This hearty and delicious healthy stuffed bell pepper soup is filled with lean ground beef, fresh veggies, and plenty of herbs and spices.
The Best Healthy Stuffed Pepper Soup
Healthy stuffed bell pepper soup may just be my new favorite soup! I love stuffed peppers but I do not always love the extra work they take to make.
Thankfully, this delicious soup gives you all of the flavor of stuffed peppers with less work! All you need is one pot and around thirty minutes to make this naturally gluten free soup that’s inspired by the classic stuffed pepper recipe.
This hearty bell pepper soup is filled with lean ground beef (you could easily substitute turkey!), fresh veggies, and plenty of herbs and spices. I love to top mine with shredded cheddar cheese for the ultimate gooey, cheesy bite.
Watch How to Make This Recipe
Stuffed pepper soup makes an easy weeknight dinner that everyone will love. Plus, the leftovers are even better the next day which makes this recipe a great one to meal prep for the week. It’s cozy, comforting, and so dang good.
Soup Ingredients
Full list of ingredients and instructions in the recipe card, below.
Lean Ground Beef: I like to use 90% or 93% lean ground beef for this recipe. It has great flavor and less fat which means you can skip having to drain the meat before continuing to make the soup.
Bell Peppers and Onion: You obviously cannot have stuffed bell pepper soup without plenty of fresh bell pepper and the onion helps to give the soup even more flavor. I used a combination of red and green bell pepper for this recipe.
Garlic: Plenty of fresh garlic helps to build the soup’s flavor. I know it may be tempting, but skip the pre-minced garlic in the jar and use the fresh stuff instead. It really does make a difference.
Spices and Herbs: This soup uses combination of Italian seasoning, crushed red pepper flakes, and a dried bay leaves.
Tomatoes: You will use a combination of fire roasted diced tomatoes and crushed tomatoes for this recipe.
Broth: I used chicken broth but feel free to use veggie or beef if you prefer.
Long-Grain White Rice: Any long-grain white rice will work for serving this soup. My favorites are jasmine or basmati rice. Don’t want to serve the soup over white rice? I include a few different serving options below.
Helpful Tools
- Large heavy-bottomed pot with a lid (like a dutch oven)
- Sharp knife
- Cutting board
- Measuring cups and spoons
How to Make Stuffed Pepper Soup
Full list of ingredients and instructions in the recipe card, below.
Step One: Heat a large pot over medium heat. Once hot, add the olive oil. Next, add the ground beef to the pot to brown. Break it up as it cooks.
Step Two: Once the beef is brown, add the diced bell pepper, onion, minced garlic, Italian seasoning, crushed red pepper flakes, and dried bay leaves. Stir until well combined and cook for a few more minutes until the onion begins to become translucent.
Step Three: Next, add the diced tomatoes, crushed tomatoes, and chicken broth. Stir until well combined.
Step Four: Bring the soup to a boil and then reduce the heat to low to let simmer. Cover the soup with a lid and let simmer for 25-30 minutes.
Step Five: While the soup is simmering make the rice. Add the oil, rice, water, and salt to a pot. Bring to a boil, reduce the heat to a simmer, and cover. Cook according to the package directions until there is no more water remaining and the rice is fluffy.
Step Six: Now serve the soup! Add a bit of rice to a bowl and then ladle the soup overtop. Top with white cheddar cheddar cheese and sliced green onion.
Can I Use Ground Turkey Instead of Ground Beef?
Yes! This soup would be just as tasty with ground turkey instead of ground beef. I recommend using dark meat ground turkey for the best results.
Ways to Prep This Soup in Advance
Prep Option One: Chop all of the veggies in advance. When it’s time to make the soup you will be able to whip it up in no time.
Prep Option Two: Make the rice in advance and then freeze. One of my favorite prep hacks is to make a big pot of rice in advance and then freeze in a freezer safe storage bag. When I’m ready to use it, I just reheat the rice in the microwave.
Prep Option Three: Make the soup in advance! Tomato based soups like this are typically even better the next day in my personal opinion so, this is a great recipe to make on a Sunday for a quick and easy dinner on Monday. You can just reheat the soup on the stove while you prep your rice.
Can I Make This Recipe in the Slow Cooker?
Yes! You can easily make this soup in the slow cooker if you prefer.
