Vegan Lentil Stuffed Pepper Soup

This vegan stuffed pepper soup recipe is bursting with colorful bell peppers, fire-roasted tomatoes, green lentils, fluffy quinoa, and spinach. Enjoy the flavor of stuffed peppers without all the fuss! This soup is easy to make and ready to eat in less than 1 hour!

I love stuffed peppers but I don't always feel like heating up the kitchen to enjoy them. When a craving occurs, this unstuffed bell pepper soup always hits the spot! It's loaded with sweet bell peppers, high-protein green lentils, fluffy quinoa, flavorful fire-roasted tomatoes, and lots of spinach. This recipe is naturally gluten-free and oil-free and it's ready to eat in less than one hour! 

Ingredients & Substitutions

You'll need all of the ingredients in the picture below to make this vegan stuffed pepper soup recipe. I used a mix of fresh, frozen, and pantry ingredients to make the soup. I listed substitutions below if you need them.

• Fire-Roasted Tomatoes: I used fire-roasted because it adds a smoky flavor, but you can use plain diced tomatoes too. If you use plain tomatoes but still want to add that smoky flavor, add 1 tsp smoked paprika.
• Frozen Spinach: I used frozen spinach because it's convenient. You can substitute fresh spinach or any fresh greens that you prefer. Thinly sliced kale, beet greens, swiss chard, or collard greens would all be good options to use.
• Lentils: You can use dried or canned lentils. If you use dried lentils, you can cook ½ cup separately and then add them to the soup or you can cook the lentils in the soup. Make sure to add 1 additional cup of broth or water to the soup for the lentils to absorb while they cook. I used green lentils, but you could also use red lentils or brown lentils. 
• Bell Peppers: You can use fresh or frozen bell peppers, and any color is fine. I prefer to use red, yellow, or orange because they taste sweeter than green peppers. 
• Quinoa: It's best to cook the quinoa in a separate pot and then add it to the soup the end so it doesn't absorb all the broth. You could substitute brown rice, orzo (not gluten-free), or barley (not gluten-free), or cauliflower rice (low-carb). 

How to Make Vegan Stuffed Pepper Soup

First, start by cooking the quinoa in a separate medium-sized pot (Photo 1). While the quinoa is cooking, saute the diced onion in a large pot until it's soft and translucent. Add minced garlic, tomato paste, Italian seasonings, salt, and pepper and let it cook for a few more minutes to toast the spices (Photos 2-3).

Next, add the fire-roasted tomatoes, diced bell peppers, lentils, maple syrup, and vegetable broth to the pot (Photo 4) and bring it to a simmer. Reduce the heat and let it cook until the peppers are tender (Photo 5). Lastly, add the frozen spinach and the cooked quinoa and let the soup cook for a few more minutes to warm the spinach (Photo 6).

Serving Suggestions 

I usually serve a bowl of this vegan stuffed pepper soup with a side of roasted potatoes and a big salad drizzled with creamy vegan ranch. If you like to dip bread into your soup, toasted slices of this no-knead whole wheat bread would be delicious. Any of the following sides would be great options too.  

• Roasted Maple Dijon Brussels Sprouts
• Avocado Arugula Tomato Salad
• Lemon Tahini Courgette Salad

Slow Cooker Instructions

If you'd rather set it and forget it, you can also make this bell pepper lentil quinoa soup in a slow cooker. Follow these steps:

1. Add the diced onions, garlic, dried seasonings, tomato paste, maple syrup, fire-roasted tomatoes, lentils, bell peppers, and vegetable broth to the crockpot. Stir to combine. 
2. You can cook the quinoa in the slow cooker or in a separate pot and add it later. If you decide to cook the quinoa in the slow cooker with the rest of the stuffed pepper soup ingredients, you will need to add an additional two cups of vegetable broth or water to make sure the quinoa has enough liquid to absorb while it cooks.
3. Set the slow cooker to cook for 3-4 hours on high. If you cook the soup for 6-8 hours on low the quinoa and peppers will get really soft and mushy, so I wouldn't recommend doing this. 
4. After 3 hours, remove the lid and stir in the frozen spinach and cooked quinoa if you didn't cook it in the slow cooker already. Put the lid back on and let it cook for 30 additional minutes or until you're happy with the consistency. 

How Long Does it Last in the Refrigerator? 

Store leftover vegan stuffed pepper soup in an airtight container in the fridge and it should stay fresh for 4-5 days.

Can I Freeze It? 

Yes, you can freeze leftover soup in an airtight freezer-safe container for 2-3 months. It's best to freeze the soup without the quinoa mixed in so it doesn't absorb all the broth. However, you can freeze the soup with the quinoa already mixed in if you need to, but the texture will be thicker once you defrost it. I usually just freeze the soup and then make a fresh pot of quinoa to add to it when I defrost it. 

