Description
This stuffed pepper soup is made with ground beef and bell peppers in a savory broth with diced tomatoes, a hint of brown sugar, and Italian seasonings. A blend of beef and chicken broth adds depth with subtle umami boosters.
Ingredients
Seasonings
1 teaspoon EACH: dried basil, oregano, parsley, mustard powder
½ teaspoon onion powder
1 pinch red pepper flakes
Soup
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 ¼ lb ground beef (90% lean)
1 yellow onion, diced
3 cloves garlic, minced
Salt and pepper, to taste
1 large red bell pepper, diced
1 large green bell pepper, diced
10 oz diced tomatoes with green chilies, undrained
16 oz tomato sauce
1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
1 teaspoon hot sauce
1–2 tablespoons brown sugar
3 cups beef broth
2 cups chicken broth
1 cup shredded cheddar or Monterey Jack cheese (optional)
Rice
1 ½ cups chicken broth
3/4 cup white long-grain rice, uncooked (or 2 ¼ cups cooked rice)
Instructions
1. Heat olive oil in a 4 ½-quart soup pot over medium-high heat. Season ground beef with salt and pepper, add to the pot, and cook/crumble 3 minutes. Add diced onion and cook 5 more minutes until beef is browned; drain grease.
2. Reduce heat to medium. Add garlic; stir to coat. Add diced red and green bell peppers and soften 3 minutes.
3. Add seasonings, diced tomatoes with green chilies, tomato sauce, Worcestershire, hot sauce, and brown sugar; stir to combine. Pour in beef broth and chicken broth and stir.
4. Bring to a gentle boil, then reduce to a simmer. Partially cover and simmer 30 minutes, stirring occasionally.
5. Meanwhile, cook the rice: Bring 1 ½ cups chicken broth to a boil in a small saucepan. Add rice, return to a boil, cover, reduce to a gentle simmer, and cook 15 minutes. Turn off heat and let sit covered 10 minutes; fluff. (Yields about 2 ¼ cups cooked rice.)
6. Remove soup from heat and stir in shredded cheese, if using.
7. To serve, spoon rice into bowls and ladle soup over the top. (If no leftovers are expected, you can add the rice directly to the pot.)
Notes
The rice is cooked separately so it doesn’t absorb too much broth; store leftover soup and rice separately. The soup freezes very well; rice can also be frozen in a separate container.
Crock Pot method: Brown beef with onions and drain. Add to slow cooker with remaining ingredients except rice and cheese. Cook on LOW 6–8 hours. Switch to warm and stir in cheese if using. Cook rice separately and add to bowls before ladling soup.
Flavor enhancers (hot sauce, Worcestershire, mustard powder) add umami—you won’t taste them individually. Any hot sauce works; Frank’s is great.
Ground turkey may be substituted. 2 ¼ cups leftover cooked rice works perfectly.
Shred cheese from a block for best melting. Nutritional info includes 1 cup optional cheese.
Storage: Refrigerate up to 3 days or freeze up to 3 months. Freeze rice separately from soup.