To make the soup in the slow cooker:
- Sauté the ground beef until browned on the stovetop.
- Next add the diced onion, garlic, and diced bell peppers. Sauté for 2-3 more minutes until the onion becomes translucent.
- Transfer the ground beef, onion, and garlic mixture to the base of your slow cooker.
- Add crushed and diced tomatoes, spices, and broth to the slow cooker and cook on low for 6 hours.
- Make the rice separately on the stovetop and then serve.
Serving Options
- Brown rice – if you like, you can serve this soup with hearty brown rice instead of white.
- Cauliflower rice – if you want to add an extra dose of veggies, you can also serve this soup with steamed cauliflower rice instead of white or brown rice.
- Shredded cheddar – topping this soup with plenty of shredded sharp cheddar cheese is a must for me. SO GOOD. You could also use shredded Monterrey or mozzarella cheese if you prefer.
- Green onion – thinly sliced green onion adds an extra dose of flavor and is a perfect way to finish the soup.
- Parsley – if you would like even more herby goodness, a finishing sprinkle of chopped fresh parsley is another great touch.
More Soup Recipes You Will Love
Creamy Chicken and Wild Rice Soup
Healthy Broccoli and Cheddar Soup
I hope you give this Healthy Stuffed Bell Pepper Soup a try! It’s a delicious and hearty soup that the whole family will love.
If you do give this recipe a try, I want to know! Leave a comment with a star rating below. You can also snap a photo & tag @allthehealthythings on INSTAGRAM. Your reviews help support All the Healthy Things and make it possible for me to continue to create the recipes you know and love.
Print
Hearty Stuffed Bell Pepper Soup
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 30 minutes
- Total Time: 40 minutes
- Yield: 6 1x
- Category: Soup
- Method: Stovetop
- Cuisine: American
- Diet: Gluten Free
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 30 minutes
- Total Time: 40 minutes
- Yield: 6 1x
- Category: Soup
- Method: Stovetop
- Cuisine: American
- Diet: Gluten Free
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon olive or avocado oil
- 1 pound ground beef (90% lean or 93% lean)
- 1 small to medium red bell pepper (roughly 1 cup diced)
- 1 small to medium green bell pepper (roughly 1 cup diced)
- 1 small to medium yellow onion (1 – 1 1/2 cups diced)
- 6 cloves garlic, minced
- 2 teaspoons Italian seasoning
- 1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
- 2 dried bay leaves
- salt and pepper, to taste
- 2– 14.5 oz cans fire roasted diced tomatoes
- 2 cups crushed tomatoes
- 3 cups chicken broth
- shredded white cheddar, for serving
- sliced green onion for garnish
For the rice
- 1 tablespoon avocado or olive oil
- 1 cup white long-grain rice (like jasmine rice)
- 1 1/2 cups water
- salt, to taste
Method
- Heat a large pot over medium heat. Once hot, add the olive oil.
- Next, add the ground beef to the pot to brown. Break it up as it cooks.
- Once the beef is brown, add the diced bell pepper, diced onion, minced garlic, Italian seasoning, crushed red pepper flakes, and dried bay leaves. Stir until well combined and cook for 2-3 minutes until the onion begins to become translucent.
- Next, add the diced tomatoes, crushed tomatoes, and chicken broth. Stir until well combined.
- Bring the soup to a boil and then reduce the heat to low to let simmer. Cover the soup with a lid and let simmer for 25-30 minutes.
- While the soup is simmering make the rice. Add the oil, rice, water, and salt to a pot. Bring to a boil, reduce the heat to a simmer, and cover. Cook according to the package directions until there is no more water remaining and the rice is fluffy.
- Now serve the soup! Add a bit of rice to a bowl and then ladle the soup overtop. Top with white cheddar cheddar cheese and sliced green onion.
Notes
Slow Cooker Instructions:
- Sauté the ground beef until browned on the stovetop.
- Next add the diced onion, garlic, and diced bell peppers. Sauté for 2-3 more minutes until the onion becomes translucent.
- Transfer the ground beef, onion, and garlic mixture to the base of your slow cooker.
- Add crushed and diced tomatoes, spices, and broth to the slow cooker and cook on low for 6 hours.
- Make the rice separately on the stovetop and then serve.
Recipe by: Ashlea Carver / All the Healthy Things | Photography by: Casey Colodny / THE MINDFUL HAPA
