Description
Stuffed Pepper Soup is a hearty and comforting dish featuring ground beef, bell peppers, tomatoes, and cooked rice simmered together in a flavorful broth seasoned with Italian herbs and Worcestershire sauce. This soup captures the flavors of stuffed peppers in a warm and easy-to-make bowl, perfect for a satisfying lunch or dinner.
Ingredients
Scale
Meat and Base
- 1 lb. lean ground beef
- 1 tablespoon olive oil, divided
Vegetables
- 1/2 medium yellow onion, diced (about 1/2 cup)
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 red bell pepper, finely chopped
- 1 green bell pepper, finely chopped
Liquids and Canned Goods
- 2 (14.5 oz.) cans diced tomatoes
- 1 (15 oz.) can tomato sauce
- 2 cups beef broth
Seasonings
- 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
- 1 tablespoon sugar, or to taste (optional)
- 1 teaspoon Italian seasoning
- Salt and pepper, to taste
Additional Ingredients
- 2 cups cooked long grain white rice
- 2 tablespoons fresh Italian parsley, chopped
- Shredded cheddar or mozzarella cheese, for serving (optional)
Instructions
- Brown the beef. In a Dutch oven over medium heat, brown the ground beef, breaking up any clumps as it cooks. Drain off any grease and season with salt and pepper to taste. Remove the beef from the pot and set aside.
- Sauté vegetables. Add 1 tablespoon of olive oil to the pot and sauté the diced onion and chopped red and green bell peppers until softened, about 5 minutes. Add the minced garlic and sauté for 30 seconds more until fragrant.
- Combine ingredients. Stir the cooked beef back into the pot along with the diced tomatoes, tomato sauce, and beef broth. Add Worcestershire sauce, sugar if using, and Italian seasoning. Taste and adjust salt and pepper as needed.
- Simmer the soup. Bring the mixture to a gentle boil, then reduce heat to medium-low and let simmer for 20 minutes, stirring occasionally to blend flavors.
- Add rice and parsley. If serving immediately without leftovers, stir in the cooked rice and chopped parsley, then simmer for 1-2 minutes until heated through. If planning for leftovers, stir in parsley only and add the rice separately to each bowl when serving.
- Serve. Dish the soup into bowls and garnish with shredded cheddar or mozzarella cheese if desired. Serve hot and enjoy your comforting stuffed pepper soup.
Notes
- Use cooked rice because raw rice would absorb too much liquid during cooking, making the soup too thick.
- For leftovers, store the rice separately to prevent it from soaking up all the broth; reheat rice and add to soup bowls before serving.
- To make the soup soupier, add additional beef broth while cooking or when reheating.
- Enhance flavor by adding smoked paprika or cumin.
- Add more vegetables like celery, carrots, mushrooms, spinach, or potatoes for extra nutrition and texture.
- Include more meat options such as Andouille sausage, Italian sausage, or cooked chorizo for variation.
- Add heat with red pepper flakes, diced green chiles, or sliced jalapenos.
- For a Mexican twist, add taco seasoning to the beef and garnish with Mexican shredded cheese.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 cup
- Calories: 280 kcal
- Sugar: 7 g
- Sodium: 600 mg
- Fat: 12 g
- Saturated Fat: 4 g
- Unsaturated Fat: 7 g
- Trans Fat: 0 g
- Carbohydrates: 25 g
- Fiber: 4 g
- Protein: 20 g
- Cholesterol: 55 mg
