Stuffed Pepper Soup is a hearty, flavor-packed soup made with Italian sausage, bell peppers, long grain rice, and tomatoes. It’s an easy, healthy, one-pot dinner that you can make on the stove top or in a slow cooker!
Looking for more quick soup recipes? Try this White Bean Soup with Bacon, Italian Sausage Gnocchi Soup, and Chicken Gnocchi Soup!
This easy Stuffed Pepper Soup recipe has all the flavors of stuffed peppers in comforting soup form!
Italian sausage is my secret ingredient here and it really steals the show! It has more herbs and spices, which give the soup so much more flavor than ground beef.
Although my kids are not the biggest lovers of bell peppers, this is one meal that always has them exclaiming how good it is!
And since the rice cooks right in the soup, there’s no extra pot to deal with — you all know how I feel about washing dishes! 😉
What others are saying:
“This was SO good and SO easy! I’ve been making a lot of soups as the weather has gotten colder and absolutely loved how flavorful this was (while having not too many ingredients and with minimal chopping required). Thank you!” Meredith
Stuffed Pepper Soup Ingredients:
- Italian sausage: This is where so much of the flavor comes from. Mild or spicy both work, so you can choose based on how much heat your family likes! Swap for Italian turkey sausage for a lighter option.
- Bell peppers: I like using green and red bell peppers for the best balance of flavors! Feel free to use your favorites.
- Minced garlic: Fresh garlic is always my go-to, but pre-minced garlic or even garlic paste will work in a pinch.
- Low-sodium chicken broth: I always use low-sodium broth to control the salt content.
- Tomato sauce: Use your favorite brand of seasoned marinara.
- Dry long-grain brown rice: Cooks right in the soup and makes it filling enough for dinner. You can swap for white rice, it will just cook much faster.
- Shredded mozzarella cheese: Any melty cheese will work here!
How to make hearty Stuffed Pepper Soup:
This is the cozy, flavor-packed soup I keep coming back to when I want a hearty dinner in one pot! Scroll down to the recipe card for full ingredient amounts and instructions.
- Add onion and peppers to the cooked Italian sausage.
- Stir in garlic, salt, and seasonings.
- Add broth, tomatoes, tomato sauce, and rice.
- Cook until the rice is tender.
Tips for the best Stuffed Pepper Soup:
- Double the batch when you can: I love doing this when I want leftovers for lunches or an easy dinner later in the week.
- Add extra broth if needed: If the rice is still firm and the soup has thickened, stir in a splash more broth and keep cooking.
- Reduce the broth with cooked rice: If you’re using pre-cooked rice, cut back the broth by 1 to 1 ½ cups.
- Be flexible with the cook time: Brown rice can vary, so I start checking early but expect it may need 35 to 45 minutes!
How to store leftover soup:
Store leftover Stuffed Pepper Soup in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 4 days. Keep in mind that the rice will continue to soak up liquid as it sits, so the soup will thicken in the fridge.
To reheat, warm it on the stove over medium heat or microwave individual portions until hot. Add a splash of broth or water if needed to loosen it up before serving.
You can also freeze it for up to 3 months. The texture of the rice may soften a bit after thawing, but it still tastes great.
Serving suggestions:
This Stuffed Pepper Soup is definitely hearty enough to be dinner on its own, but I never say no to something to dip into that flavorful broth.
Garlic Bread is perfect for dunking, and No Knead Bread or Homemade Dinner Rolls Recipe are great homemade options if you have the time.
If you want to round things out with a veggie, Cheesy Baked Asparagus is an easy side that goes really well with all those savory sausage and pepper flavors!
Stuffed Pepper Soup
written by Ashley Fehr
Ingredients
- ¾ lb Italian sausage, casings removed, spicy or mild
- 1 medium onion, finely diced
- 1 green bell pepper, chopped
- 1 red bell pepper, chopped
- 1 tablespoon minced garlic
- 1½ teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon dried oregano
- ¼ teaspoon paprika, *optional – for extra kick
- ¼ teaspoon black pepper
- 4 cups low sodium chicken broth
- 798 ml canned diced tomatoes, no salt added, (28oz)
- 1½ cups tomato sauce
- 1 cup dry long grain brown rice, (rinsed well)
- shredded mozzarella cheese for serving
Instructions
- In a large (around 5 quarts) dutch oven or soup pot, brown Italian sausage over medium-high heat, stirring often to crumble, about 3-4 minutes.
- Add onion and peppers, and cook over medium-high heat until softened, about 4-5 minutes.
- Stir in garlic, salt, oregano, paprika (if using) and pepper and cook 1 minute.
- Add broth, tomatoes, tomato sauce and rice and stir to combine. Bring to a simmer over medium-high heat, then reduce to medium-low, cover, and simmer for 30 minutes, until rice is cooked through, stirring occasionally.
- Serve with mozzarella and fresh parsley as desired.
Video
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
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Tag @thereciperebelVariations and Substitutions
- Protein swap: Swap the sausage for lean ground beef or ground turkey if that’s what you have, but plan to boost the seasonings a bit since you’ll lose some built-in flavor. For a lighter swap without losing out on flavor, Italian turkey sausage still gives you that herby, seasoned flavor with less fat!
