This Southwestern twist on Stuffed Pepper Soup is the easy way to enjoy all the comfort of stuffed peppers but with a spicy kick!
As I mentioned in my Unstuffed Chorizo Cabbage Roll Skillet, stuffed cabbage is one of my absolute favorite dishes but it’s always a project. Add stuffed peppers to that list.
Stuffed peppers are a favorite dish but I’m not a fan of the work–especially when life is busy. With the late April weather being cold, damp and even snowing in parts of the country, I’ve been craving one more pot of steaming soup before the warm weather.
Whether you call it stuffed pepper soup or unstuffed pepper soup, you’ll call it delicious!
Let’s make it!
How to make Southwestern Stuffed Pepper Soup:
- Gather and prep all the fresh ingredients:
- A large onion
- Green bell peppers
- Red bell peppers
- Roasted, peeled and chopped Poblano peppers
- Garlic
- Ground beef
- Cilantro
- If you have roasted, peeled and chopped Poblanos in your freezer like we do, yay you! If you’re short on time, you can just seed and chop fresh Poblanos or use canned diced green chiles instead.
- Gather and measure out all the pantry ingredients:
- Canola oil
- Canned diced tomatoes with green chiles
- Canned tomato sauce
- Taco seasoning
- Chili powder
- Mexican oregano (see FAQ below)
- Beef broth
- Cooked brown rice
- Salt and black pepper
- Sugar (optional and if needed so not shown)
- Brown the ground beef, drain off the fat, season with the herbs and spices and set aside.
- FLAVOR SAVER TIP #1: Adding the dried herbs to the hot meat is going to allow them to “bloom” and will bring out their flavor more.
- FLAVOR SAVER TIP #2: I brown the beef separately from cooking it along with the vegetables because I want to drain off the fat from the beef, not drain off the fat from the beef AND the flavor from the vegetables at the same time. Yes, it’s an extra pan to wash, but clean-up will be easy if you brown it in a nonstick skillet.
- Cook the onions and peppers until they begin to soften up.
- Add all the ingredients except for the cooked brown rice along with the browned beef back in.
- Bring to a simmer and cook until the vegetables are nice and tender.
- Add the rice in at the end and heat through.
- Add chopped fresh cilantro.
- Adjust seasoning with salt and black pepper.
- Add a teaspoon or two of sugar if the tomatoes are too acidic.
- Serve sprinkled with cheese. Delish!!
Frequently Asked Questions:
My recommendation would be to leave it out or add additional cilantro as Mexican oregano has a citrusy note similar to cilantro. Mexican oregano and Italian oregano actually come from different botanical families so they’re not a good substitute for each other.
–Ground turkey or chicken can be substituted for beef if beef is not your thing.
–If not using beef, then use chicken broth in place of the beef broth.
–Canned diced chiles may be substituted for the roasted, peeled and chopped Poblanos.
–If you don’t have brown rice and want to use white, you can add it last already cooked or add it to the soup when you add all the liquid ingredients and cook it in the soup.
Yes, you can, but brown rice takes much longer to cook and because of all the starch it will give off, your soup is going to be mighty thick so keep that in mind.
Using the “pasta method.” Bring a saucepan of salted water to a boil. Add approximately 1 cup of brown rice and let it boil away while you prep the other ingredients. When the rice is tender, drain in a sieve.
Absolutely! It will do quite well. Just cool it down properly first then place it in containers as desired and freeze up to three months. Thaw in the refrigerator or microwave.
Absolutely! Saute the vegetables, brown the beef then combine with the liquid ingredients in a slow cooker. Cook on low for 5 hours. Add the cooked brown rice and cook 1 more hour.
More Southwestern-inspired soups and stews you’ll love!
- Chipotle Chicken and White Bean Chili
- Slow Cooker Southwestern Turkey Butternut Squash and Black Bean Stew
- Chorizo Kale and Sweet Potato Stew
- Slow Cooker Chipotle Split Pea Soup with Ham
- Skillet Turkey Pinto Bean Chili with Pepper Jack Biscuit Topping
- Slow Cooker Colorado Green Chili
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Southwestern Stuffed Pepper Soup
This Southwestern twist on Stuffed Pepper Soup is the easy way to enjoy all the comfort of stuffed peppers but with a spicy kick!
Ingredients
- 1 ½ pounds ground chuck
- ½ teaspoon salt, plus more as needed
- 1 tablespoon taco seasoning
- 2 teaspoons chili powder
- 1 teaspoon Mexican oregano
- 2 tablespoons canola oil
- 1 large onion, chopped
- 4 cloves of garlic, minced
- 2 medium green bell peppers, seeded and chopped
- 1 large red bell pepper, seeded and chopped
- 3 medium Poblano peppers, roasted, peeled, seeded and chopped
- 6 cups beef broth
- 1 can (15-ounce) tomato sauce
- 2 cans (10.25-ounce) diced tomatoes with green chiles, undrained
- 2 cups cooked brown rice
- ½ cup chopped fresh cilantro, divided
- Shredded Cheddar cheese
- Freshly ground black pepper, to taste
- Sugar (if needed)
Instructions
- Cook the ground chuck in a nonstick skillet or saute pan over medium-high heat until no longer pink. Drain off any excess liquid or grease. Season with salt, taco seasoning, chili powder and oregano. Set aside.
- Heat canola oil over medium-high heat in a Dutch oven or other large, heavy soup pot. Add the onion, reduce heat to medium-low and cook 5-7 minutes or until onion is beginning to soften.
- Add the green and red bell peppers and cook 3-4 minutes.
- Add the Poblano peppers, the beef, beef broth, tomato sauce, diced tomatoes with green chiles.
- Bring to a boil, reduce heat to low, cover slightly and cook 30 minutes or until the vegetables are tender.
- Add the brown rice and heat through.
- Add half the cilantro, season to taste with salt and black pepper. Add a teaspoon or two of sugar if needed.
- Serve in bowls garnished with the remaining cilantro and shedded Cheddar cheese.
Nutrition Information:
Yield:
6Serving Size:
1Amount Per Serving: Calories: 527Total Fat: 28gSaturated Fat: 9gTrans Fat: 1gUnsaturated Fat: 15gCholesterol: 106mgSodium: 1438mgCarbohydrates: 30gFiber: 5gSugar: 7gProtein: 38g
The nutritional information above is computer-generated and only an estimate. Please do your own research with the products you're using if you have a serious health issue or are following a specific diet.
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