This Easy Stuffed Pepper Soup Is a Lazy Take on the Comfort Food Classic

Stuffed peppers, deconstructed as soup and just as satisfying.

By
Liv Dansky
Liv Dansky
Liv Dansky is a recipe tester and developer in the Dotdash Meredith Test Kitchens. Her recipes have been published in Real Simple, Southern Living, Food & Wine, and Eating Well, among other publications. Liv discovered a love of eating food, writing about food, and making food at a young age.
Learn about Simply Recipes' Editorial Process
and
Sara Bir
Sara Bir
Sara is a chef, culinary educator, and author of three cookbooks, The Pocket Pawpaw Cookbook, Tasting Ohio and The Fruit Forager's Companion. The latter won a 2019 IACP Cookbook Award.
Learn about Simply Recipes' Editorial Process
Updated November 20, 2023
Bowl of stuffed pepper soup at a table setting with another bowl, a blue table napkin, utensils on the counter, a small bowl of minced herbs, and a glass of water

Simply Recipes / Photo by Fred Hardy / Food Styling by Ana Kelly / Prop Styling by Shell Royster

With peppers, onions, garlic, ground beef, beef broth, and tomatoes, this soup has all the ingredients you typically find in stuffed peppers, but it’s even easier to make! No oven required. We like topping our bowls with a hefty helping of shredded sharp white Cheddar cheese and a sprinkling of fresh parsley.

Using microwaveable rice is a great time-saving hack. You can just toss it in the soup as-is (without microwaving it first), and it will finish cooking while the soup simmers. And, of course, feel free to use microwaveable brown rice if that’s what you prefer. 

Tips and Tricks

  • Store-bought shredded cheese has a starch coating to keep it from clumping. We suggest buying a block of cheese and shredding it yourself. 
  • You also want to use lean ground beef (85:15) because too much fat will result in a greasy soup.
  • Feel free to swap the white rice with brown rice. You can also make this with about 1 cup of leftover cooked rice.
Bowl of stuffed pepper soup topped with cheese and some of the soup in a spoon being taken from the bowl

Simply Recipes / Photo by Fred Hardy / Food Styling by Ana Kelly / Prop Styling by Shell Royster
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Stuffed Pepper Soup

Prep Time 10 mins
Cook Time 40 mins
Total Time 50 mins
Servings 6 servings
Yield 9 cups

Ingredients

  • 2 tablespoons olive oil

  • 1 large yellow onion, chopped (about 2 cups)

  • 3 cups chopped bell pepper, any color (from 3 bell peppers) 

  • 6 garlic cloves, chopped (about 2 tablespoons)

  • 2 teaspoons smoked paprika

  • 1 teaspoon kosher salt

  • 1 teaspoon ground cumin

  • 1 pound lean ground beef (85:15)

  • 1 (15-ounce) can crushed tomatoes

  • 4 cups beef broth

  • 1 (8.8-ounce) package precooked microwavable white rice

  • 6 ounces sharp white Cheddar cheese, shredded (about 1 1/2 cups)  

  • Chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley, for serving

Method

  1. Sauté the vegetables:

    Heat the oil in a large Dutch oven over medium. Add the onion, bell pepper, garlic, paprika, salt, and cumin; cook, stirring often, until the vegetables are tender, about 8 minutes.

    Sauteed vegetables in a dutch oven for stuffed pepper soup recipe

    Simply Recipes / Photo by Fred Hardy / Food Styling by Ana Kelly / Prop Styling by Shell Royster
  2. Brown the beef:

    Increase the heat to medium-high and stir in the ground beef. Cook, stirring often with a wooden spoon to crumble the meat into smaller pieces, until cooked through, about 6 minutes. If there’s a lot of fat in the pan, drain off most (but not all) of it. Stir in the crushed tomatoes, beef broth, and rice.

    Cooked browned beef and sauteed vegetables in a dutch oven for stuffed pepper soup recipe

    Simply Recipes / Photo by Fred Hardy / Food Styling by Ana Kelly / Prop Styling by Shell Royster
  3. Simmer the soup:

    Bring the soup to a boil over medium-high; reduce the heat to medium-low and simmer until the flavors meld, about 25 minutes.

    Crushed canned tomatoes and beef broth added to dutch overn for stuffed pepper soup recipe

    Simply Recipes / Photo by Fred Hardy / Food Styling by Ana Kelly / Prop Styling by Shell Royster
    Wooden spoon lifting rice, ground beef, and sauteed vegetables from stuffed pepper soup in the dutch oven

    Simply Recipes / Photo by Fred Hardy / Food Styling by Ana Kelly / Prop Styling by Shell Royster
    Cooked stuffed pepper soup in a dutch oven

    Simply Recipes / Photo by Fred Hardy / Food Styling by Ana Kelly / Prop Styling by Shell Royster
  4. Serve the soup:

    Divide the soup evenly among 6 bowls. Top evenly with cheese and garnish with parsley.

    Refrigerate leftovers for up to 4 days or freeze for up to 2 months.

    Love the recipe? Leave us a review and stars below!

    Bowl of stuffed pepper soup at a table setting with another bowl, a blue table napkin, utensils on the counter, a small bowl of minced herbs, and glasses of water

    Simply Recipes / Photo by Fred Hardy / Food Styling by Ana Kelly / Prop Styling by Shell Royster
Nutrition Facts (per serving)
447 Calories
24g Fat
31g Carbs
28g Protein
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Nutrition Facts
Servings: 6
Amount per serving
Calories 447
% Daily Value*
Total Fat 24g 30%
Saturated Fat 10g 48%
Cholesterol 78mg 26%
Sodium 1178mg 51%
Total Carbohydrate 31g 11%
Dietary Fiber 4g 13%
Total Sugars 9g
Protein 28g
Vitamin C 109mg 543%
Calcium 286mg 22%
Iron 4mg 24%
Potassium 846mg 18%
*The % Daily Value (DV) tells you how much a nutrient in a food serving contributes to a daily diet. 2,000 calories a day is used for general nutrition advice.
Nutrition information is calculated using an ingredient database and should be considered an estimate. In cases where multiple ingredient alternatives are given, the first listed is calculated for nutrition. Garnishes and optional ingredients are not included.