How to Reheat It

To reheat the vegan stuffed pepper soup, take the container out of the freezer and let it defrost in the fridge for 24 hours. You can then reheat it in a bowl in the microwave for 1-2 minutes or in a saucepan over medium heat on the stovetop until it's warmed through. If the quinoa is already mixed in, you will probably need to add 2-3 tbsp of vegetable broth or water if the soup is too chunky. 

Success Tips

• Cook the quinoa in a separate pot and only add it to the soup right before you serve it. If you cook the quinoa in the soup, it will absorb most of the broth and the texture will be more like a stew.
• Don't drain the juice from the can of fire-roasted tomatoes, it adds a lot of smoky flavor to the broth.
• Add the spinach at the end so it only cooks for about 5 minutes. By doing this, the spinach will retain its bright green color and make a prettier presentation. 
• Store the leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for 4-5 days or you can freeze it for a future meal.

Want More Vegan Bell Pepper Recipes?

Zucchini Pizza Bites

Roasted Veggie Hummus Wraps

Vegan Sausage & Peppers Skillet

Roasted Red Pepper Tomato Soup 

Vegan Taco Pasta Salad

Vegan Lentil Stuffed Pepper Soup

This vegan stuffed pepper soup recipe is bursting with colorful bell peppers, fire-roasted tomatoes, green lentils, fluffy quinoa, and spinach. Enjoy the flavor of stuffed peppers without all the fuss! This soup is easy to make and ready to eat in less than 1 hour!

4.77 from 21 votes

Print Pin Rate

Course: Vegan

Cuisine: American

Prep Time: 10 minutes

Cook Time: 45 minutes

Total Time: 55 minutes

Servings: 8 servings

Calories: 288kcal

Author: Stacey Eckert

Equipment

• 6-Quart Dutch Oven of Large Pot
• Medium-Sized Pot

Ingredients

• ▢ ½ cup quinoa rinsed and drained
• ▢ 3-4 tbsp low-sodium vegetable broth (to saute)
• ▢ 1 medium yellow onion diced
• ▢ 4 medium garlic cloves minced
• ▢ 2 tbsp tomato paste
• ▢ 1 ½ tbsp Italian seasonings
• ▢ ½ tsp salt (add more to taste)
• ▢ ½ tsp black pepper
• ▢ 28 oz can diced fire-roasted tomatoes
• ▢ 3 medium bell peppers seeded and diced
• ▢ 14 oz can green lentils rinsed and drained (about 2 cups cooked)
• ▢ 1 tbsp maple syrup
• ▢ 4 cups low-sodium vegetable broth
• ▢ 10 oz bag frozen spinach

Instructions

• First, cook the quinoa in a separate medium-sized pot according to the package instructions. When the quinoa is done cooking, take it off the heat and set it aside for later.
• In a large dutch oven over medium heat, saute the diced onion in 3-4 tbsp of vegetable broth until it's soft and translucent.
• Add minced garlic, 2 tbsp tomato paste, 1 ½ tbsp Italian seasonings, ½ tsp salt, and ½ tsp black pepper to the pot. Stir to combine and let it cook for a few minutes to toast the spices.
• Next, add the fire-roasted diced tomatoes (with the juice), diced bell peppers, green lentils, 1 tbsp maple syrup, and 4 cups of vegetable broth to the pot. Stir to combine and increase the heat to bring it to a low simmer. Reduce the heat to medium, and then let the soup cook for 25 minutes. 
• Lastly, add the frozen spinach and the cooked quinoa and let it cook for 5 more minutes or until the spinach is warmed through.

Notes

• Cook the quinoa in a separate pot and only add it to the soup right before you serve it. If you cook the quinoa in the soup, it will absorb most of the broth and the texture will be more like a stew.
• Don't drain the juice from the can of fire-roasted tomatoes, it adds a lot of smoky flavor to the broth.
• Add the spinach at the end so it only cooks for about 5 minutes. By doing this, the spinach will retain its bright green color and make a prettier presentation. 
• Store the leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for 4-5 days or you can freeze it for a future meal.

Nutrition

Serving: 1cup | Calories: 288kcal | Carbohydrates: 52g | Protein: 17g | Fat: 2g | Saturated Fat: 1g | Sodium: 848mg | Potassium: 834mg | Fiber: 19g | Sugar: 9g | Vitamin A: 6304IU | Vitamin C: 65mg | Calcium: 136mg | Iron: 6mg

Tried this recipe?Please rate it and leave a comment below if you have any feedback! If you post a picture on Instagram, please tag @Stacey_Homemaker and use the hashtag #StaceyHomemaker so I can see your delicious creation!

*This recipe was originally published on 8/29/17, but I updated it on 9/19/20.