Stuffed Pepper Soup is everything you LOVE about stuffed peppers without the hassle! You only need one pot for this easy, freezable meal. The trick here is sautéing the onions and bell peppers for a long time so they get very soft and browned, so their flavor and texture doesn’t overpower. Ground beef and rice add substance to the soup for a complete, absolutely delicious meal (that also happens to be gluten free and dairy free)!
This stuffed pepper soup uses almost the exact same ingredients as Greek Stuffed Peppers (Gemista). It has almost the exact same flavor profile but it’s a million times easier because it’s all done in one pot. I also love that you don’t have to heat up the oven for this!
Stuffed pepper soup is the perfect recipe for the transition from summer to fall, when bell peppers are still in season (and cheap!) but it’s starting to be chilly enough for soup.
So grab a big ol’ pot and let’s get to it! Be sure to watch the video tutorial in the recipe card below, too.
Ingredients in Stuffed Pepper Soup
- Bell peppers – any color will do, I like to use a mix!
- Onions
- Ground Beef – or another ground meat, like turkey, chicken, lamb, or pork. Sausage can also be used, or a vegan ground beef substitute. You may need to adjust seasonings depending on what you use here.
- Herbs – fresh parsley, dried oregano, and mint (if you have it). This is flexible – feel free to use what you have on hand.
- Red wine – this is optional, but adds a little something-something.
- Crushed tomatoes – diced will work just fine, or even some marinara sauce.
- Chicken broth – or vegetable, or beef broth.
- Rice – I used converted (parboiled) rice (Ben’s Original). You can use whatever kind you want. See below for more on this.
How to make Stuffed Pepper Soup
- First, sauté bell peppers and onions in olive oil. Cook it for a while, until the peppers and onions are very soft and browned. This will likely take at least 10 minutes.
- Add the ground beef and herbs. Break the beef apart and cook until fully browned.
- Pour in the red wine (if using), chicken broth, and tomatoes. Bring to a boil.
- Stir in the rice and cover, then cook on low until the rice is fully cooked.
- Stir in a little more olive oil after turning off the heat and serve! I like topping it with some Romano cheese.
FAQs
Yes! Keep in mind – different rice varieties require different cooking times and liquid amounts. So you may find that if you use something like basmati, it will need less time and less liquid, or if you use arborio or wild rice, it will need more time and more liquid.
Yes! Just make sure to use vegetable broth instead of chicken and use a vegan ground beef substitute or vegan sausage.
Yup! This soup will freeze wonderfully for about 6 months in an airtight container.
This version is! It’s also dairy free.
Other cozy soup recipes
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Stuffed Pepper Soup with Ground Beef and Rice
This easy stuffed pepper soup recipe features ground beef, rice, herbs, and tomatoes – it’s a simple twist on Greek stuffed peppers in soup form!
Servings: 8 servings
Calories: 327kcal
Ingredients
- 4 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil divided
- 3 large bell peppers any color, diced
- 2 yellow onions diced
- 1 – 1½ lb. ground beef or other ground meat (see notes)
- ¼ cup chopped fresh parsley
- 1 teaspoon dried oregano
- 2 tablespoons chopped fresh mint or 2 teaspoons dried, optional
- ½ cup red wine optional
- 6 cups chicken broth or vegetable or beef broth, see notes
- 15 oz. canned crushed tomatoes or diced, see notes
- 1 cup rice any kind; I used converted, see notes
- ½ – 1 teaspoon kosher salt (see notes)
- ½ teaspoon black pepper
- Romano or parmesan cheese for serving, optional
Instructions
In a large pot or Dutch oven, heat 2 tablespoons of the olive oil over medium-high. Add the diced onions (2) and diced bell peppers (3) and sauté until very and starting to brown, stirring occasionally, about 10-12 minutes.
Add the ground beef (1 – 1½ lbs.), fresh chopped parsley (¼ cup), dried oregano (1 teaspoon), and fresh chopped mint (2 tablespoons), if using. Break beef apart with a wooden spoon and continue cooking until beef is fully cooked and browned.
Pour in the wine (½ cup), if using, and scrape up any browned bits from the bottom of the pan (if not using, just skip it entirely). Pour in the chicken broth (6 cups) and crushed tomatoes (15 oz.). Bring to a boil. Turn heat down to low, stir in the rice (1 cup), cover, and cook until rice is done, about 20 minutes (depending on type of rice used, see notes).
Turn off heat. Stir in remaining 2 tablespoons of olive oil. Season to taste and serve sprinkled with Romano or parmesan cheese, if desired.
Notes
- I prefer lean ground beef for this recipe, since we’re adding olive oil to the soup. But any kind will work (you may want to remove some of the fat after browning the beef with a spoon, if you can, if you use a fattier ground beef).
- Alternatives to ground beef: ground pork, turkey, chicken, lamb, or a combo will work in this soup. You can use ground sausage if you like; since it has salt in it, be careful of adding too much extra salt. A vegan alternative to ground beef will also work.
- I usually use homemade chicken stock but feel free to use vegetable or beef broth, or something like better than boullion for the broth base here.
- Different rices cook for different amounts of time. I used converted/parboiled rice (Ben’s Original), but basmati, brown rice, or even wild rice would be delicious here. Just keep an eye on cooking time and add more or less liquid depending on which rice you use (if you are unsure, you can start with 4 cups and just add more broth or water if needed toward the end of cooking).
- The amount of salt you’ll need depends on how much salt is in your chicken broth. If you are unsure, start with 1/2 teaspoon and add more after the soup is done to taste.
- This soup freezes well in an airtight container for 6 months.
- Make it vegetarian / vegan: use vegetable broth and a vegan alternative to ground beef, like beyond beef or a vegan sausage.
Nutrition
Calories: 327kcal | Carbohydrates: 30g | Protein: 18g | Fat: 14g | Saturated Fat: 4g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 8g | Trans Fat: 0.4g | Cholesterol: 37mg | Sodium: 312mg | Potassium: 676mg | Fiber: 3g | Sugar: 5g | Vitamin A: 496IU | Vitamin C: 46mg | Calcium: 61mg | Iron: 3mg
Nutrition Information Disclaimer
The provided nutrition information is my best estimate and does not include any added sodium from seasoning to taste, any optional ingredients, and it does not take brands into account. I use an automatic API to calculate this information. Feel free to calculate it yourself using one of these tools:
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