This vegetarian Stuffed Pepper Soup with Lentils and Brown Rice is one of those dishes that tastes amazing and is also super good for you. My whole family gobbles it up. It's one of our favorites along with this Stuffed Cabbage Soup.
Stuffed peppers were something I usually turned my nose at. Peppers are good — but I always eat them diced or sliced or IN something, not as the container for everything else. I guess there was just something intimidating about an entire pepper staring me down, filled with who-knows-what and the expectation that I had to eat the whole thing.
So, for a long time, every time I was presented with a stuffed pepper I refused to eat it (or pretended to eat it by schooching my food around on my plate to make it look like I had eaten a lot). That is, until recently when I was presented with some incredible vegan stuffed peppers at a friend's house. Who would have guessed that a vegan dish is what turned me around?
It didn't look so scary for some reason and the lentils and brown rice just seemed to "go" with the pepper. I wanted to devour the entire thing before even tasting one bite. (It doesn't hurt that everything she makes is delicious so I knew this would be as well.)
She forever changed my opinion of what a stuffed pepper could be. Inspired by her amazing peppers which had lentils and brown rice, I decided to see what other variations I could make of it.
Soup seemed like an easy extrapolation. I love all those ingredients in other soups — why wouldn't I like them together? It turns out, my hunch was right. This Lentil and Brown Rice Stuffed Pepper Soup is great on a cold night, a busy night, or any night really (or daytime too, lest I forget about lunch leftovers).
I added some extra vegetables — zucchini and spinach — but you could leave these out or add any veggies you like. And as you may expect, cheese is always a good idea! This is delicious with some crumbled feta or goat cheese on top.
Ways to Serve Lentil and Brown Rice Stuffed Pepper Soup
- Serve your soup in a bread bowl — you can get them pre-cut at many bakeries.
- Layer the soup on top of spiralized veggies for an extra-nutritious meal.
- Add a base layer of polenta to your bowl before spooning in the stuffed pepper soup.
- This soup goes great right on top of red beans as well.
- Ladle your soup right into a big mug — and go cozy up to a warm fire. Who says you have to eat soup at the dinner table?
- Add toppings! My favorites include hot sauce or red pepper flakes, diced avocado, green onion slivers, and, of course, cheese!
- Add protein with some browned ground turkey, beef, or chicken. You can also add soem sliced chicken or turkey sausage. Or add some shredded rotisserie chicken.
Side Dishes to Serve with Lentil and Brown Rice Stuffed Pepper Soup
This dish has it all — veggies and grains. I do love me some sides though! Try:
- A simple side salad with a light vinaigrette dressing.
- Bake up a quick batch of frozen rolls to save time on your end, or make your own.
- Crackers are great, but fun crackers are better — try whole wheat, gorgonzola, breadsticks, or some other non-saltine to serve alongside the soup.
- Homemade bread is a good idea basically any time — try this easy Irish Brown Bread that comes together in just one hour.
- Baked Potato Chips give you that crunch you crave without all the extra calories.
- A hearty veggie side works well too — try some kale, squash, or roasted sweet potatoes with your soup.
How Do You Make Vegan Stuffed Pepper Soup?
As luck would have it — this stuffed pepper soup is already vegan! There is no meat or animal products use in this dish whatsoever. If you want a heartier taste to this soup, try adding 3-4 tablespoons of nutritional yeast. Nutritional yeast is a yeast that is not active and tastes rather cheesy or nutty, and works great as a cheese substitute. Just a couple tablespoons will add a nice depth of flavor to this soup.
Can I Make this Stuffed Pepper Soup in the Slow Cooker?
You sure can make this soup in the slow cooker. In fact, it's so easy, and I do it quite often myself. I do recommend you go ahead and cook the garlic, onions, and peppers in a skillet for about five minutes first, just to get the onions and peppers cooked down a little. Then, add those to the bottom of your slow cooker crock.
Next, add in the lentils, diced tomatoes with juice, tomato sauce, broth, and water as instructed below. Cook this on low for about 4-5 hours or high for 2-3. Wait until the last hour of cooking to add in the spinach and zucchini so it doesn't get too soft. Follow that with the cooked brown rice and voila — dinner is served!
*Weight Watchers Tip: For a zero point option, you can leave out the olive oil and cooked brown rice. It will still come out amazing!