When the leaves start to fall and the air turns nippy,

who doesn’t love to come home from a hard day of work or play to a hearty bowl of red pepper soup that’s chock full of savory seasoned beef?

You never know who might come by the house unexpectedly

and this fantastic slow cooker dish makes setting an extra place or two at the table easy-peasy.

All of the ingredients of a traditionally stuffed pepper are still used in this recipe, but you get to skip the time-consuming steps of stuffing a whole bunch of peppers. We also love the gorgeous, deep red color of this soup and how simple ground beef makes this dish a real meal – trust us, this fills you up!

The combination of sweet peppers, tomatoes, and caramelized onions with browned and seasoned beef are both budget-friendly and right on time when you don’t have any to spare! Three hours in your slow cooker turn these flavors into an effortlessly easy meal that is sure to warm your heart and your stomach – guaranteed.

Stuffed Pepper Soup
15 minutes active; 4 hours inactive to prepare Serves: 8
INGREDIENTS
1 pound lean ground beef
1 (15 oz.) can tomato sauce
1 (14.5 oz.) can diced tomatoes with garlic and onions
3 cups beef broth
1 cup cooked rice
1 yellow onion, finely chopped
1 green bell pepper, seeds removed, chopped
1 red bell pepper, seeds removed, chopped
1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
1/2 teaspoon dried basil
1 bay leaf
Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper, to taste
PREPARATION
Brown beef in a large pan or skillet over medium-high heat, then drain all but 2 tablespoons of fat and set aside.
Return skillet to heat and sauté onions until softened and translucent. Season with salt and pepper.
Place beef and onions in slow cooker, then add in tomato sauce, diced tomatoes, beef broth, rice and bell peppers.
Season with oregano and basil and add in bay leaf.
Cover slow cooker and cook on high for 3 hours or on low for 6-8.
Taste and adjust seasoning, if necessary, then ladle into serving bowls and serve hot.