Can't beat comfort of stuffed pepper casserole for winter dinner! This vegetarian stuffed peppers soup is hearty yet lean with healthy chickpea protein, filling with a serving of rice, and loaded with flavors stuffed peppers. Just one soup and dinner is served!
You can call it stuffed pepper soup or deconstrued stuffed pepper's soup. All ingredients used to make comforting stuffed pepper winter casserole are here, but in form of a soup.
A warm cup soup on cold winter night is all I need for dinner. So, when I'm making a weeknight dinner soup.. I like to make it hearty and filling so that just soup is all I need to prepare. One pot, one recipe, few ingredients and dinner is ready. Rest of the time enjoy catching-up day with the family. Sounds fun! Isn't it?
So, let's get started!
Stuffed Peppers are perfect for a family-style weeknight dinner. Traditionally, green bell peppers or rainbow peppers such as green, red and yellow are stuffed with protein sauted with aromatics, herbs and spices, and little bit of starch to make it filling such as rice, quinoa or barley. There are infinite possibilities what can be stuffed in peppers.
Only thing is, bell peppers can be expensive sometime to make family-size meal. With stuffed pepper soup, however, you don't need a lot of bell peppers. Like this 4 servings of soup need only two bell peppers. Green peppers are less expensive than red or yellow ones. So you can also use 2 green peppers for this soup. Today, I used one green pepper and one red to give this soup a delicious orange-red color.
Don't get me wrong. I'm not allergic to sun and love California weather. But sometimes winter does not even feel like winter here. Like today, it is almost end of Autumn and temperature scale still indicates 90 degrees outside.
However, this year, I decided to open up my recipe-to-try list and cook everything I want to eat in cold weather such as soups, casseroles, spiced curries and a lot more!
When I made stuffed pepper soup few weeks ago, it was hot summer-like Saturday. After drinking soup, we were so warm from within, I mean head-to-toe that after a while we switched on AC. :)
Seriously, a good homemade soup can keep you warm without artificial heat or jackets. Healing from with-in. Plus homemade soups are clean and easy to digest which is why I make a lot of them every season. In fact we have stews or curries on our weeknight dinner menu whole year. Yet, on a cold winter night, the charm of holding a warm cup of soup is beyond comfort… is actually healing.
Stuffed pepper soup recipe was in my to-do list since long. I decided to add vegetarian spin to it inspired from chickpea stuffing in my Chipolte Chicken Chickpea Stuffed Pepper recipe. You are most welcome to add ground chicken or turkey if prefer but I wanted a lean veggie soup for dinner that day. If planning to add chicken or turkey, just saute it with spices until it is no longer pink. Then follow rest of recipe directions as-is.
When to add rice in soup:
The addition of rice makes stuffed pepper soup filling. Rice absorbs a lot of liquid as they sit in soup. So, I like to boil rice separately and add them just before serving. When I want a thicker, full-body soup and have plans to serve it immediately.. Then I boil the rice with soup and add 1 cup more liquid. Starch from rice gives very nice thickness to soup and makes it even more comforting. Only recommendation is to serve that soup immediately otherwise rice absorb lot more liquid than I would like and soup becomes stew like.
Some days I even replace rice with quinoa. Both rice or quinoa are gluten free. This stuffed pepper soup is gluten free as long as broth used is gluten free. If you skip cheese and use vegan broth, soup is also vegan.
With comfort of rice, protein and texture of chickpeas, flavor of peppers, herbs and tomatoes… all come together to make hearty stuffed pepper soup. That much and it is still vegetarian.
Friends, season has just started. I hoping to share all of my favorite soup with you. You can check complete collection of soups I shared on blog here.
Wish you a wonderful start of the week. -Savita
FAQs
To start, ground beef and bell peppers are cooked with Italian seasoning, onion, and garlic. Next, rice, broth, tomato puree, diced tomatoes (with green chiles!) and Worcestershire sauce (for umami) are added to the pot and simmered until the rice is cooked through and the flavors are combined.
