Slow Cooker Stuffed Pepper Soup
Stuffed peppers but in soup form. A total winner. It's easy, hearty, and packed with flavor. After browning ground beef, onions, red and green peppers, and garlic on the stove, transfer everything to your slow cooker where it simmers away in a tomatoey broth. To help ease weeknight dinner chaos, I cooked everything on the stovetop the night before, transferred it into my lined slow cooker, added the remaining ingredients, refrigerated, and the next night turned on the slow cooker in advance of dinner. We loved this comforting soup.
Stuffed peppers but in soup form. A total winner. It's easy, hearty, and packed with flavor. After browning ground beef, onions, red and green peppers, and garlic on the stove, transfer everything to your slow cooker where it simmers away in a tomatoey broth. To help ease weeknight dinner chaos, I cooked everything on the stovetop the night before, transferred it into my lined slow cooker, added the remaining ingredients, refrigerated, and the next night turned on the slow cooker in advance of dinner. We loved this comforting soup.
- 1/2 teaspoon dried basil
- 1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
- 1/2 teaspoon dried marjoram
- 3 cloves garlic chopped
- 3 cups cooked white or brown rice
- 1 pound 95% lean ground beef
- 3/4 teaspoon kosher salt or to taste
- 1 1/2 cups finely diced sweet vidalia onion (from about 1 me
- 1 1/2 cups chopped red bell pepper (from about 1 large peppe
- 2/3 cup chopped green bell pepper (about half of 1 large
- two 14.5-ounce cans petite diced tomatoes (i used
- 1 3/4 cups tomato sauce (one 15-ounce can)
- 2 cups reduced sodium, fat-free chicken broth
- 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground pepper or to taste
- 3 tablespoons fresh italian flat-leaf parsley, finely minced
- Carbohydrate 1.05944916658076 g
- Cholesterol 0 mg
- Fat 0.0325883333196667 g
- Fiber 0.178316663208162 g
- Protein 0.202041666652 g
- Saturated Fat 0.00656116666312 g
- Serving Size 1 1 Serving (79g)
- Sodium 151.729033333313 mg
- Sugar 0.881132503372598 g
- Trans Fat 0.00666408333108 g
- Calories 5 calories
Step-by-step
- To a large nonstick skillet or large Dutch oven, add the ground beef, kosher salt, and cook over medium-high heat to brown, crumbling it with a spatula as it cooks and tossing it to ensure even cooking. Cook through, about 5 minutes or as necessary. Drain fat if necessary.
- Add the onion, peppers, garlic, and cook for about 6 to 8 minutes, or until vegetables have softened, stir intermittently.
- Line a 6-quart slow cooker with a slow cooker liner if desired and transfer the beef mixture into it.
- Add the broth, diced tomatoes, tomato sauce, marjoram, basil, oregano, pepper, stir to combine, cover, and cook on high for about 4 hours or low for about 8 hours. All slow cookers vary in their heat intensity. Cook until done.
- Stir in the fresh parsley.
- Taste soup and make any necessary seasoning adjustments, i.e. more salt, pepper, pinch of sugar, etc.
- Ladle about 1 1/2 cups soup into each bowl and top with about 1/2 cup rice. Tip – Don’t add the rice to the slow cooker because if you have leftover soup, the rice will turn very mushy in the following days. Instead top individual bowls with rice that you store separately from the soup in an airtight container. Both soup and rice will keep airtight in the fridge, stored separately, for up to 5 days or for up to 3 months in the freezer.
My Favorite Weeknight Slow Cooker Meal: Stuffed Pepper Soup
As a busy working mom, finding time to prepare healthy and delicious meals can feel like a never-ending battle. Between juggling work deadlines, school pick-ups, and all the other demands of modern life, the last thing I want to deal with is a complicated, time-consuming dinner recipe. That’s why I've become such a huge fan of slow cooker recipes – they’re lifesavers! This Slow Cooker Stuffed Pepper Soup is my absolute go-to for a comforting, flavorful, and surprisingly easy weeknight meal. The best part? It’s packed with veggies and lean protein, so I don’t have to feel guilty about indulging in a hearty bowl of goodness.
The inspiration for this recipe came from a desire to recreate the classic comfort of stuffed peppers, but without all the fuss of individually stuffing and baking them. This soup manages to capture all the delicious flavors of a traditional stuffed pepper, but in a much more efficient and convenient way. The slow cooker does all the work, allowing the flavors to meld beautifully while I get on with my day. Seriously, the aroma alone is enough to make your mouth water. It's the kind of meal that makes your whole house smell incredible, inviting everyone to the table with its warmth and promise of deliciousness.
I love how versatile this recipe is. You can easily adjust the seasoning to your preference. Want it spicier? Add a pinch of cayenne pepper. Prefer a more herbaceous flavor? Experiment with different herbs and spices. The beauty of slow cooking lies in its flexibility – it’s a blank canvas for your culinary creativity. I often add a splash of Worcestershire sauce for an extra depth of flavor, or a squeeze of lemon juice at the end to brighten things up.
Beyond its convenience, this soup also excels in its nutritional value. It’s a great source of lean protein from the ground beef, along with a generous dose of vitamins and antioxidants from the colorful array of peppers and tomatoes. Serving it with a side of cooked brown rice adds a satisfying carbohydrate component that keeps everyone feeling full and energized throughout the evening. And let’s not forget the ease of meal prepping! I often prepare the ground beef and vegetable mixture the night before, store it in the fridge, and then simply add the remaining ingredients in the morning before heading to work. The slow cooker does its magic all day, resulting in a perfect, piping hot meal ready for us when we arrive home.
One clever trick I've discovered is to add the rice separately at serving time. This prevents the rice from becoming overly mushy if you happen to have leftovers. I generally store the rice separately in an airtight container and simply top each bowl with a serving of it right before we eat. This way, we get to enjoy the perfect texture of fluffy rice alongside the delicious soup, even on subsequent days. It's small things like this that make all the difference in maximizing the enjoyment and convenience of the meal.
The benefits of this Slow Cooker Stuffed Pepper Soup extend beyond simply being a delicious and convenient dinner. It’s a fantastic meal prep option, allowing you to make a large batch at once and enjoy it throughout the week. It reheats beautifully, making it perfect for busy lunch breaks or easy weeknight dinners. This recipe has become a regular staple in our house, saving me both time and stress in the kitchen. It’s a testament to how a simple, well-executed recipe can make a huge difference in the life of a busy working mom (or anyone, really!).
So, if you’re looking for a hearty, healthy, and effortlessly delicious meal that fits seamlessly into a busy lifestyle, give this Slow Cooker Stuffed Pepper Soup a try. You won’t be disappointed. The combination of savory ground beef, sweet peppers, and tangy tomatoes is truly irresistible. It's the kind of comfort food that warms the soul, nourishes the body, and leaves you feeling both satisfied and energized. And trust me, the cleanup is a breeze! That alone is worth its weight in gold when you're dealing with the demands of everyday life.
