Low Carb Stuffed Pepper Soup

Cozy Stuffed Pepper Soup Recipe Highlights

• Vegetable-packed. This stuffed pepper soup has plenty of “hidden” veggies hiding in plain sight. Tender peppers, sweet onions, tomatoes, and cauliflower blend into the richness of the broth and ground meat.
• Diet-friendly. The ingredients are low in carbs, gluten-free, and keto-friendly, with the option to make the soup vegetarian.
• Clean out the fridge. I always have ground beef in the fridge to make chili and egg rolls in a bowl. And soups are such a great way to use up any extras!

Ingredients You’ll Need

• Ground beef – For a truly keto soup recipe with a higher fat content, you’ll likely want to go with an 80/20 blend. If you prefer, you can use lean ground beef, too.
• Onion – Just a little for flavor, so it has minimal impact on the carbs per serving.
• Garlic – Minced or crushed in a garlic press. If you need to substitute garlic powder, use ¼ in place of each clove.
• Beef broth – Homemade or store-bought. Substitute chicken broth if needed (and also vegetable broth or stock if you’re making the soup vegetarian, without the ground beef).
• Green bell pepper – Feel free to swap for red, orange, or yellow if you prefer. But the green ones are slightly lower in carbs.
• Tomato – Choose a ripe, juicy tomato like Roma. Discard the seeds and dice the tomato. Another option is to use low-sodium canned tomatoes instead.
• Worcestershire sauce – Deepens the flavor, and small amounts are fine for a keto diet.
• Red pepper flakes – For just a hint of heat, though feel free to omit if you’re sensitive to spice.
• Riced cauliflower – You can use fresh or frozen. And if you aren’t concerned about the carb count, feel free to use cooked white rice instead.

How to Make Stuffed Pepper Soup

Follow the steps below to make this easy stuffed pepper soup on the stovetop. Keep scrolling for alternative cooking methods, whether you want to cook it fast or cook it slow.

1. Sauté the ingredients. In a large pot, cook the ground beef, then add the onions and garlic and sauté for a few minutes.
2. Combine. Next, add everything except the cauliflower to the saucepan and bring to a boil.
3. Cook. Reduce the heat and simmer for half an hour, adding the cauliflower rice for the last five minutes.

Instant Pot Method

1. Sauté. To make Instant Pot stuffed pepper soup, use the Sauté setting to cook the ground beef until it is no longer pink. After that, add the onion and garlic, then season with salt and pepper.
2. Add liquid. Stir in beef broth, chopped bell peppers, and tomatoes, and Worcestershire sauce.
3. Cook. Seal and cook using the Soup function or Manual for 10 minutes. Release the pressure and add cauliflower rice, then use the soup function to cook for another few minutes. Enjoy!

Crock Pot Stuffed Pepper Soup

1. Brown the beef first. First, cook the beef in a skillet, followed by the onions and garlic.
2. Combine inside the crock pot. Transfer to your slow cooker with the remaining ingredients except for the riced cauliflower.
3. Cook. Cook on low for 6 to 8 hours, adding the cauli rice during the last 30 minutes of cooking.

Tips for the Best Stuffed Pepper Soup

• Chop the veggies to the same size. Cut your bell peppers and tomatoes to similar sizes so that they cook evenly in the broth.
• For a thicker soup, you can increase the amount of cauli rice. On the other hand, cut back on the amount for a thinner soup.
• If using canned tomatoes, try to buy San Marzano tomatoes, which are sweeter. If you find the flavor of canned tomatoes a little acidic, consider adding a ¼ teaspoon of sugar.
• Meal prep it. If you are making this soup in advance as part of your meal prep, I recommend preparing it up to the point of adding the cauliflower rice (or regular cooked rice), then adding that in when you reheat it.

Variations for This Soup

• Different protein. Use ground chicken or Italian sausage instead of ground beef.
• Vegetarian. Omit the ground meat. You can substitute tofu mince or tempeh if you’d like,
• Add more veggies, like diced carrots, celery, potatoes, or mushrooms.
• Non-keto alternatives. Swap cauliflower rice with barley or quinoa if you’re not making this keto.

Storing and Reheating Leftovers

• Refrigerate. This soup can be kept in the refrigerator in an airtight container for up to 3 to 4 days.
• To reheat it, you can warm the stuffed pepper soup until steaming in a pot on the stove or in the microwave. It can also be kept warm in a crockpot.
• If you want to freeze it, again, I recommend freezing it before adding the cauliflower rice. It is best thawed and eaten within 2 months.

About Keto Soups and Stews

This easy and flavorful low-carb soup recipe is from my friend Carolyn’s cookbook Keto Soups & Stews. In this cookbook, she gives you over fifty recipes for the comfort food you crave any time of the year. Her blog All Day I Dream About Food is already a treasure trove of low-carb deliciousness. But she is sharing even more of her amazing recipes in her collection of keto cookbooks.

As with all her cookbooks, Carolyn starts out by giving you all of her best tips, tools, and ingredient recommendations. The chapters are then divided by proteins (chicken soups and stews, beef, pork, and even seafood), plus a vegetarian chapter. And each recipe has a full-color photo with a photo index at the back of the book.

Where Can I Buy Easy Keto Soups & Stews?

You will find this book on many bookstore shelves, but you can always get it on Amazon, along with Carolyn’s other cookbooks:

• The Everyday Ketogenic Kitchen has all the keto basics with information and recipes for every meal of the day to get you started on your low-carb journey.
• Easy Keto Dinners will help you with your menu planning so you can stay low carb even on the busiest of nights with recipes like Chicken Enchilada Skillet.
• Easy Keto Desserts will have you drooling, especially if you have a sweet tooth like me or want to try savory baking like Spinach Feta Pinwheels.
• Easy Keto Breakfasts will have you starting your day with more than just bacon and eggs, like her Low Carb Cheesecake Breakfast Parfaits.