What is pepper soup made of? ›
It can be prepared with combinations of various meats, such as fish, shrimp, tripe, oxtail, chicken, game, goat, beef or cow hide. Additional ingredients can include tomatoes, onion, green onions, garlic, sweet peppers, ginger, cloves, cinnamon and lime juice.
Why is my stuffed pepper soup bland? ›
The thing about most stuffed bell pepper recipes is 3that they call for salt in the filling, not for the peppers themselves. Without salt, the peppers are flabby and bland, merely a filling case. With a sprinkle of salt, they transform into a sweet and powerfully savory part of the dish.
What can pepper soup be eaten with? ›
Add a teaspoon of Paprika and allow it to boil for 3 minutes. Add the sliced utazi, salt and (ordinary) pepper to taste. Allow to boil for another 5-10 minutes and you just made a delicious pot of pepper soup, One of Nigeria's most popular evening meals. You can serve pepper soup with white boiled rice or yam.
What does pepper soup do to the body? ›
It is medicinal
It also helps to control blood pressure, and keep it from getting ridiculously high or low. In other words, it helps to stabilize blood pressure. Another medicinal function of pepper soup is that it chases away free radicals that could cause cancer. Pepper soup can relieve you of cold and cough.
Is pepper soup good for a sick person? ›
Pepper soup
It is rich in flavour and is a great source of vitamins and minerals which the body needs in even more quantities when sick. Pepper soup is an excellent source of fluids and this helps to keep the body hydrated. When consumed hot, it can serve as a natural decongestant which helps to clear nasal congestion.
Should you cook peppers before stuffing them? ›
This stuffed peppers recipe is easier than most, because you don't need to cook the peppers before stuffing them. Budget-Friendly. Stuffed peppers turn humble, affordable ingredients like rice and ground beef into a well-rounded meal (don't miss these other Ground Beef Dinner Ideas for more wallet-friendly meals).
Do you have to remove pepper skin for soup? ›
If you can't scrape every bit of skin off the roasted peppers, it's okay. Do your best, and you'll pulverize whatever is left behind when you blend the soup.
Can dogs eat bell peppers? ›
Every colour of bell pepper is perfectly healthy for your dog to enjoy in moderation, but red peppers are best, as they have the highest nutritional value. Dogs shouldn't eat spicy peppers though, as these can cause irritation and discomfort.
Is pepper soup good for cholesterol? ›
Black pepper and its active compound piperine may have potent antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties. Laboratory studies suggest that black pepper may improve cholesterol levels, blood sugar control, and brain and gut health.
Pepper soup can also be spiced to taste. An article by Eunice Olaleye(2022) published in the Tribune revealed that a scientific review by Dr Heben's team on DrHealthBenefits.com says that the soup does help to control heart rate. It also helps to control blood pressure and keep it from getting ridiculously high or low.
How many calories does stuffed pepper soup have? ›
My stuffed pepper soup recipe has about 250 calories per bowl. I used ground beef and brown rice in this recipe. For a fewer calorie option, you can use ground turkey and quinoa.
What is the purpose of pepper soup? ›
Digestive health: The spices used in pepper soup, such as ginger and garlic, can support digestion and alleviate digestive discomfort. 3. Immune support: Many of the spices and herbs used in pepper soup, like ginger and black pepper, are known for their potential immune-boosting properties.
Why is pepper soup good for you? ›
-The antioxidant properties of the species makes pepper soup an anti-flammatory and cancer fighting food. Fighting against free radicals that can destroy the cells and cause cancers. -Its a good appetizer. People who might be anorexic due to a recent illness can take pepper soup to restore their appetite.
What is the origin of pepper soup? ›
Pepper soup is a delicious soup originated from West part of Africa. A very popular soup in Nigeria and Ghana. The soup is prepared with variety of meat, hot peppers, and calabash nutmeg as primary ingredients.
Is pepper soup good for the body? ›
It is medicinal
It also helps to control blood pressure, and keep it from getting ridiculously high or low. In other words, it helps to stabilize blood pressure. Another medicinal function of pepper soup is that it chases away free radicals that could cause cancer. Pepper soup can relieve you of cold and cough.