- Add more vegetables: Mushrooms or spinach are easy additions if you want to stretch the soup and add even more veggies.
- Make it lower carb: Use cauliflower rice instead of brown rice for a lighter version. Add it later since it cooks much more quickly!
- Turn up the heat: Use spicy Italian sausage or add red pepper flakes.
More healthy soups you’ll love:
- Beef and Barley Soup — so hearty and flavorful!
- Crockpot Vegetable Beef Soup recipe
- Slow Cooker Creamy Chicken Noodle Soup – an updated classic
- Chicken Rice Soup: Stove Top or Slow Cooker – a reader favorite for good reason!
Yesenia says
Delicious, my family loved it!
Only thing is the cook timing has to be doubled as a few others mentioned. I did use the dutch oven but it took 40min to cook through. I will keep this one in my dinner rotation recipes for sure!
The Recipe Rebel says
Hi Yesenia! So glad you enjoyed the recipe! Thank you for this kind review!
maureen says
Hello, if you are going to cook rice separately, how much broth would you use? Also, can the recipe be doubled easily? This looks delicious enough to share with relatives! I am going to try half spicy italian sausage and half ground beef.
The Recipe Rebel says
Hi Maureen, you’ll likely want to reduce the broth by 1-1.5 cups. It seems like it could be doubled easily.
Celeste Heilbrunn says
I made the soup yesterday and my family loved it. I did make a few modifications based on my family’s tastes. I added more sausage including some hot Italian sausage and instead of diced tomatoes I used stewed tomatoes. My son just had some for lunch and asked when I could make it again! Thanks for the recipe!
The Recipe Rebel says
Hi Celeste! So glad you enjoyed the recipe! Thank you for this review!
Roxy Reed says
This soup was delicious and my kids loved it. However I don’t agree with the cook time. My rice was still pretty hard after 20 mins so simmered for another 25 ish even then a bit crunchy still! Otherwise it was very good.
Ashley Fehr says
Thanks Roxy! Yes, the cook time will vary depending on your type and brand of rice, and the exact temperature of the cooking liquid. 45 minutes is quite long, but the important thing is that the rice is cooked to your liking.
Carrie says
Thank you so much for sharing it was delicious. I will definitely be making this again.
Ashley Fehr says
Thanks Carrie!
Danielle Frankford says
Very good but for some reason it took forever for my rice to cook. I put brown rice in on med high temp,, covered, but after 20 min my rice was still hard. I had to double the timing
Ashley Fehr says
Thanks Danielle! It can take longer depending on the variety of brown rice. “20 minutes or until rice is cooked”, so the timing is right on 🙂 The texture and doneness is the most important thing to watch for!
Tara says
Really easy and so so yummy! Seasoned perfectly! Thank you.
Ashley Fehr says
Thanks Tara!
Meredith says
This was SO good and SO easy! I’ve been making a lot of soups as the weather has gotten colder and absolutely loved how flavorful this was (while having not too many ingredients and with minimal chopping required). Thank you!
Ashley Fehr says
Thanks Meredith!
Jeri says
Does this freeze well?
Ashley Fehr says
Yes it freezes great!
Katie says
This looks amazing. If cooking in 8 qt instant pot, what cook times would you suggest? TIA! Your recipes are my fav!
Ashley Fehr says
Thanks Katie! I actually haven’t tried in the Instant pot, so I can’t say for sure!
Susan Ottwell says
Check for a basic recipe for instant pot brown rice. I’ve found those basics work as well for dishes using them, such as rice, barley, quinoa and various beans. The veggies just sort of go along for the ride.
Diana says
I love this soup! I serve it with a dollop of Sauerkraut.
Ashley Fehr says
That’s a great addition!
Lauren says
I have regular ground sausage on hand not Italian. Would it taste as good using a different flavored sausage.
Ashley Fehr says
I would probably add a few more spices and seasonings to compensate, but yes, it will still be good!
Karen says
If using frozen cauliflower rice, when should I add it to the pot?
Ashley Fehr says
I actually have never cooked with frozen cauliflower rice, so I can’t say exactly though I would probably add it in a few minutes before serving as it should cook fairly quickly, right?
Lana says
Not a fan of rice, is there something else I could put in it’s place?
Ashley Fehr says
You could use orzo pasta. That is about the same size and shape!
Mary Jo Reynolds says
This became my new favorite earlier this fall after the 1st time I made it. OMG…wonderful. I haven’t added paprika (don’t have it in the pantry & rarely use it). Long grain white rice because that’s what I always gave on hand. Today I used beef broth. So quick, easy, & freezes well. Thank You!!!!!
Ashley Fehr says
Thank you Mary Jo! It is one of my personal favorites too!
Silvia says
Making this soup today and it smells great. I was wondering though about the rice. Do I want some bite in the rice or do I want it to be soft as if I made it separately on the stove top? I made the chicken rice soup but I think for that one I cooked the rice too long because the soup was very thick. Still tasted good but I want to get it near perfect. My extra veggie I added was celery so we will see how that tastes! Thanks for sharing your recipes!
Ashley Fehr says
Hi Silvia! You can cook it as long as you like! It really depends on your preference. The soup is thick (as you can see in the video), but if you want a thinner soup, just add additional broth or other liquid. I hope you enjoy it!