Stuffed Pepper Soup
on Oct 23, 2024, Updated Jan 20, 2025
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Ask anyone from Bulgaria (or the Balkans) and they will tell you one of our most āØiconicāØ regional dishes is stuffed peppers. Today, I’m giving this cozy, nostalgic recipe The Modern Nonna treatment, and transforming it into an easy, delicious Stuffed Pepper Soup. Not only is the soup version faster ā° and easier to prepare, it’s the perfect meal prep dish: low in calories and high in protein. Who said comfort food can’t be delicious and healthy? šÆ
Why You’ll Love Stuffed Pepper Soup
Look no further for your next cozy, easy, nourishing meal. This one is a warm hug in a bowl! š„° Stuffed Pepper Soup has it all: lean protein, homey flavors, plentiful servings of vegetables, and rice. It’s a perfect family meal š„£, and it can be easily adapted to different palates, diets, and time constraints. Check out all the variations and substitutions below.
How to Prepare
š« Roast the peppers in a 450F (230C) oven until charred and blistered all over, 30 to 45 minutes. Transfer to a covered bowl and let steam. Once cool, remove the skin, seeds, and stems and chop into bite-size pieces.
š¦ Add the olive oil to a large soup pot over medium-high heat. Cook the ground meat and using a wooden spoon, break the meat into small pieces, until the water evaporates.
š§ Add the vegetables: onion, grated carrot, and garlic. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the onion is translucent. Stir in the salt, oregano, and tomato paste.
š„« Next, add the tomato sauce, rice, roasted peppers, and broth. How thick or thin you want the soup will be up to you. You can always add more broth.
š„ Bring the soup to a boil, reduce the heat to medium-low, and let cook for 15 to 20 minutes or until the rice is fully cooked. Taste for seasoning and adjust as needed.
š„£ Finally, serve the Stuffed Pepper Soup with yogurt, sour cream, or a drizzle of hot pepper oil and enjoy!
Nonna’s Tip
You can add as much or as little broth depending how thick or thin you like your soup. We add less because we enjoy a stew-like consistency. š„£
Variations and Substitutions for Stuffed Pepper Soup
- Instead of roasting the peppers š«, you can use jarred roasted peppers (although I do find them too acidic in this recipe). I like to roast (or grill) my peppers the night before preparing my soup. Alternatively, you can use raw, diced peppers in this recipe as well but it will not taste the same. You need 1 cup of peppers for this recipe.
- You can use any ground meat of choice here: chicken, beef, lamb, and pork all work well, as well as a vegetarian ground “meat” alternative. š®šš·
- If you don’t have fresh oregano, you can also use dried oregano or substitute thyme. šŖ“
- You can use any simple, plain tomato sauce in this recipe, or make your own Italian Tomato Sauce. š
Similar Recipes
Stuffed Peppers with Feta
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Bulgarian Stuffed Peppers
1 hr 20 mins
Meatball Soup Recipe
50 mins
Stuffed Tomatoes
1 hr 20 mins
Best Served With
- I like to garnish my soup with a dollop of plain Balkan-style yogurt or sour cream and a dash of hot pepper oil.
- A dish as nostalgic as this one deserves to be paired with a rustic loaf of my Bapche’s No Knead Bread. š
- Make it a true Balkan meal by serving this soup alongside Shopska Salad, a Simple Green Salad, or a Creamy Cucumber Salad.
- Make me (and my family proud) and follow up your cozy soup supper with a Semolina Cake for dessert. š„®
Common Questions
You can use unsalted veggie broth, chicken broth, beef broth, or make your own at home. I love any broths by Kettle and Fire, so clickĀ HERE and use my codeĀ THEMODERNNONNAĀ for 20% off!
Add boiling hot water into a thermos and close it so that it pre-heats. In the meantime, warm up the soup on the stove. Dump the hot water out of the thermos and add the soup.Ā Leave some room at the top so that it doesnāt create a vacuum sealĀ for them as the thermos will be harder to open.
Yes, you can, simply let it cool completely andĀ transfer it into a freezer-safeĀ container and put it in the freezer. Keep in mind that the rice will absorb a lot of the broth, so when reheating, add more broth or water. If possible, leave the rice slightly undercooked, if freezing the recipe.
When youāre ready to enjoy your leftover Stuffed Pepper Soup, simply thaw it in the refrigerator overnight if frozen. To reheat, use a microwave, stovetop, or an oven. Make sure to heat it thoroughly until itās steaming hot. You may need to add a bit of water or broth to adjust the consistency.
You can use a vegetarian ground meat substitute in place of the turkey, use vegetable broth, and garnish with vegan yogurt or sour cream.
Stuffed Pepper Soup
Equipment
Ingredients
- 6 bell peppers
- 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
- 1 pound ground turkey
- 1 yellow onion, diced
- 1 carrot, grated
- 5 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon oregano
- 1 tablespoon tomato paste
- 1 cup tomato sauce
- Ā½ cup jasmine rice, rinsed
- 3 cups broth, I used unsalted bone broth but any works
- yogurt, sour cream, and hot pepper oil, for serving
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 450F (230C). Lay the peppers on a parchment paper-lined baking tray and roast until charred and blistered all over, 30 to 45 minutes, depending on the size of the peppers.
- Transfer the roast peppers to a bowl, cover with foil or plastic wrap, and let steam. Once cool, use clean hands to peel off the skin and remove and discard the seeds and stems. (Avoid rinsing the peppers under water because you will remove all of that good,Ā smokyĀ flavor.) Chop the peppers into bite-size pieces or strips. You want 1 cup of roasted peppers.
- Add the olive oil to a large soup pot over medium-high heat. Add the ground meat and using a wooden spoon, break the meat into small pieces, and cook until the water evaporates.
- Add the onion, grated carrot, and garlic. Cook for a few minutes, stirring occasionally, until the onion is translucent. Stir in the salt, oregano, and tomato paste.
- Next, add the tomato sauce, rice, roasted peppers, and broth. How thick or thin you want the soup will be up to you. You can always start with 3 cups of broth and add more if needed.
- Bring the soup to a boil, reduce the heat to medium-low, and let cook for 15 to 20 minutes or until the rice is fully cooked. Taste for seasoning and adjust as needed.
- Serve with yogurt, sour cream, or a drizzle of hot pepper oil and enjoy!
My Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Very good! Roasting the peppers definitely makes it over the top delicious. Thanks for sharing. Will be making it again.
So happy you enjoyed this, Kirby! Glad you agree the home-roasted peppers make it next level šš