Easy Stuffed Pepper Soup
by Jodi Danen, RD
A healthy stuffed pepper soup that takes just 20 minutes. Loaded with veggies, packed with flavor, this soup is a great way to get your family eating more veggies.
Raw sweet peppers are a food my kids aren’t willing to eat.
I’m not sure why. The crunchy texture of peppers, paired with their light flavor, make them the perfect dunking veggie. I’m 11 years into trying with one child, and 9 with the other, and they are still not on board. What is a mom to do? I say —> cook the peppers!
Years back, I started buying red and green peppers in bulk at farmers markets when I could find them at a great price, I’d chop them and freeze them.
Freezing bell peppers is a great way to have veggies available year-round to toss into recipes such as soup or casseroles, adding extra nutrition to meals. This is how I get my family eating lots of peppers, whether they realize it or not!
Nutrition Tip: The natural plant chemicals that give sweet peppers their vibrant colors help protect health too. The compounds work as antioxidants, helping to guard cells against the kinds of damage that can cause diseases like cancer.
To freeze bell peppers:
- Wash peppers, remove stem and seeds.
- Chop peppers into small bite-sized chunks.
- Arrange peppers on a baking sheet in a single layer and freeze.
- Once frozen, move peppers to ziplock freezer bags and label with the date. Unblanched peppers can be frozen for up to 8 months.
For more on how to select, prepare and store bell pepper, visit our Produce Tips page.
This 20 minute stuffed pepper soup was a big hit with my family. My daughter couldn’t stop talking about how delicious dinner was – and let me tell you, this rarely happens! My son scarfed down his bowl almost before I had time to start eating. A meal success. I hope your family enjoys as much as mine did!
Stuffed Pepper Soup
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 4 cups chopped sweet bell peppers
- 1 large onion chopped
- 2 teaspoons minced garlic
- 1 pound ground pork sausage
- 1 tablespoon fresh basil chopped
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 teaspoon pepper
- 28 oz no-salt-added tomato sauce
- 28 oz no-salt-added diced tomatoes
- 2 cups low-sodium chicken stock
- 2 cups cooked brown rice
- 1 cup shredded lowfat Colby-jack cheese
- 2 green onions sliced
Instructions
- Heat oil over medium-high heat in a large stock pot. Add peppers and onions, and cook 5 minutes, or until translucent. Add garlic and cook 1 minute. Add sausage, and cook 5 minutes, or until meat is browned. Drain and return to pot.
- Add basil, salt, and pepper. Cook 1 minute, or until fragrant. Add tomato sauce, diced tomatoes and chicken stock. Bring to simmer over medium-high heat. Reduce heat to low. Add precooked rice and cook 1-2 minutes.
- Top with cheese and green onions.
