Crockpot Stuffed Pepper Soup
Ingredients
- 1 lb lean ground beef 90/10 blend recommended
- 3 bell peppers 1 red, 1 yellow, 1 green — diced into 1/2-inch pieces
- 1 medium yellow onion diced
- 4 cloves garlic minced
- 1 28 oz can crushed tomatoes
- 1 14.5 oz can diced tomatoes with juices
- 2 tablespoons tomato paste
- 4 cups beef broth low-sodium preferred
- 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
- 1.5 teaspoons Italian seasoning
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon onion powder
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt plus more to taste
- 0.5 teaspoon black pepper
- 0.5 teaspoon smoked paprika
- 1 cup long grain white rice uncooked
- 1 cup shredded sharp cheddar cheese
- 0.5 cup sour cream
- 2 tablespoons fresh parsley chopped
- 3 green onions thinly sliced
Instructions
- Heat a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the ground beef and cook, breaking it apart with a wooden spoon, until browned and no pink remains, about 7 to 8 minutes. Drain any excess fat thoroughly.
- Add the diced onion to the skillet and cook for 2 to 3 minutes until softened. Add the minced garlic and cook for 30 seconds until fragrant. Remove from heat.
- Transfer the browned beef and onion mixture to the slow cooker. Add the diced bell peppers, crushed tomatoes, diced tomatoes with their juices, tomato paste, beef broth, and Worcestershire sauce.
- Stir in the Italian seasoning, garlic powder, onion powder, salt, black pepper, and smoked paprika. Mix everything well to combine.
- Cover and cook on LOW for 6 to 7 hours or on HIGH for 3 to 4 hours, until the bell peppers are very tender and the flavors have melded together beautifully.
- Stir the uncooked white rice into the soup during the last 30 to 45 minutes of cooking on LOW (or the last 15 to 20 minutes on HIGH). Cover and continue cooking until the rice is tender and has absorbed some of the broth.
- Taste and adjust seasoning with additional salt and pepper as needed.
- Ladle the soup into bowls and top with shredded cheddar cheese, a dollop of sour cream, fresh parsley, and sliced green onions if desired. Serve immediately with crusty bread or crackers.
Notes
Rice tip: For meal prep, cook the rice separately and store it apart from the soup. Stir rice into individual portions when reheating to prevent it from absorbing all the broth and becoming mushy. Storage: Refrigerate soup (without rice) in an airtight container for up to 5 days. Freeze soup base (without rice) for up to 3 months. Low-carb swap: Replace white rice with riced cauliflower, stirred in during the last 20 minutes of cooking. Protein swap: Ground turkey, ground chicken, or Italian sausage all work beautifully in place of ground beef.