Why you'll love it

You know when you're craving stuffed peppers, but just thinking about the effort leaves you tired? This soup solves that! I'm all for quick and easy, and this stuffed bell pepper soup fits the bill perfectly. Honestly, the hardest part is chopping up the veggies, and I actually find that kinda therapeutic.

This is one of those soups that tastes like it's been simmering for hours, but it can be on your table in well under an hour. Your whole family can enjoy the cozy, familiar flavors of ground beef, bell peppers, and rice in this inexpensive soup on a busy weeknight and might even prefer it to actual stuffed peppers!

Just a few ingredients

Rice - I recommend a white rice variety like jasmine, basmati, or sometimes you can find rice labeled as a general "long grain white rice". Brown rice will work too.

Olive oil - the base for sautéing

Onion - use your favorite variety. I like Vidalia (sweet) onion

Ground beef - use the leanest than you can find. The 1.5 pound measurement of beef doesn't have to be exact!

Garlic - infuses more savory flavor. You can use more or less depending on preference.

Bell peppers - I used one red and one green, but any colors are fine

Tomato sauce - for my international readers, this is very similar to passata

Diced tomatoes - we're using fire-roasted tomatoes for extra flavor

Chicken broth - you could use beef broth if you prefer for a richer color and flavor

Italian seasoning - it's a blend of dried herbs that comes in a single jar

Mild paprika - one of my favorite spices to enhance the broth. It sets it apart from other soups!

Tomato success tips

The quality of your canned tomatoes really matters in this recipe. I find that Muir Glen's fire-roasted variety is ideal for this soup, but you can use regular diced tomatoes.

If you're not a fan of larger pieces of tomato, you could sub for petite diced tomatoes for a different texture.

If the tomatoes end up tasting a little bit acidic, a great trick to counter that is adding in a pinch of sugar to take the sour edge off!

How to make stuffed pepper soup on the stove

This is an overview with step-by-step photos. Full ingredients & instructions are in the recipe card below.

making rice and frying onions and garlic in a soup pot for stuffed pepper soup

Cook the rice. Meanwhile, sauté the onions for 5-7 minutes in a large pot or Dutch oven.

Add the beef and cook for 5 minutes until browned. Stir in the garlic.

adding in peppers, broth, tomatoes, and rice to stuffed pepper soup

Put in the remaining ingredients except for rice and salt & pepper, and let the soup simmer for 15 minutes. Once the rice is cooked, add it to the pot and simmer for a further 10-15 minutes, then season the soup and enjoy!

Substitutions and variations

Want to make this soup spicy? Add in hot paprika instead of regular paprika or some cayenne pepper and/or red pepper flakes.

I've seen people top this soup with shredded cheddar cheese, so feel free to do that if it's your thing!

I used ground beef in here, but you can swap in ground turkey, ground pork, or even ground chicken if you prefer.

You could cook the rice right in the soup, but I don't advise it since timing may be tricky. You also might need more liquid and to stir constantly so that it doesn't stick to the bottom of the pot.

Leftovers and storage

Leftovers will last in the fridge for a few days, but the rice will soak up the liquid the longer you leave it. You may need to add a splash of broth to revive any leftovers.

If you think you'll have lots of soup left over, you may want to store the cooked rice separately and add it just prior to serving when you're rewarming the soup.

If you plan on freezing the soup or eating the bulk of it as leftovers, I recommend not adding the rice until you're warming it up again! It'll last in the freezer for 3 months.

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