Slow Cooker Stuffed Pepper Soup with Fresh Herbs made as a cozy, dependable bowl with balanced seasoning and practical prep.
All the Comfort of Stuffed Peppers—In a Bowl
A hands-off slow-cooker soup that captures the sweet-tangy, savory notes of classic stuffed peppers with minimal fuss.
If you love the warm, tomato-forward comfort of stuffed peppers but don’t want to stand over a tray in the oven, this soup is the answer. Ground beef browned with onion and garlic gives the broth a meaty backbone, while diced bell peppers and tomatoes soften into a cozy, spoonable stew that tastes like dinner and leftovers at once. Long-grain rice cooks right in the pot, swelling with the broth so every bite has a tender, comforting pillowy texture.
Browning the beef and gently sautéing the aromatics first isn’t glamorous, but it’s the small step that keeps the slow-cooker version rich instead of flat. Once everything’s in the slow cooker—tomatoes, tomato sauce, beef broth, a splash of Worcestershire and Italian seasoning—you can walk away and let four hours of gentle simmering do the work. If you prefer firmer rice, stir in cooked rice near the end instead of cooking it the whole time.
Fresh herbs stirred in just before serving are the bright note that keeps the bowl from feeling heavy—think chopped parsley and basil for lift. The soup is forgiving: it freezes well, reheats easily on the stovetop, and tolerates small swaps (different bell pepper colors, a little extra Worcestershire) without losing its comfort factor.
Serve it with grated cheese, crusty bread, or a simple green salad for contrast. It’s the kind of weeknight meal that arrives at the table warm, fragrant, and exactly what you wanted without a lot of hands-on time.
Ingredients
How to Make Slow Cooker Stuffed Pepper Soup with Fresh Herbs
- Core, seed and chop the bell peppers into 1/2-inch pieces, peel and dice the onion, mince the garlic, and roughly chop the parsley and basil; set the rice and broth within reach.
- Heat 1 tbsp olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat, add the ground beef and brown, breaking it up with a spoon until no pink remains (6–8 minutes); drain off excess fat if needed.
- Add the diced onion and minced garlic to the skillet with the beef and cook until the onion is translucent, about 3 minutes, then add the chopped bell peppers and cook 2 more minutes to soften slightly.
- Transfer the beef and vegetables to the slow cooker and add the diced tomatoes, tomato sauce, beef broth, Worcestershire sauce, dried Italian seasoning, salt, and black pepper; stir to combine.
- Cover and cook on LOW for 3 hours (or HIGH for 1½ hours) to allow flavors to meld but avoid overcooking the rice if added at the start.
- Stir in the uncooked long-grain rice, cover, and continue cooking on LOW for 45–60 minutes (or on HIGH for 45 minutes) until the rice is tender and the soup has thickened to your liking.
- Taste and adjust seasoning with more salt or pepper if needed, then stir in the chopped fresh parsley and basil and let the soup rest in the closed cooker for 5 minutes to marry flavors.
- Ladle into bowls and serve hot with a sprinkle of grated Parmesan at the table; store leftovers in the refrigerator up to 4 days or freeze for up to 3 months.
Recipe Card
Slow Cooker Stuffed Pepper Soup with Fresh Herbs
Slow Cooker Stuffed Pepper Soup with Fresh Herbs made as a cozy, dependable bowl with balanced seasoning and practical prep.
- Prep
- 20 min
- Cook
- 4 hr
- Servings
- 6
Ingredients
Instructions
- Core, seed and chop the bell peppers into 1/2-inch pieces, peel and dice the onion, mince the garlic, and roughly chop the parsley and basil; set the rice and broth within reach.
- Heat 1 tbsp olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat, add the ground beef and brown, breaking it up with a spoon until no pink remains (6–8 minutes); drain off excess fat if needed.
- Add the diced onion and minced garlic to the skillet with the beef and cook until the onion is translucent, about 3 minutes, then add the chopped bell peppers and cook 2 more minutes to soften slightly.
- Transfer the beef and vegetables to the slow cooker and add the diced tomatoes, tomato sauce, beef broth, Worcestershire sauce, dried Italian seasoning, salt, and black pepper; stir to combine.
- Cover and cook on LOW for 3 hours (or HIGH for 1½ hours) to allow flavors to meld but avoid overcooking the rice if added at the start.
- Stir in the uncooked long-grain rice, cover, and continue cooking on LOW for 45–60 minutes (or on HIGH for 45 minutes) until the rice is tender and the soup has thickened to your liking.
- Taste and adjust seasoning with more salt or pepper if needed, then stir in the chopped fresh parsley and basil and let the soup rest in the closed cooker for 5 minutes to marry flavors.
- Ladle into bowls and serve hot with a sprinkle of grated Parmesan at the table; store leftovers in the refrigerator up to 4 days or freeze for up to 3 months.
Nutrition
- Carbohydrates
- 34
- Saturated Fat
- 6.5
- Sodium
- 920
- Fiber
- 3.5
- Unsaturated Fat
- 12
- Protein
- 24
- Fat
- 19
- Cholesterol
- 60
- Trans Fat
- 0.3
- Calories
- 410
- Sugar
- 4