I love stuffed bell peppers. Growing up, I can remember my mom making them for us using a basic recipe of ground deer mixed with rice and seasonings, then topped with a ketchup mixture.

As a kid, I think my favorite part was the way the ketchup caramelizes on top of that rice mixture. What kid doesn’t like ketchup right? They were so simple but oh so tasty.

These days, on Pinterest, you can find all types of stuffed pepper recipes covering flavor profiles like Tacos or fajitas, Philly Steak, and even Breakfast. So really if you think about it, the stuffed pepper is a great vessel and the filling options are wide open to your own creativity.

This soup is a play on those stuffed peppers. One I call my “lazy stuffed pepper” option. I based my recipe is on the standard stuffed pepper recipe my mom would make with a few additions. I added some black beans and celery added for flavor and to add a little more bulk to the soup.

The idea of making my stuffed peppers as a soup came to me one busy afternoon. It was one of those days, you know that kind where nothing seems to go right?  I had forgotten to pull out a freezer meal to thaw so I was at a loss about what I would do for dinner.

Thankfully, I had all the ingredients for stuffed peppers in the fridge but after the day I’d just had I was in no mood to go through even the simple steps of preparing them.

So naturally, I  wanted to come up with a way I could dump everything in a big pot and be done. That’s a legit way of cooking you know, it’s called the “pot ala dump”. Okay not really, more like a lazy mom’s one pot wonder. But you get the idea I’m sure.

This recipe is low-fat and has a higher carb count than most of my other recipes so be sure to see the recipe card below for nutritional information if you need to track your numbers.

This recipe is a Trim Healthy Mama “E” meal and has around 24 carbs per serving,  so you could add in a piece of sprouted bread on the side. To covert this soup to low carb and a THM “S”.

Leave out the rice and one can of the black beans. You can also add fatter ground meat when you change it this way.

I start the soup by browning 2 lbs of ground deer, which is naturally lean, but if you don’t have that you can use 97 % lean ground beef or turkey. 

After I browned my meat the rest was simply pulling things out of the pantry or freezer and dumping them in the pot with the ground meat.

It is as simple as dumping things in and letting them simmer for about 20 minutes before adding in the rice. After the soup has simmered a while I add in 1 cup of dry brown rice and then cook the soup another 40 minutes or so. You just need to cook it until the rice is tender.

You could also cook your brown rice on the side and allow people to add it to their bowls at the table if you prefer. I serve it like this when I have company. It is always a great way to accommodate those that may not want rice in their soup.

One thing is for sure, no matter what option you choose to use with the rice, this easy one-pot meal will not disappoint at the dinner table. It also makes great leftovers for lunches throughout the week.

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Yield: 10 Servings

Stuffed Pepper Soup (Low Fat, Gluten Free, THM "E")

A hearty low-fat soup with all the flavors of stuffed bell peppers.

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Ingredients

• 2 pounds of lean ground beef
• 1 cup of uncooked brown rice
• 12 ounce bag of frozen bell pepper strips
• 4 stalks of celery, chopped
• 1 medium onion, chopped
• 2 15 ounce cans of black beans, rinsed and drained
• 2 15 ounce cans of diced tomatoes
• 1 15 ounce can of tomato sauce
• 1 small can green chilies
• 1 tablespoon of chili powder
• 2 teaspoons of garlic powder
• 1 teaspoons of onion powder
• 6-8 cups of fat free beef broth

Instructions

1. Brown the lean ground meat in a big soup pot. If there is any grease released from the meat drain off.
2. Add the cans of tomatoes, tomato sauce, green chilies, and frozen peppers into the pot with the ground meat.
3. Drain and rinse the cans of black beans before adding them and the seasonings to the soup pot.
4. Add the beef broth to the soup pot. Start with 6 cups of broth. If the soup still looks like it needs more liquid you can add in two more cups of beef broth.
5. Bring our soup to a boil before turning down the heat to medium and simmer for 20 minutes.
6. After the soup has simmered your soup add in your 1 cup of dry brown rice and simmer for another 40-45 minutes, or until your rice is tender. Note: You can also cook your rice on the side and let those around your table add it to their bowls as they would like.

Nutrition Information

Yield

12

Serving Size

1
Amount Per ServingCalories 394Total Fat 5gTrans Fat 0gCarbohydrates 30gNet Carbohydrates 24gFiber 10gSugar 5gProtein 41g

I am not a nutritionist. If you have strict dietary needs I always recommend using an online nutrition calculator to calculate your totals using your exact brands you're using in this recipe as values may vary per brand.

Keri Bucci

I am a southern girl through and through that loves to laugh, cook, read and spend time with family. My passions outside of home schooling my son are ministering to those in need and creating art in the kitchen! Every day is an adventure in our little house and I wouldn’t trade it or the chance to share here with you for anything!