This Parmesan stuffed pepper soup is made from sautéed onions and ground beef (or ground turkey) simmered in beef broth that’s seasoned perfectly with herbs, along with the rind of fresh Parmesan cheese. Add a few bell peppers and rice and top with parsley and grated Parmesan cheese.
A twist on my favorite Costco stuffed peppers
If you haven’t tried Costco’s stuffed bell peppers, you’re missing out! Each tray is packed with 6 whole peppers loaded with beef, tomatoes, rice, spices and cheese. The peppers are fully prepared and cooked and ready to warm in your oven. I perfected a copycat recipe where just like the classic Costco recipe, Parmesan cheese is the star of the show. This led me to my next creation…Parmesan stuffed pepper soup. This recipe is a deconstructed version of the Costco peppers that’s prepared in a fraction of the time!
A vegetarian version of Parmesan stuffed pepper soup
Trust me when I tell you that the vegetarian version is just as good as the meat version. You honestly won’t miss the meat a bit. Here’s how it’s done.
Follow the regular recipe, but sauté an entire onion instead of half of an onion. For the veggie version, you’ll want to replace the beef broth with vegetable broth. I really like using Better than Bouillon Seasoned Vegetable Broth or Halo No Beef Broth in this recipe. Since we’re skipping the meat, we’ll need to replace it with vegetarian ingredients. You have options. You could add veggie crumbles in place of the meat or add veggies like 8 ounces of chopped mushrooms sautéed along with the onions. Cherry or grape tomatoes are also delicious in this recipe. Halve the tomatoes and sauté them along with the onions for about 2 minutes.
Parmesan Rind. Explained.
For cheese lovers like myself, the Parmesan rind might just become your new favorite ingredient. There is a ton of rich, nutty cheese flavor packed in the protective outer layer of a Parmesan cheese wheel (which develops as it ages). If you add the rind to sauces or soups, it adds BIG, cheesy flavor that truly takes the dish to the next level. It’s simple, inexpensive and it delivers huge flavor which is why you’ll see it in a bunch of my soup and sauce recipes.
You can find a slice of Parmesan cheese with the rind at the cheese counter in the deli section of your grocery store. You’ll use the rind for the preparation of the soup broth and the cheese portion to top each bowl of soup for extra cheesy flavor.
If you’re preparing this soup on weeknights when you’re short on time, here’s a simple hack to save a few minutes. You can usually find Parmesan rinds at the deli counter. When I find them, I buy 3-4 and pop them in the fridge. They’ll stay fresh in the fridge for several months or you can even pop them in the freezer to keep them fresh longer. Put a rind in the soup and use store-bought grated Parmesan cheese to save 5 mins or so grating the cheese.
What’s in Parmesan stuffed pepper soup?
- Cooked white rice or brown rice (this is about 1 cup uncooked rice)
- Parmesan cheese wedge with the rind – The Rind is simmered in the soup for amazing nutty, cheesy Parmesan flavor and the grated cheese is used to top each serving.
- Olive oil
- Onion
- Ground beef or ground turkey or ground chicken – Traditional stuffed peppers recipes usually use ground beef but I like to use ground turkey or chicken to reduce the fat in this recipe.
- Tomato sauce
- Black pepper
- Garlic powder
- Italian seasoning – You can substitute this with 1/2 tablespoon dried basil and 1/2 tablespoon dried oregano.
- Beef broth
- Red bell pepper
- Green bell pepper
- Fresh parsley – This is an optional garnish.
Looking for more soup recipes?
Parmesan Stuffed Pepper Soup
Ingredients
- 3 cups cooked white rice about 1 cup uncooked rice
- 8 ounce piece of Parmesan cheese wedge with the rind. You'll simmer the rind in the soup for flavor and grate the cheese for a topping on each serving bowl.
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 medium onion diced
- 1 pound ground beef or ground turkey
- 1 15 ounce can tomato sauce Try substituting the sauce for Rao's pizza sauce for added flavor.
- ½ teaspoon black pepper
- ½ teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 tablespoon Italian seasoning
- 4 cups beef broth
- 1 medium red, yellow or orange bell pepper
- 1 medium green bell pepper chopped
- Fresh parsley for garnish optional
Instructions
- Grate the Parmesan cheese and set it aside. Save the Parmesan rind.
- Sauté the onion and ground beef in the olive oil in a large pot or dutch oven until the meat is no longer pink
- Add the can of tomato sauce and the pepper, garlic powder, Italian seasoning and stir. Simmer on medium-low for 4 minutes
- Add the broth. Drop the Parmesan rind into the broth and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to medium-low, cover and simmer for 20 minutes
- Add the peppers and continue to simmer on medium-low for 10 minutes. Add salt, to taste.
- Add about 1/3 cup cooked rice to each serving. Top each serving bowl with grated Parmesan and garnish with fresh parsley (optional).
Looks like a great recipe but it doesn’t say when to add the cooked rice
Thank you for pointing that out! I’ve adjusted the recipe to include the rice. I cook the rice separately and add it to each bowl before serving it. I do this so that if I have leftovers, the rice doesn’t become soggy and absorb all of the broth. Enjoy!