When you’re craving the cozy comfort of stuffed peppers but don’t have the time for all the hoopla, a soup version is the answer! My Stuffed Pepper Soup brings together the beloved flavors and textures of the original classic dish, without the hands-on effort. No baking dishes, no fuss. Just a quick cook of ground beef, sausage, peppers, tomatoes, and onions, finished with lots of fluffy rice stirred in at the end. So easy!
The Shortcut to Stuffed Pepper Bliss
It’s very likely that you grew up with stuffed peppers, like I did. They were a special treat because their preparation is sort of fussy: pre-cooking the peppers for proper texture, preparing the stuffing and meat sauce, and then actually stuffing the peppers.
We were a semi-big family, so those recipe photos on other blogs with the four cute little cheek-pinching, multi-colored, perfectly stuffed peppers in a square baking dish? That was not reality in my house lol. We’re talking a 9″x13″ pan of peppers threatening to topple with every jostle.
While the energy to recreate that experience is practically non-existent these days, the soup version is definitely something I can get behind. It cooks up so quickly, and it’s no more hands-on effort than your basic soup. A little chopping, a little stirring, and you’re good to go!
Stuffed Pepper Soup is —
- Inspired by the comfort food classic: It’s warm, satisfying, and packed with familiar, comforting flavors.
- Simple to make: Everything cooks up quickly, making it perfect for busy weeknights.
- A time-saver: Get all the great taste of stuffed peppers without the multiple steps and lengthy baking time.
- Family-friendly: If your kids are intimidated by a big ole pepper sitting on their plate, this soup is far more approachable (especially when capped with lots of cheese!).
And hey, if you’d like to explore more beef soups inspired by other famous dishes, check out my Taco Soup, my Philly Cheesesteak Soup, and my Mongolian Beef Soup. So delicious as soups!
Key Ingredients
Proteins — Ground sirloin is usually my go-to for soup, as it’s lean and meant to be cooked quickly. I also use Italian sausage because, while I don’t have my mom’s recipe for her family-famous stuffed peppers, I have a memory of sausage being part of the mix. It adds so much flavor! If you use a fattier selection of beef, take care to monitor the rendered fat after cooking. You’ll want to drain some of it off.
Peppers — Bell peppers are the stars here, and you’ll want to use a lot of them! Measure with your heart. I usually buy one big red bell pepper and two big green bell peppers, and chop them into different sizes, large and small, so that they have more prominence in the finished soup.
Seasonings — This soup doesn’t need much assistance from herbs and spices, so I keep it fairly simple: garlic powder, smoked paprika, Italian herbs, and salt.
Rice — I use white rice, although you can sub brown rice with no problem. This is important, though: While it seems like a good idea to cook the rice in the soup to absorb the flavors, don’t. Cook the rice separately so that its own flavor and texture stands out within the soup. When rice is cooked in the classic stuffed pepper dish, it remains a flavor-contributing ingredient, even during the long bake. But in a soup, it can’t help but absorb the flavors of the liquid and lose much of itself in the process.
Tomatoes — Stuffed Pepper Soup gets much of its character from tomato products. I use both sauce and diced for umami and added texture.
How to Make Stuffed Pepper Soup
Ready to make the recipe? Skip to the recipe card now to see the full ingredient list, quantities, prep/cooking times, and printable, detailed instructions. Or, keep scrolling for a visual walk-through of making the soup.
Prep notes
Here’s a quick guide for prepping the ingredients, if you need it (not including anything that simply needs to be measured out of a container, such as dried herbs and liquids).
- Peel the onion and chop into small dice, discarding the stem and root end. Clean the celery ribs, slice off any worn ends, and dice.
- Clean and remove the seedhead from the peppers and chop.
- Clean the parsley leaves, remove any thick stems, and mince.
- Shred the cheese if you purchased a block (and are using).
Brown the proteins
Brown the ground beef and sausage, breaking up the clumps as you go. Remove from the pot and set aside.
Saute the aromatics
Cook the onions, celery, and peppers until they lose their hard edges and begin to soften. Stir in the seasonings and tomato paste.
Simmer the soup and cook the rice
Add the remaining liquids, along with the reserved meat, and bring everything up to a simmer. While the soup is doing its thing, cook the rice in a separate pot.
Finish the soup
Add the cooked rice, along with the parsley, just before serving. Let your diners add cheese as they desire.
Storing
This soup stores beautifully for several days. For maximum stuffed pepper flavor, store the soup separately from the rice in the fridge and combine after reheating. But that being said, storing the rice mixed in the soup is not a bad at thing at all. The rice just loses some of its dominance.
The soup also freezes beautifully without the rice. It’s a great meal to make-ahead and have on hand for those days when cooking inspiration just isn’t surfacing.
I hope you’ll get a chance to try this soup. Let me know what you and the fam thought in the comments below, or tag me (with photos!) on IG (@soupaddict).
Stuffed Pepper Soup
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 pound ground sirloin
- 1/2 pound Italian sausage
- 1 cup diced onions
- 2 ribs celery , diced
- 1 cup chopped green bell pepper (2 medium)
- 1/2 cup chopped red bell pepper (1 medium)
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 2 teaspoons smoked paprika
- 1 tablespoon dried Italian herb blend
- 1 tablespoon tomato paste
- 8 ounces tomato sauce
- 14 ounces fire roasted diced tomatoes
- 2 cups beef broth
- 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
- 2 teaspoons brown sugar
- 1 teaspoon beef Better Than Bouillon (optional)
- 2 tablespoons minced fresh flat-leaf parsley
- 2 cups cooked rice*
- Shredded Monterey Jack or parm for topping (optional)
Instructions
- Heat the oil in a large soup pot or Dutch oven over medium, until the surface of the oil shimmers. Add the beef and sausage and brown completely, breaking up large chunks as it cooks. Transfer the meat to a plate or bowl.
- If you used lean ground beef, you probably won’t have to drain off any of the fat, but if there’s more than two tablespoons, remove some of it.
- Add the onions, celery, and bell peppers to the pot and saute until all have softened (the peppers will probably take the longest).
- Add the tomato paste and the herbs and spices and stir until well blended.
- Pour in the tomato sauce, diced tomatoes (with their juices), broth, and Worcestershire sauce. Increase heat to high. Stir in the brown sugar and Better Than Bouillon (if using).
- Add the browned beef and sausage to the soup.
- Bring the soup to an active simmer and adjust heat to maintain it (aggressive boiling is not necessary). Simmer for 15 minutes.
- (Note that if you’re making the rice from dried, you can cook it while the soup simmers. Follow package directions.)
- At the end of cooking, reduce heat to low, and stir in the parsley. Add the cooked rice (reheat first if using leftovers) just before serving, and top the bowls with cheese (if using).