Stuffed Pepper Soup With Ground Turkey

This Stuffed Pepper Soup with Ground Turkey has all the fantastic flavors of a classic stuffed pepper recipe but with no stuffing required!  There’s so much to love about this soup…  It’s quick and easy to make, budget-friendly, low-calorie, and gluten-free and requires practically no cleanup.  This stuffed bell pepper soup recipe is hearty and filling and so delicious!

Jump to:

• Why You’ll Love This Recipe
• What you’ll need to make this recipe
• Tips for Success
• How to make stuffed pepper soup
• Leftovers, Storage, and Freezing
• Substitutions and Variations
• More Hearty Recipes:
• Stuffed Pepper Soup with Ground Turkey

This stuffed pepper soup takes me back to being a kid and mom making her famous stuffed peppers.  They were always a hit and requested often.  

But I have to admit I like this stuffed pepper soup even better.  

Shhh, don’t tell mom.

One of my favorite things about this soup is the brothy tomato liquid that surrounds the veggies and meat. It has a light savory tomato taste, not a heavy red sauce flavor or consistency.

I can think of a few more soups that I make that have that same delicious characteristic... my Cabbage Roll Soup, Easy Chicken Tortilla Soup, and Crockpot Chicken Tortilla Soup.

You should definitely try them all!

Why You’ll Love This Recipe

• It’s quick and easy!  Normally for my stuffed pepper recipes, I cook the peppers for a bit before I stuff them.  But that step is eliminated by turning this classic dish into soup.  Just chop the ingredients, get out your soup pot, and start cooking.
• This soup is low-calorie and gluten-free!  I swapped out ground turkey for beef to make it heart-healthy.  All the ingredients are naturally gluten-free except for some brands of Worcestershire sauce.  All the ingredients are naturally gluten-free except for some brands of Worcestershire sauce.  Look for these brands for gluten-free... Lea & Perrins Original Worcestershire Sauce (US only), French's Worcestershire Sauce, and The Wizards Organic Gluten-free Vegan Worcestershire.
• It’s hearty and full of flavor with bell peppers, ground turkey, diced tomatoes, garlic, onions, and dried herbs.
• You can prepare it in advance and use it for meal prepping for the week.  Or freeze it for another time.
• It’s adaptable!  If you’re looking to cut out carbs in your diet, swap out the rice for cauliflower rice or skip the rice all together.  Just add more ground turkey and veggies if you want to make it more substantial.

What you’ll need to make this recipe

This stuffed pepper soup is made using easy, simple, and delicious ingredients. Everything is available at your local grocery store, with no “specialty” items required.

Ingredients:

• olive oil
• ground turkey 90% fat
• Salt & pepper
• large onion, chopped.
• garlic cloves, minced.
• bay leaves.
• dried oregano
• dried thyme
• red, orange and green bell peppers, cut into 1-inch pieces.
• beef stock.
• canned diced tomatoes.
• tomato sauce.
• Worcestershire sauce (use Lea & Perrins brand for gluten-free)
• fresh Italian parsley, for cooking the soup and for garnish.
• cooked white rice.
• Grated parmesan cheese for garnish

Tips for Success

• Lean and Protein-Packed: I recommend using 90% lean ground turkey. It has a lighter flavor than beef and has fewer calories so I can eat more! LOL
• This recipe calls for cooked rice. I tested it both ways, cooking the rice in the pan with the soup and cooking it on the side.  What I discovered was that the raw rice soaked up a lot of the broth from the soup and became soft and mushy by the next day.
• Nutrient-Rich: Bell peppers are rich in vitamins and antioxidants, boosting the nutritional profile of the dish.
• Budget-Friendly: Made with simple and affordable ingredients, this soup is perfect for feeding a crowd without breaking the bank.
• I recommend a long grain white rice.  Jasmine rice is my favorite.
• Stuffed bell pepper soup can be made up to 2 days before you plan to serve it. I recommend storing the rice separately and adding it when you reheat the soup.
• Leftovers will stay fresh in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 4 days.
• The soup will last in the freezer for up to 3 months. Again, it’s better to freeze the rice separately so it doesn’t absorb all the liquid. You can reheat the soup by letting it thaw overnight in the refrigerator and then you can heat it in a microwave or on the stovetop.
• I used diced tomatoes, not petite diced tomatoes for this recipe because I wanted more texture.  I especially like Hunts' brand of diced tomatoes best.
• If the flavor of the soup tastes a bit acidic or bitter, a great trick to counter that is adding in a pinch of sugar to take the edge off!

