Our easy Instant Pot stuffed pepper soup with ground beef or sausage is full of flavor! Try this unstuffed pepper soup tonight. You can make this in any pressure cooker. Work just the same in a Crockpot express or Ninja Foodi too.
Jump To
- Ingredient Notes
- Variations and Substitutions
- Do you need to blanch bell peppers to make soup?
- Can you cook rice inside of soup?
- Can You Make Stuffed Pepper Soup with Cauliflower Rice?
- Can you cook rice separately?
- Instant Pot Stuffed Pepper Soup Recipe
- How can you make this soup spicy?
- How many calories are in green pepper soup?
- How long is leftover soup good for?
- FAQ
If you love stuffed peppers but groan at how long it takes you to make them, I get it. Think outside the box and deconstruct that meal into this! Even if your kiddos aren’t vegetable super fans, they’re sure to love a bowl of this. Just one of many easy Instant Pot recipes we love.
We have made this in many forms before, but it originated with Grandma’s good ol’ stuffed bell peppers. This is way easier since it is deconstructed and there is no filling or “prepping” required. Game changer y’all.
There are many ways to change this up too. Love rice in yours then by all means include that. Different meats can tweak the flavor making it spicy if you like or keeping it mild.
Ingredient Notes
No matter how you make it, the ingredients are really quite simple and remain the same. Choose whatever color bell peppers you want. I usually just use whichever are on sale with white onions too.
When it comes to the meat you could use just about anything. If you wanted a sort of chicken stuffed bell peppers soup I’d use leftovers diced. I think the best choice is a roll of spicy ground beef or sausage though, hands down.
Diced tomatoes, tomato paste and beef broth will be added to make the sauce. The only alternative I would use instead of this would be a jar of spaghetti sauce.
Uncooked white rice is what is featured and suggested to make this. Timing would vary greatly for brown rice, I haven’t tested that yet, but it would need be be increased. I suggest either long grain or arborio rice with lots of seasonings.
Some people like a splash of Worcestershire sauce in it too for saltiness. Kidney beans are optional to make it even heartier. Everything will be done in under 30 minutes so just wait!
Variations and Substitutions
Of course you can add other things you like too. If onions and garlic goes into everything you make, then by all means add that in with all the seasonings. Or dice onions and saute with ground meat to soften a bit. We like to throw some mozzarella cheese on top to melt and take it from good to amazing too.
Do you need to blanch bell peppers to make soup?
You do not need to first blanch bell peppers to soften them because they will essentially soften in the process with a lot more flavor than boiling in water. Inside the hot sauce itself, as it cooks they will become tender so saves you a step! You don’t want them to become mush so I’d leave them about this size. A bit of texture is always good, even if it is an Instant Pot soup recipe.
Can you cook rice inside of soup?
Yes, this is how we do it in this case. It could be done this way on the stovetop too, right in the sauce until it is as tender as you want it to become. Too long and it will get mushy so keep an eye on it. White long grain is used here, brown would need more time.
Can You Make Stuffed Pepper Soup with Cauliflower Rice?
If you choose this version of “grains” I would cook and not add that until the very end once you remove the lid. Then stir together. If you add before then it might become mushy. Here’s a quick step by step. You can print recipe card at the very bottom though with ingredient amounts listed too.
Can you cook rice separately?
Yes, you couold cook the Ninja Foodi rice on the side and throw it in right before eating so it doesn’t get mushy. It’s a great stuffed pepper recipe as well. This way you could surely make Instant Pot brown rice instead. Using your pressure cooker it would change the cook time. I haven’t done that yet so I am unsure by how much.
Instant Pot Stuffed Pepper Soup Recipe
Equipment
Ingredients
- 1 onion, diced
- 1 tbsp minced garlic
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 3 bell peppers, used 1 yellow, red and green, diced
- 1 can diced tomatoes, 14.5 oz, used fire roasted
- 1 can tomato paste, 3 oz
- 1 can kidney beans, 14.5 oz. , drained, optional
- 4 c beef broth
- 1 c white rice, uncooked
- 1/2 tsp paprika
- 1 tsp cumin, ground
- 1-2 tsp chili powder, more for extra heat
- 1 tsp basil
- 1 tsp cajun spice, optional
- 1-1.5 lbs ground beef
- 1/2 tsp garlic powder
Instructions
- Turn pressure cooker to saute and add olive oil. Then add diced onions and bell peppers
- Cook until onions have softened and are translucent. Add ground beef (or ground sausage) and minced garlic.
- Cook until meat is no longer pink. Then turn machine off.
- Add all other ingredients EXCEPT uncooked rice. Stir together.
- Sprinkle uncooked rice on top and gently submerge into the liquid, do not stir.
- Set to high pressure 3 minutes with a 5 minute natural release for steam.
- Release remaining pressure, serve in bowls with parmesan or mozzarella cheese on top.
Video
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
How can you make this soup spicy?
If you wanted to make this on the spicier end of things you could quite easily. Crushed red pepper works the best but you could use sriracha, chili powder and/or diced jalapeno as well. Spicy ground sausage is a great choice for this version as well.
As you will see here below, we love all the classic ingredients in this dish, but have tweaked it time and time again. We have made batches of our air fryer stuffed peppers for dinner and even my kids say “oh my”.
Want a thicker version cooked really fast? Try making this Instant Pot stuffed pepper casserole with rice. It always turns out great.
How many calories are in green pepper soup?
That depends on what your serving size is really. The nutritional facts are listed for this version below, for a 3 oz. bowlful. If you adjust the ingredients at all the fat, calories, and carbs will change as well.
How long is leftover soup good for?
First you need to ensure it is cooled, then stored in airtight containers. I like portioning out in servings for one person first. Then refrigerate and it will last 3 to 4 days safely. To reheat in the microwave, transfer to a microwave safe bowl. Heat in 30 second increments stirring in between times until it is as warm as you’d like it to be.
FAQ
Absolutely. If you use extra lean ground beef and drain the grease it cuts down the fat content. Pack it with vegetables and use brown rice for a healthier version.
There is actually a version that has really bold flavors. It originated in Africa.
You can choose to add crushed red pepper to add heat and make it spicy if you like, we did not here. This one is more of an American version, similar to the stuffed variety.
Oh boy do we have a lot of ideas. First off, you can always dice them and include some in any Instant Pot casserole recipe. Slice them in half, remove seeds and fill with tuna fish for a keto low carb meal.
