This Stuffed Pepper Soup is brimming with the signature flavors of a traditional stuffed pepper recipe in a 40 minute one-pot instant pot soup version!
If you love my Stuffed Red Peppers you’re going to love them in a quick and easy soup. The filling is always the best part, with that saucy rice and ground meat mixture and now you can enjoy it by the bowl full. Top it with melty cheese, a dollop of plain yogurt, and a slice of bread, and dinner is served!
Table of contents
Easy Stuffed Pepper Soup
Soup season has officially arrived and I am ready for it! Comfort food soup recipes are always welcome, especially on busy nights, but when I can make a delicious hearty soup from what is traditionally the main meal, I’m in heaven!
This Instant Pot stuffed pepper soup is one of my all-time favorites. It’s loaded with sweet red bell peppers, ground turkey, rice in a deliciously seasoned tomato sauce-based broth. All the flavors of a traditional stuffed pepper in a cozy bowl of delicious soup!
Why this recipe works
- Quick and easy. Using an electric pressure cooker makes this a one pot, almost hands-off easy meal, perfect for enjoying throughout the season!
- Flavorful. This soup is made with basic pantry healthy ingredients that come together so beautifully. Salty, savory, saucy and satisfying!
- Double the recipe. If you’re serving a larger crowd, twice the amount of ingredients!
- Leftovers. Make a big pot of soup and have it for the week! It’s freezer-friendly too, which is great for storing for a later date.
Ingredients/shopping list
- Ground turkey – I use ground turkey to keep it light and lean but you can opt to use another kind of ground meat.
- Bell peppers – Red bell peppers are great in this recipe because they’re the sweeter of the bunch.
- Beef broth – A soup base that has a robust flavor. You can use homemade or store-bought, and switch up the type of broth to whatever you have on hand.
- Tomato sauce – Any can will do. If you’re watching the sodium levels, look for a low sodium option. To keep it as healthy as possible, avoid added sugar. Sugar does help balance acidity, so it’s up to you!
- Seasoning – Italian seasoning, garlic powder, onion, powder, red pepper flakes, salt, and black pepper.
- Rice – White rice cooks faster than brown rice, which is what we’re using in this recipe.
How to Make this Recipe
Cooking anything in a pressure cooker ramps up the flavor and tenderizes what’s inside. In just 40 minutes this soup will be ready to serve!
Step 1: On the Instant Pot, press sauté. Once it reads HOT, add the ground meat and cook for about 5 minutes until it browns. Use a wooden spoon or spatula to break into crumbles as it cooks.
Step 3: Turn the valve to sealing and set to cook on manual high pressure for 8 minutes.
Step 2: Deglaze the pot with the broth and scrape off any bottom bits of turkey that are stuck to the bottom. Add the remaining ingredients and close the lid.
Step 4: Naturally release the pressure (which means don’t touch it until the pressure pin drops back down).
Step 5: Once it is safe to open the lid, open it, and stir in shredded cheddar cheese if desired.
Enjoy hot with a slice of crusty bread, a side salad, and a glass of wine, and dinner is served!
Tips & Variations
- Use any color combination of bell peppers. Red, orange, yellow or green peppers.
- Add a 14 oz. can of diced tomatoes instead of tomato sauce for a chunkier soup. For a different flavor option, try using fire-roasted tomatoes instead!
- Use brown rice in place of white rice and increase cook time to 22 minutes.
- If you have leftover rice to use up, toss it in at the end just to heat through.
- Use lean ground beef, ground chicken or ground pork or bulk pork sausage or italian sausage instead of ground turkey for a taste variation.
- Use chicken broth or vegetable broth if desired.
- For vegetarian stuffed pepper soup, use (2) 15 oz. cans of northern white beans or lentils in place of meat.
- For a lower-carb version, substitute cauliflower rice.
Stove Top & Slow Cooker
To cook on stove top:
Brown the meat in a large soup pot or Dutch oven. Then add all the remaining ingredients EXCEPT rice and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to simmer and cook covered for at least 30 minutes or until the peppers are softened. While the soup is simmering, cook with rice in a separate pot according to package directions then add to the soup pot after the soup has cooked for at least 30 minutes. Or add rice to bowls and then spoon soup over the rice.
To cook in a slow cooker:
Brown the meat in a sauté pan place all the ingredients EXCEPT rice in a crockpot and stir to combine. Cook on low for 6-7 hours or on high for 3-4 hours.20-30 minutes before serving, cook rice in a separate pot according to package directions. Add the rice to the slow cooker or add whatever amount of rice into bowls and add soup and stir. Adding the rice separately will prevent it from having mushy rice.
FAQ’s
This soup will keep for up to 5 days when sealed in an airtight container in the fridge. Portion it out for lunches throughout the week or have convenient leftovers for dinner the next day.
Stuffed pepper soup can be kept frozen. Make sure it has completely cooled first, then transfer to a freezer-friendly container or bag. Be sure to leave the room (about an inch) for the liquid expansion.
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Instant Pot Stuffed Pepper Soup
Ingredients
- 1 lb. ground turkey
- 3 red bell peppers diced
- 4 cups beef broth
- 15 ounce can tomato sauce
- 1 teaspoon Italian seasoning
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon onion powder
- ⅛ teaspoon red pepper flakes
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon pepper
- 1 cup white rice
Instructions
- Place the Instant Pot on sauté mode.
- Add the ground turkey meat and cook for about 5 minutes until browned and crumbled.
- Pour the broth into the pot and scraped the bottom well with a wooden spoon to “deglaze” to remove any turkey that may be stuck on the bottom.
- Add the diced peppers, rice, tomato sauce and spices.
- Place the lid on the Instant Pot and turn the pressure valve on top to close.
- Set to cook Manual – high pressure for 8 minutes.
- Then allow to naturally release the pressure.
- Carefully turn the top valve to open with a towel after the button pops up.
- Top with shredded cheddar cheese, optional
- Serve and enjoy!
Notes
Brown the meat in a large soup pot or Dutch oven.
Then add all the remaining ingredients EXCEPT rice and bring to a boil.
Reduce heat to simmer and cook covered for at least 30 minutes or until the peppers are softened.
While soup is simmering, cook with rice in a separate pot according to package directions then add to the soup pot after soup has cooked for at least 30 minutes. Or add rice to bowls and then spoon soup over the rice. To cook in a slow cooker:
Brown the meat in a saute pan
Place all the ingredients EXCEPT rice in a crock pot and stir to combine.
Cook on low for 6-7 hours or on high for 3-4 hours.
20-30 minutes before serving, cook rice in a separate pot according according to package directions.
Add the rice to the slow cooker or add whatever amount of rice into bowls and add soup and stir.
Nutrition
Nutritional Disclosure
Nutrition information is automatically calculated and should only be used as an approximation.
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