Stuffed Pepper Soup (Keto, No Rice, 9.4g Net Carbs)
- Total time
- 40 minutes
- Makes
- 8 servings
- Net carbs
- 9.4g
- Calories
- 388
Stuffed pepper soup is what happens when you want stuffed peppers on a weeknight and cannot face hollowing out six of them. Everything that goes inside the pepper, and the pepper itself, goes into one pot. Beef, tomato, garlic, a lot of bell pepper. You eat it with a spoon and nobody has to fight a pepper skin with a knife.
The usual version is thick with white rice, which is where most of its carbs come from. This one keeps the beef, the peppers and the tomato broth, and uses riced cauliflower where the rice would go. A big bowl comes to 9.4g net carbs, it feeds eight, and it is on the table in 40 minutes.
My first pot was a mistake I still think about. I added the cauliflower rice at the start with the broth, and by the time the peppers were soft it had collapsed into mush that thickened the soup like wet sand. The cauliflower goes in last, for the final three or four minutes. That one change is the difference between this soup and a bowl of tomato porridge.
Why This Keto Stuffed Pepper Soup Works
Cauliflower rice stands in for the rice, added at the end. It only needs a few minutes in hot soup to turn tender. Added late, it keeps a little bite, the way cooked rice would, instead of dissolving into the broth.
Two kinds of tomato build the base. Diced tomatoes, with their juice, give you pieces to bite into. Tomato sauce gives the broth its body and its deep red color. Together they taste like the sauce that gets spooned over a baked stuffed pepper.
Three peppers, two colors. Green bell pepper is the classic stuffed pepper flavor, a little grassy and sharp. One red pepper adds sweetness and color. They simmer just until tender, so they still taste like peppers.
Broth and water, not broth alone. Two cups of each keeps the soup beefy without turning it salty, because the canned tomatoes and sauce already bring plenty of salt.
Recipe Overview
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 30 minutes
- Total Time: 40 minutes
- Serves: 8 (about 2 cups each)
- Net Carbs: 9.4g per serving
Ingredients
For the soup
| Ingredient | Quantity | Notes |
| Olive oil | 1 tbsp | |
| Onion | ½ medium | Diced |
| Garlic | 2 cloves | Minced |
| Ground beef | 2 lb | 85/15 |
| Green bell peppers | 2 medium | Diced |
| Red bell pepper | 1 medium | Diced |
| Diced tomatoes | 2 cans (14.5 oz each) | With their juice, do not drain |
| Tomato sauce | 1 can (29 oz) | Plain, no sugar added |
| Beef broth | 2 cups | Low-sodium if you can |
| Water | 2 cups | |
| Italian seasoning | 1 tbsp | |
| Salt | 2 tsp | Or to taste |
| Black pepper | ½ tsp | |
| Riced cauliflower | 12 oz | Fresh or frozen |
To serve
| Ingredient | Quantity | Notes |
| Cheddar cheese | 1 cup | Shredded, about 2 tbsp a bowl |
Check the tomato sauce label. Plain canned tomato sauce has no sugar added. Some brands, and most jarred pasta sauces, do, and that quietly adds several grams of carbs to every bowl.
Taste before you add all the salt. Canned tomatoes, tomato sauce and broth are all salted. I add half the salt at the start and the rest only if the finished soup needs it.
Recipe Timing
| Stage | Time |
| Dice the peppers and onion, mince the garlic | 10 minutes |
| Soften the onion, then the garlic | 4 minutes |
| Brown the beef | 8 minutes |
| Add the peppers, tomatoes, sauce, broth and water and bring to a boil | 5 minutes |
| Simmer until the peppers are tender | 10 minutes |
| Add the cauliflower rice and cook | 3 minutes |
| Total | 40 minutes |
How to Make Stuffed Pepper Soup, Step by Step
1. Soften the onion and garlic
Heat the olive oil in a large Dutch oven or soup pot over medium-high heat until it shimmers. Add the onion and cook for about 3 minutes, stirring, until it starts to soften. Add the garlic and cook for 1 minute more, until fragrant.
2. Brown the beef
Add the ground beef and break it up with a wooden spoon or spatula. Cook for about 8 minutes, until no pink is left and the beef has browned in places. Leave it alone for a minute at a time so it browns rather than steams. If more than a couple of tablespoons of fat pool in the pot, spoon some of it off.
3. Add the peppers, tomatoes and liquid
Stir in the diced bell peppers, the diced tomatoes with their juice, the tomato sauce, beef broth, water and Italian seasoning. Add half the salt and the black pepper. Turn the heat up and bring the soup to a boil, which takes about 5 minutes.
4. Simmer
Lower the heat to a gentle simmer and cook for 10 minutes, stirring now and then, until the peppers are tender but still hold their shape. If you like them very soft, give it another 5 minutes.
5. Add the cauliflower rice last
Stir in the riced cauliflower and cook for 3 to 4 minutes, just until it is tender. Frozen cauliflower rice can go straight in from the bag. Do not let it go much longer, or it starts to break down and the soup turns thick and mushy.
