When I first became a vegetarian, stuffed peppers were one of my favorite things to make. They're easy to prep ahead of time for busy weeknight meals and are usually packed full of plant protein and fiber from different legumes and grains.
I've tried several different versions over the years, like these Mediterranean Quinoa Stuffed Peppers which I love, but with winter upon us I wanted to make something that would provide a little more warmth. Something you could eat curled up in your sweatpants with a blanket on the couch. Because that's pretty much all I feel like doing this time of year!
The beauty of this stuffed pepper soup is that it's made in one pot and you don't have to worry about taking the time to stuff each individual pepper. I went for more of a classic version using brown rice and lentils for protein alongside tomatoes, onion and dried herbs.
It's as simple as sauteing the onion with the garlic and bell peppers, adding the lentils along with dried oregano and thyme, canned tomatoes, tomato sauce and vegetable broth, then letting everything boil for about 35 minutes or so.
While that's cooking you can clean up and prepare the rice. Trader Joe's sells packages of frozen organic brown rice which work perfectly for this recipe. Just three minutes in the microwave and it's ready to serve. You can't beat that with a stick!
Side note: I recommend adding a small amount of rice to each individual bowl as you eat it because adding it to the pot with the whole batch of soup will cause it to thicken, leaving barely any broth behind. Then it will be more like a stew than a soup, which isn't really what we're going for.
This stuffed pepper soup is the perfect meal for this time of year. It's easy to make, loaded with protein and fiber, and the vitamins and antioxidants will keep your immune system strong to help ward of winter sickness. Cheers to good food and a happy healthy new year!
📖 Recipe
Ingredients
- 1 cup uncooked brown lentils, rinsed
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 yellow onion, diced
- 3 cloves garlic
- 1 red bell pepper, cored and diced
- 1 green bell pepper, cored and diced
- 1 teaspoon dried thyme
- 1 teaspoon dried oregano
- 1 15-ounce can diced fire roasted tomatoes
- 1 15-ounce can tomato sauce
- 4 cups vegetable broth
- 2 cups water
- 10 ounces cooked brown rice, optional
- Fresh parsley for serving, optional
Instructions
- In a large pot, warm the olive oil over medium-low heat. Add the diced onion, sprinkle with a pinch of salt and pepper, and cook for about 3 minutes, until translucent.
- Next, add the garlic, bell peppers and dried herbs, and continue to cook for 5 more minutes. Pour in the can of diced tomatoes with their juices, tomato sauce, vegetable broth, water, and lentils, and stir everything together. Turn the heat to high to bring to a boil then reduce it to medium and cook for about 35 minutes, or until the lentils are tender.
- Serve the soup warm with fresh parsley and add brown rice as desired on top of the soup.
Sandy Gunther says
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Suzanne says
This soup is great. No changes other than I reduced the broth to 2 cups, added a splash of wine and used red lentils because that's all I had. More chili-like with less water, but delicious.
Sarah Cook says
Thanks for the feedback, Suzanne! Adding wine is always a good idea. 😉
Candice Morris says
The wine perfected this recipe. Thanks for the recipe Sarah. And, thank you for the wine suggestion!
Sarah Cook says
I'm so glad to hear you enjoyed it, Candice! Thanks for the feedback! 🙂
Crista says
mmm looks delicious!!
Valerie says
I've used black beans, but I like the lentil idea, too!
Sarah Cook says
I'm sure black beans are delicious too!
Avi Strauss says
This is perfect for a cold winter day while stuck inside.
Sarah Cook says
I agree, Avi! Thank you. 🙂
Cheyanne says
You know, one of my favorite soups used to be a stuffed bell pepper soup with ground turkey and I've missed it since I became a vegetarian in March. I never even THOUGHT to use lentils. How silly of me! Can't wait to make this!! 🙂
Sarah Cook says
Thanks Cheyanne! I hope you love it! 🙂
C. Marie says
Mmm . . . I love lentils! I am making this soon. (Glad I have some leftover brown rice in the fridge!)
Rebecca says
This turned out delicious! Even my carnivore husband loves it. For the rice, I made lime-cilantro rice (add a handful of chopped cilantro, lime juice and a little salt). I think adding the rice afterwards is a great touch! Will definitely make again!
Sandra says
This is so good!! I've been planning for one lentil meal each week and it's been hit or miss if we loved them. Safe to say this was a huge hit! So savoury and flavourful - the leftovers were even better!!
Sarah Cook says
Yay! So happy to hear that, Sandra! I love the idea to do one lentil meal a week. Thanks for the feedback! 🙂
Megan says
Do you think this would freeze well? Looking for some good easy freezer food for a vegan friend who recently had a baby 🙂
Sarah Cook says
Hi Megan! Yes, I think this would freeze well. I would just let it cool to room temperature before freezing it. 🙂
Alison says
Oh Sarah this looks deeeelish! If I were to take out the brown rice what could I replace it with? Just more lentils? A veggie? And how much would you suggest adding?
Shuchi says
This is really a nice recipe. I also write about vegetarian food, and I appreciate your style.
Katie Trant says
Thanks Shuchi! We'll be sure to check out your recipes as well.
Cassandra says
This was seriously delicious! It was perfect for lunch too. I blended mine because I don't like big chunks of tomato, personal preference. I would definitely make this again. Hearty, and crowd pleasing - and good for the soul.
Katie Trant says
Blended is a great option too! Thanks, Cassandra.
Melodie says
Thank you for this delicious recipe. It helped me use some of my tomato and bell pepper harvest from my garden.
Jolisa says
I'm sure the question has been asked so sorry but lastly. Do we cover at the end while it's cooking for the 35 min or leave uncovered?