How to make stuffed pepper soup

This Stuffed Pepper Soup recipe is an incredibly easy meal that the entire family will enjoy! Made with tons of veggies, this dish provides essential nutrients while also tasting delicious. From start to finish this recipe will take about 35 minutes to create.

Instructions:

1. In a large soup pot, add olive oil, ground turkey, 1½ teaspoons salt, and pepper. Bring the pan to medium-high heat and brown for 5 minutes, breaking up the meat into small pieces as it cooks. 
2. Add the onion, garlic, bay leaves, oregano, and thyme, then cook for 4 more minutes (and add more oil if needed). 
3. Stir in the chopped bell peppers and cook for 2-3 minutes.
4. Add the beef stock, diced tomatoes, tomato sauce, Worcestershire sauce, and the remaining ½ teaspoon salt. 
5. Bring to a simmer and cook for 20-25 minutes over medium heat with the lid slightly cracked (try to keep it at a low simmer), until the peppers are tender.
6. Remove from the heat and stir the rice into the pot OR add the rice to each bowl individually and pour the soup over it.  
7. Garnish with fresh chopped parsley and grated parmesan cheese if desired.

Leftovers, Storage, and Freezing

• Leftovers of this stuffed bell pepper soup will last in the fridge for 4 days, if you add the rice to the soup it will soak up the liquid the longer you store it.  You will need to add some more broth to return it to the soup texture.
• If the rice is kept separate from the soup go ahead and store the cooked rice and the soup mixture separately.  Add the rice into the soup when you’re reheating it or place the rice into each individual bowl then pour the soup over it.
• If you plan on freezing the soup, store the rice and the soup mixture in separate airtight freezer containers until you’re ready to enjoy them.  The soup and rice will last in the freezer for 3 months.

Substitutions and Variations

Feel free to customize this recipe and make it your own. Below are some substitution options, including some that will make this dish low-carb, gluten-free, dairy-free, vegetarian, and vegan!

• Ground Turkey: You can use ground chicken, beef, or veal in place of ground turkey. Of course, this will alter the calories and fat. Additionally, if you’re looking to make this soup vegetarian or vegan, leave the meat out and add more veggies or use your favorite ground meat substitute.
• Beef broth: I used beef broth for this recipe because I wanted to make it heartier and more flavorful. You can replace it with chicken broth for a lighter taste.  Or use vegetable broth if you’re going for a vegan or vegetarian option.
• Peppers: I used 3 bell peppers for this recipe to make it more filling.  I like using 2 sweet peppers like yellow, red, or orange, and then just one green pepper for a bit of earthiness.
• Rice: I used cooked jasmine rice for this soup. You can substitute that for cauliflower rice to make it low-carb or omit it altogether.
• Worcestershire Sauce:  If possible, I prefer to keep my recipes gluten-free.  For this recipe, I used Lea & Perrins Original Worcestershire Sauce (US only) because the manufacturer states it’s cholesterol-free, fat-free, preservative-free, and gluten-free.  WARNING: Outside the USA, including in Canada and Europe, the ingredients in Lea & Perrins include malt vinegar, which contains barley and is not gluten-free.

Here are a few more brands that are considered gluten-free and some vegan… 

• French's Worcestershire Sauce is certified Kosher and gluten-free. French's Worcestershire sauce contains no artificial flavors and no colors from artificial sources.
• The Wizard's Worcestershire Sauce is a full-bodied, organic, vegan, and gluten-free Worcestershire sauce. The Wizard's produces both gluten-free and non-gluten-free Worcestershire sauces. Make sure you get the gluten-free version.

This Stuffed Bell Pepper Soup Recipe is comforting, satisfying, and so delicious! With its wholesome ingredients and fulfilling taste, this soup is sure to become a new family favorite.

This hearty soup is a complete and healthy meal in every bowl!

More Hearty Recipes:

• Texas Style Chili Recipe
• Turkey Chili with Lentils
• Moroccan Lentils with Turkey Meatballs
• Ultimate Beef Stew with Mushrooms
• Stout Beer Chili