Taste, add the rest of the salt if it needs it, and ladle into bowls. Scatter about 2 tablespoons of shredded cheddar over each one and let it melt into the hot soup.
Tips and Variations
- Want it thicker? Simmer it uncovered for 5 extra minutes before the cauliflower goes in, so some of the liquid cooks off.
- Use ground turkey. It is leaner, so you will not need to spoon off any fat. Add a little extra salt and Italian seasoning, because turkey is milder.
- Add some heat. A pinch of red pepper flakes with the garlic, or a diced jalapeño with the bell peppers.
- Change the cheese. Mozzarella or Monterey Jack melt into long strings, like the top of a baked stuffed pepper. Grated Parmesan is sharper and saltier.
- Make it with all green peppers. It tastes more like the old-fashioned version. Red, yellow and orange peppers are sweeter and a little higher in carbs.
What to Serve With Stuffed Pepper Soup
A bowl is a full dinner on its own. If you still miss the real thing, our low carb stuffed peppers are the baked version, whole peppers filled with beef, tomato and melted cheese.
For a night when you want the same flavors with less liquid, our keto stuffed pepper skillet cooks beef, peppers and cauliflower rice in one pan under a layer of melted mozzarella. A crisp green salad with a sharp vinaigrette is all either of them needs beside it.
Storage and Reheating
Fridge: keep the soup in an airtight container for up to 4 days. Add the cheese when you serve, not before you store it.
Reheat: warm it in a pot over medium heat, or a bowl at a time in the microwave, until hot. The cauliflower keeps softening as it sits, so reheat it only until hot and do not boil it for long.
Freezer: it freezes well for up to 3 months without the cheese. If you know a batch is going into the freezer, add the cauliflower rice when you reheat it rather than before freezing, so it does not go soft.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is stuffed pepper soup keto?
The classic recipe is not, because it is made with white rice. This version uses riced cauliflower instead and plain tomato sauce with no sugar added, so a 2-cup bowl with cheddar has 9.4g net carbs.
How do I keep the cauliflower rice from going mushy?
Add it at the very end and cook it for only 3 to 4 minutes. If you plan to have leftovers for several days, you can also cook the cauliflower rice separately and add it to each bowl as you serve.
Can I use only red or yellow peppers?
Yes. The soup will be sweeter and a little more colorful, and the carbs go up slightly because red and yellow peppers carry more natural sugar than green ones.
Can I make it in a slow cooker?
Brown the onion, garlic and beef in a pan first, then put them in the slow cooker with everything except the cauliflower rice. I have not tested the slow cooker timing, so start checking the peppers after about 3 hours on low, and stir in the cauliflower rice for the last 15 minutes.
More Low-Carb Beef Soups and Dinners
- Cheeseburger Soup — ground beef, cauliflower rice and sharp cheddar in a creamy beef broth.
- Keto Taco Soup — ground beef, cream cheese and diced tomatoes with green chilies, ready in 25 minutes.
- Beefy Keto Minestrone — ground beef, zucchini, green beans and cauliflower in beef broth, ready in 25 minutes.
- Keto Cabbage Rolls — beef and cauliflower rice rolled in cabbage leaves and baked in tomato sauce.
- Keto Chili — a no-bean beef chili with tomatoes and red bell pepper, ready in 25 minutes.
Recipe Card
The full ingredient list and the method in short are in the card below.
Keto Stuffed Pepper Soup
Equipment
- Large Dutch oven or soup pot
- Wooden spoon or spatula
Ingredients
For the soup
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 1/2 medium onion diced
- 2 cloves garlic minced
- 2 lb ground beef 85/15
- 2 medium green bell peppers diced
- 1 medium red bell pepper diced
- 2 cans (14.5 oz each) diced tomatoes with their juice, do not drain
- 1 can (29 oz) tomato sauce plain, no sugar added
- 2 cups beef broth low-sodium if you can
- 2 cups water
- 1 tbsp Italian seasoning
- 2 tsp salt or to taste
- 1/2 tsp black pepper
- 12 oz riced cauliflower fresh or frozen
To serve
- 1 cup cheddar cheese shredded, about 2 tbsp a bowl
Instructions
Make the soup
- Soften: Heat the olive oil in a large Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Cook the onion about 3 minutes, then add the garlic and cook 1 minute.
- Brown: Add the ground beef and cook about 8 minutes, breaking it up, until browned with no pink left. Spoon off excess fat if a lot has pooled.
- Simmer: Stir in the green and red bell peppers, diced tomatoes with their juice, tomato sauce, beef broth, water, Italian seasoning, half the salt and the black pepper. Bring to a boil, then simmer 10 minutes until the peppers are tender.
- Finish: Stir in the riced cauliflower and cook 3-4 minutes, just until tender. Taste and add the rest of the salt if needed.
Serve
- Serve: Ladle into bowls and top each with about 2 tablespoons of the shredded cheddar cheese.
Notes
Keep cooking
