Ingredients

• 1.5 lbs lean ground beef (90/10 lean works well to minimize excess grease)
• 1 tbsp olive oil
• 1 large yellow onion, diced (~1.5 cups)
• 1 red bell pepper, diced
• 1 green bell pepper, diced
• 1 yellow bell pepper, diced
• 4 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 tsp dried basil
• 1 tsp dried oregano
• 1 tsp dried thyme
• 1 (28 oz) can fire-roasted diced tomatoes, undrained
• 1 (15 oz) can tomato sauce
• 4 cups low-sodium beef broth
• 3/4 cup uncooked long-grain white rice
• 2 tsp Diamond Crystal kosher salt (start with this and adjust)
• 1 tsp ground black pepper

Brown the Beef and Build the Base

Put a large Dutch oven over medium-high heat and add the olive oil.

Once the oil shimmers, add the ground beef.

Let it brown for ~5-7 minutes. Don’t move it around too much at first; this helps develop a good sear on the meat.

Break it up with a spoon as it cooks. You should hear a steady sizzle.

Once no pink remains, drain off any excess fat from the pot.

Add the diced onion and bell peppers.

Stir occasionally for another ~5-7 minutes.

The moisture from the vegetables will help lift any browned bits from the bottom of the pot. The onions will start to look translucent at the edges and the peppers will soften slightly.

Toss in the minced garlic and dried herbs.

Stir constantly for about one minute.

You’ll smell the garlic become fragrant. This step toasts the spices and prevents the garlic from scorching.

Simmer the Soup

Pour in the undrained fire-roasted tomatoes, tomato sauce, and beef broth.

Scrape the bottom of the pot to make sure nothing is stuck. Stir everything together.

Turn the heat to high.

Bring the mixture to a full, steady boil.

The moment it boils, stir in the uncooked rice, kosher salt, and black pepper.

Immediately reduce the heat to low, enough to maintain a gentle simmer.

Cover the pot.

Let the soup simmer for ~20-25 minutes.

The rice needs to be fully tender. The only way to know for sure is to taste a few grains.

At this point, taste the broth and adjust the salt if necessary.

Keep in mind, the soup will continue to thicken as it sits and cools because the rice absorbs the liquid. It’ll be even thicker the next day.

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Stuffed Pepper Soup

Uncooked rice goes straight into the pot and absorbs all that beefy tomato flavor while it cooks – no separate rice cooking needed. Fire-roasted tomatoes add a subtle char that regular diced tomatoes miss.

Prep Time 15 minutes mins

Cook Time 45 minutes mins

Total Time 1 hour hr

Ingredients

• ▢ 1.5 lbs lean ground beef 90/10 lean works well to minimize excess grease
• ▢ 1 tbsp olive oil
• ▢ 1 large yellow onion ~1.5 cups, diced
• ▢ 1 red bell pepper diced
• ▢ 1 green bell pepper diced
• ▢ 1 yellow bell pepper diced
• ▢ 4 cloves garlic minced
• ▢ 1 tsp dried basil
• ▢ 1 tsp dried oregano
• ▢ 1 tsp dried thyme
• ▢ 1 can fire-roasted diced tomatoes 28 oz, undrained
• ▢ 1 can tomato sauce 15 oz
• ▢ 4 cups low-sodium beef broth
• ▢ 3/4 cup uncooked long-grain white rice
• ▢ 2 tsp Diamond Crystal kosher salt start with this and adjust
• ▢ 1 tsp ground black pepper

Instructions

• Heat olive oil in large Dutch oven over medium-high heat.
• Add ground beef and brown 5-7 minutes until no pink remains, drain excess fat.
• Add onion and bell peppers, cook 5-7 minutes until onions are translucent.
• Add garlic and dried herbs, stir 1 minute until fragrant.
• Pour in tomatoes, tomato sauce, and beef broth, scraping bottom of pot.
• Bring to boil, add rice, salt, and pepper.
• Reduce heat to low, cover and simmer 20-25 minutes until rice is tender.
• Taste and adjust seasoning.

Notes

Soup will thicken as it sits due to rice absorption. For thinner consistency, add more broth when reheating.