Slow Cooker Stuffed Pepper Soup made as a cozy, dependable bowl with balanced seasoning and practical prep.
Weeknight Comfort: Slow-Simmered Stuffed Pepper Soup
All the sweet bell-pepper, tomato, and beef flavors of stuffed peppers—turned into a cozy, hands-off slow-cooker soup that feeds a crowd and improves as leftovers.
Think of this as stuffed peppers in soup form: the sweet brightness of diced bell peppers, tangy tomatoes, and browned ground beef all softened into a comforting bowl after a gentle six-hour simmer. Browning the meat with onion and garlic first builds that deep, savory base—then Worcestershire, paprika, and Italian seasoning fold in savory, smoky, and herbal notes that slow cooking amplifies instead of flattens.
The long-grain white rice goes into the cooker raw and does the heavy lifting, swelling into tender, separate grains that thicken the broth without turning it gummy. A single bay leaf anchors the top notes while diced tomatoes and tomato sauce keep the soup bright; if you like more bite from the peppers, add them later in the cook or reserve a few to stir in toward the end.
Practical tips: drain most of the fat after browning but leave a tablespoon for flavor, taste and adjust salt and acid at the end, and shorten the last stretch uncovered if you want a thicker finish. This recipe makes about six generous servings—leftovers get better as the flavors meld and freeze well in portions for easy reheating. Serve with crusty bread or a sprinkle of cheddar for a simple, satisfying weeknight dinner.
Ingredients
How to Make Slow Cooker Stuffed Pepper Soup
- Trim and dice the onion and bell peppers into roughly 1/2-inch pieces; mince the garlic and set aside.
- Heat the olive oil in a skillet over medium-high heat, add the ground beef and cook until browned, breaking it up with a spoon; add the diced onion and garlic for the last 2 minutes of browning.
- Drain excess fat from the pan (leave a tablespoon for flavor if desired) and stir in the Worcestershire sauce, paprika, Italian seasoning, salt and pepper to coat the meat; remove from heat.
- Transfer the browned beef mixture to the slow cooker and add the diced tomatoes (with their juices), tomato sauce, beef broth, diced bell peppers, uncooked rice and the bay leaf; give everything a good stir to combine.
- Cover and cook on Low for 5.5–6.5 hours (or High for 3–3.5 hours) until the rice is tender and the peppers are soft; check at the shorter time to ensure rice texture you prefer.
- Taste for seasoning about 30 minutes before serving and adjust salt and pepper if needed, remove and discard the bay leaf.
- Stir in half the chopped parsley and let the soup rest for 5 minutes off heat so flavors meld and the rice finishes absorbing liquid.
- Ladle into bowls and top with shredded cheddar and remaining parsley; serve hot with crusty bread if desired.
Recipe Card
Slow Cooker Stuffed Pepper Soup
Slow Cooker Stuffed Pepper Soup made as a cozy, dependable bowl with balanced seasoning and practical prep.
- Prep
- 20 min
- Cook
- 6 hr
- Servings
- 6
Ingredients
Instructions
- Trim and dice the onion and bell peppers into roughly 1/2-inch pieces; mince the garlic and set aside.
- Heat the olive oil in a skillet over medium-high heat, add the ground beef and cook until browned, breaking it up with a spoon; add the diced onion and garlic for the last 2 minutes of browning.
- Drain excess fat from the pan (leave a tablespoon for flavor if desired) and stir in the Worcestershire sauce, paprika, Italian seasoning, salt and pepper to coat the meat; remove from heat.
- Transfer the browned beef mixture to the slow cooker and add the diced tomatoes (with their juices), tomato sauce, beef broth, diced bell peppers, uncooked rice and the bay leaf; give everything a good stir to combine.
- Cover and cook on Low for 5.5–6.5 hours (or High for 3–3.5 hours) until the rice is tender and the peppers are soft; check at the shorter time to ensure rice texture you prefer.
- Taste for seasoning about 30 minutes before serving and adjust salt and pepper if needed, remove and discard the bay leaf.
- Stir in half the chopped parsley and let the soup rest for 5 minutes off heat so flavors meld and the rice finishes absorbing liquid.
- Ladle into bowls and top with shredded cheddar and remaining parsley; serve hot with crusty bread if desired.
Nutrition
- Carbohydrates
- 30
- Saturated Fat
- 10.3
- Sodium
- 1100
- Fiber
- 4.3
- Unsaturated Fat
- 13.2
- Protein
- 24
- Fat
- 24
- Cholesterol
- 77
- Trans Fat
- 0.2
- Calories
- 428
- Sugar
- 9.6