stir the Stuffed Pepper Soup and then it’s ready to serve.
The Recipe
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Stuffed Pepper Soup
- Total Time: 45 minutes
- Yield: 6 to 8 servings 1x
Description
Easy Stuffed Pepper Soup is a delicious, quick-fix supper done in 30 minutes. All the flavor you love without the fuss.
Ingredients
- 1 Tablespoon avocado oil
- 1 lb. lean ground beef
- 1 large red onion (yellow or white work, too)
- 2 Tablespoons minced garlic
- salt and pepper, to taste
- 4 large bell peppers (any color – I usually use all different colors.)
- 1 Tablespoon Italian seasoning
- 1/2 teaspoon dried tarragon
- 1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
- 1 (28 oz.) can whole peeled tomatoes (quality brand)
- 1 (15 oz) can tomato sauce
- 4 cups broth (beef, chicken or vegetable all work equally well)
- 1 cup dry Minute Rice
- optional garnish: grated Parmesan cheese and minced parsley
Instructions
- Mince the onion and dice the bell peppers. I try to get the bell pepper pieces to be about 1/2″ square.
- Heat the avocado oil in a large stock pot over medium high heat.
- Add the ground beef. Break it into small pieces as it browns. Cook until no pink remains.
- Add the onion and garlic to the beef and cook for 4-5 minutes.
- Salt and pepper the ground beef mixture, to taste.
- Add the diced bell peppers, tomatoes, tomato sauce, broth, Italian seasoning, red pepper flakes, bay leaf and sugar to the pot.
- Bring soup to a boil and then reduce to a simmer.
- Cook for 15 minutes or until peppers are tender.
- Remove from heat and add 1 cup of Minute Rice to the pot. Stir to distribute evenly. Cover with a lid and allow to sit for 5 minutes.
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 30 min
- Category: Soup
- Method: Stove Top
- Cuisine: American
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About Glenda
I believe cooking from scratch doesn’t have to be complicated and that YOU can do it. My simple recipes, tutorials, and cooking tips will help you get weeknight dinners on the table with less stress. Forget takeout or the drive-thru. Let me show you how to make homemade easy. Read more...
