Name: Instant Pot Stuffed Pepper Soup
Prep time: 15 min
Cook time: 20 min
Total time: 35 min
Ingredients: 1 tbsp olive oil; 1 yellow onion, diced; 2 cloves garlic minced; 1 lb ground chicken; 2 tsp PC Black Label smoked paprika; 1 tsp Italian seasoning; 1/2 tsp salt; 1 (796mL) can Diced tomatoes; 1 (650mL) jar marinara sauce (or any type of tomato sauce); 4 cups beef broth (or chicken broth); 3/4 cup white rice; 2 green peppers, chopped; 2 red peppers, chopped; 1/2 cup parmesan cheese, grated (optional, for topping); 1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley (optional for garnish)

This Instant Pot Stuffed Pepper Soup is easier than making stuffed peppers themselves, with marinara sauce, ground chicken, rice and peppers.

How to make stuffed pepper soup in the Instant Pot

With Instant Pot on sauce mode, add olive oil, onions and garlic. Once fragrant, add chicken and saute until lightly browned, then add smoked paprika, Italian seasoning and salt. Turn off saute mode.
Add diced tomatoes, marinara sauce, beef broth and rice. Pressure cook for 3 minutes.
Once pressure has released, safely open lid then stir in bell peppers & let sit for 2 minutes.
Serve in large bowls and top with cheese and parsley. Serve and enjoy!

Ingredients and substitutions

Olive oil – any neutral oil will work in place of olive oil. Neutral oils can be grapeseed oil, canola oil, avocado oil, etc.
Yellow onion – red onion, sweet onion or shallots can substitute yellow onion.
Garlic – use fresh or jarred minced garlic in this recipe.
Ground chicken – ground turkey or extra lean ground beef can also be used in this recipe.
Smoked paprika – cayenne pepper is a great alternative to paprika. Chili powder or taco seasoning can also be used as a substitution.
Italian seasoning – use dried oregano, dried basil, dried thyme or dried rosemary as a substitution (or a combination of all of these spices to make your own Italian seasoning)
Salt (to taste)
Diced tomatoes – canned tomatoes or freshly diced tomatoes can be used as a substitution
Marinara sauce – any tomato sauce will work just fine in this recipe.
Beef broth – chicken broth or if in a pinch, vegetable broth, can also be used.
White rice – any variety of white rice can be used. Substitute brown rice, quinoa or couscous if necessary but note that it may alter cook time.
Green and red bell peppers – substitute with any colour of choice or use poblano peppers for additional heat.
Parmesan cheese (optional topping)
Parsley (optional for garnish)

What is stuffed pepper soup?

Stuffed pepper soup is essentially a deconstructed stuffed pepper within a hearty, comforting soup. The soup includes protein from the ground chicken, crunch from the bell peppers, grains from the rice and a flavourful broth to tie everything together. Even though you can have stuffed peppers as a dish year round, this soup is the perfect way to bring in soup season the right way.

Storing and reheating

This soup will last in the fridge for 3-4 days making it a great meal prep recipe for lunch or dinner. When ready to enjoy, reheat in the microwave on high for about 2-3 minutes.

Can you freeze stuffed pepper soup?

Technically, yes you can freeze this stuffed pepper soup. If you go forward with freezing this soup, be weary that the peppers can get mushy and lose taste/texture after they've been frozen.

To freeze, allow the soup to cool to room temperature. Freeze a batch in glass meal prep bowls/containers that have lids. Individual servings allow you to pull them out and enjoy whenever you are in a hurry and need a quick meal.

If the container allows for it, microwave the stuffed pepper soup from frozen for 6 to 7 minutes on high. Stir it half way through the cook time. You can also allow the soup to defrost in the fridge overnight and then microwave for 2-3 minutes.

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More Instant Pot soup recipes

Easy minestrone soup
Vegetarian detox soup
Gluten free and vegetarian taco soup

Meal prep tools for this recipe

The Instant Pot DUO Plus 60 is the version I use in this recipe.
Grab some Glass meal prep bowls if you plan on packing this soup up for lunch!
I get free range chicken from my monthly Butcher Box – it's a great way to enjoy healthier meats and poultry and they're even offering 2 free ribeyes and bacon!

Instant Pot Stuffed Pepper Soup