Last Updated on June 6, 2021 by laurenpacek
This Slow Cooker Stuffed Pepper soup has all of the flavors of (you guessed it) a stuffed pepper. Because it cooks in the slow cooker, this soup is super easy to make. It also manages to be hearty and filling without weighing you down too much.
What ingredients go into this soup?
I'll admit, the list is a little long. But they're all common, easy-to-find ingredients. Stick with me here!
- Olive oil: I prefer extra virgin, but you do you.
- Onion & garlic: The base ingredients for all delicious things.
- Ground beef: I stick with something a bit leaner here, usually 93/7.
- Italian sausage: Use mild Italian sausage, or go with something spicier if that's your preference.
- Bell peppers: It's not required, by any means, but using a variety of colors can make this soup look really pretty.
- Diced tomatoes & tomato sauce: Canned is just fine. Don't make things more difficult than they have to be.
- Beef broth: It's a soup; it needs some liquid!
- Brown sugar: Sugar cuts through the acidity of all of the tomatoes.
- Italian seasoning, salt, and pepper: Spices and seasonings amp up all of the flavors of this soup.
- Rice: You could use white or brown rice, depending on what you have on hand/prefer. I stuck with white rice.
- Parmesan cheese: I prefer the shredded variety, rather than the powdery stuff in a can. But hey, you do you!
What inspired this recipe?
I recently went back to PA to go deer hunting with my dad. My mom was kind enough to have a slow cooker full of a version of this soup waiting for us when we got back to the house. It was exactly what we needed after sitting outside in the cold for most of the day.
After returning home, I couldn't wait to put my spin on this Slow Cooker Stuffed Pepper Soup. I opted to make it with half Italian sausage-half ground beef and to add Italian seasoning to amp up the flavor a bit.
I'm a pretty firm believer that soup is a perfect food and should be eaten year round. However, we're coming off of a snowstorm here in Durham, so the timing for making this really couldn't have been better.
Need other warming soupy recipes?
I got 'em!
Check out my Italian Wedding Soup and Chicken Tikka Masala Soup.
Maybe chili is more your thing? Try Pressure Cooker Green Chicken Chili, Turkey White Bean Pumpkin Chili, and Slow Cooker Turkey Chili. No matter what you choose, they're all winners.
Crock Pot Stuffed Pepper Soup
Ingredients
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 1 onion, diced
- 4 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 lb ground beef
- 1 lb Italian sausage
- 4 bell peppers, chopped (see notes)
- 28 oz diced tomatoes, not drained
- 15 oz tomato sauce
- 32 oz beef broth
- 2 tbsp brown sugar
- 1 tbsp Italian seasoning
- kosher salt and pepper, to taste
- 2 cups white rice, cooked
- parmesan cheese, shredded
Instructions
- In a heavy-bottomed skillet, heat the olive oil over medium. Sauté the onions and garlic until the onions are translucent.
- Add the ground beef and sausage to the skillet. Cook until browned, crumbling as it cooks. Add the onions, garlic, ground beef, and sausage to a 6 quart slow cooker.
- Add the bell peppers, diced tomatoes, tomato sauce, beef broth, brown sugar, Italian seasoning, kosher salt, and pepper to the slow cooker. Stir to combine.
- Cover and cook on low for 6-8 hours.
- 30 minutes prior to when you'd like to eat, add the white rice to the slow cooker.
- Ladle the soup into bowls and top with shredded parmesan cheese.
Notes
Notes: I like to cut the bell peppers into big chunks so that they don't disintegrate into the soup while they cook. Use whatever color bell peppers that you'd like.
Nutrition Information:
Yield: 6 Serving Size: 1Amount Per Serving: Calories: 655Total Fat: 38gSaturated Fat: 13gTrans Fat: 1gUnsaturated Fat: 24gCholesterol: 111mgSodium: 1776mgCarbohydrates: 38gFiber: 5gSugar: 14gProtein: 41g
I also want to be sure to mention that the bowl in this photo was made by Matt Hallyburton of Hallyburton Pottery. Do yourself a favor and go check out (and buy!) his beautiful work.
Pin this recipe for later!
I am headed home to PA for the holidays and would love to find a pot of this soup waiting for me! : ) I'll have to share the recipe with my mom so we can make it together. What a hearty and inviting soup!
Thanks, Holly! I hope you and your mom really love it.
Can this be adapted so you don't have to cook the rice before adding to the crockpot?
Hi Carol! I want to say yes, but admittedly haven't tried it that way with this soup. I've made a chicken and wild rice soup in the slow cooker in the past that's done that way, and it seems to work out fine. I will say that the texture of the rice is a little mushy for whatever reason.
If you try this out, please let me know how it turns out for you!