Hearty Stuffed Pepper Soup
This hearty Stuffed Pepper Soup makes for a filling vegan meal, with walnut “meat,” green bell peppers, rice, and veggies in a rich tomato broth. Total comfort food!
I love Vegan Stuffed Peppers, but sometimes I don’t have time for the stuffing and waiting around for all that cooking time. And for those days, this stuffed pepper soup is perfect! It’s got all the flavours you love from stuffed peppers, without the stuffing or the long time in the oven. If you love a good, hearty comfort food soup, add this one to your meal plan soon!
Why This Stuffed Pepper Soup Will Be Your New Fall Favourite
Chilly weather calls for satisfying soups and this vegan stuffed pepper soup recipe delivers! Here’s what makes it a win:
- Whole food meat substitute. This recipe uses the walnut meat from my Vegan Burritos, which means you can avoid the pricy store-bought vegan ground beef. (It’s also much more delicious!)
- Big flavour. Just like traditional stuffed peppers, this stuffed pepper soup has lots of depth: it’s savoury, a little bit sweet, garlicky, and full of Italian herbs.
- Hearty and filling. Between all the veggies, tender rice, and that amazing walnut meat, this stuffed pepper soup makes for the most satisfying meal!
Notes on Ingredients
Here’s what you’ll need to make this vegan stuffed pepper soup. Scroll down to the recipe card to find the ingredient quantities and recipe instructions.
For the Walnut–Black Bean Meat:
- Raw walnuts – Soak these in water overnight, or in boiling water for 10 minutes.
- Oil – Olive oil or another oil you like for cooking.
- Water
- Onion and garlic – Aromatics that add flavour to the walnut meat.
- Soy sauce – Use low-sodium if needed, or swap in tamari for a gluten-free option.
- Liquid smoke – I love the hint of smokiness this adds to the soup, but if you don’t have it on hand, you can use extra soy sauce instead.
- Seasonings – Chili powder, garlic powder, paprika, cumin, sea salt, and ground black pepper.
- Black beans – I use canned black beans for convenience; if you use dried, you’ll need to cook them first.
For the Soup:
- Olive oil
- Yellow onion and garlic
- Green bell pepper – Instead of stuffing the pepper, you’ll dice it for this stuffed pepper soup!
- Diced tomatoes – You can use regular or fire-roasted tomatoes for some extra smokiness.
- Tomato sauce – For a rich, tomato-y broth.
- Vegan broth – I use my homemade Vegetable Broth.
- Herbs and spices – Fresh parsley, Italian seasoning, salt and freshly ground black pepper.
- Rice and vegan cheese – For serving.
How to Make Vegan Stuffed Pepper Soup
Below you’ll find a visual step-by-step guide to walk you through the process of making stuffed pepper soup.
- Make the walnut meat. Pulse the walnuts with a tablespoon of oil and water until minced. Soften the onion and garlic in a skillet with the remaining oil, then stir in the walnuts, soy sauce, liquid smoke, and seasonings. Add the black beans and cook for 5 minutes, then season to taste and remove from heat.
- Soften the onion and pepper. Warm the olive oil in a large pot set over medium heat, then add the onion and bell pepper and cook until softened. Stir in the garlic and cook until it’s fragrant.
- Simmer. Add the diced tomatoes, tomato sauce, broth, parsley, Italian seasoning, and walnut meat. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer for 20 minutes.
- Cook the rice. While the soup is cooking, follow the package instructions for cooking the rice.
- Serve. Stir the rice into the stuffed pepper soup or divide the rice into bowls and ladle the soup over it. Garnish with shredded vegan cheese and parsley, if desired.
Recipe Variations
I have a few variation ideas for you if you want to try switching things up a bit!
- Use a sweet bell pepper. Green bell peppers aren’t spicy, but they aren’t particularly sweet either. A yellow, red, or orange bell pepper will add a bit more sweetness to your stuffed pepper soup.
- Swap in another ground beef substitute. Crumbled tempeh, cooked green or brown lentils, or store-bought subs will all work here.
- Try another grain. You can use long-grain brown rice if you’d like, or if you don’t mind straying a bit from the traditional stuffed pepper formula, use cooked quinoa for extra protein or hearty farro.
Serving Suggestions
In addition to the vegan cheese and parsley, you can add a dollop of Vegan Sour Cream for a little extra richness and to make your stuffed pepper soup creamy. I love pairing this soup with Gluten-Free Dinner Rolls to soak up the fabulous tomato broth!
How to Store Leftovers
- Refrigerator: Transfer the stuffed pepper soup into an airtight container and refrigerate for up to 4 days.
- Freezer: Freeze this soup in an airtight container or freezer bag for up to 3 months. Thaw in the refrigerator before reheating.
- To reheat: Warm leftovers in a pan on the stove over medium heat, or heat individual bowls in the microwave.
More Hearty Vegan Soup Ideas
Enjoy friends! If you make this stuffed pepper soup, please snap a photo and tag #jessicainthekitchen on Instagram! We’d also love it if you would leave a comment below, and give the recipe a rating! Thanks so much!
Vegan Stuffed Pepper Soup
Ingredients
For the Walnut–Black Bean Meat:
- 1 cup raw walnuts, soaked overnight or in boiling water for 10 minutes, drained – 120g
- 2 tablespoons oil, divided – 30mL
- 2 tablespoons water, 30mL
- ½ medium onion, diced – 60g
- 3 cloves garlic, peeled and minced – 9g
- 2 tablespoons soy sauce , 30mL
- ½ teaspoon liquid smoke, or extra soy sauce – 2.5mL
- ½ teaspoon chili powder, 1.5g
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder, 3g
- ½ teaspoon paprika, 1g
- ½ teaspoon cumin, 1g
- ½ teaspoon sea salt , 3g
- ½ teaspoon ground black pepper, 1g
- 1 ½ cups cooked black beans, about 1 can – 260g
For the Soup:
- 1 tablespoon olive oil, 15mL
- 1 small yellow onion, chopped (about 1 cup) – 150g
- 1 green bell pepper, diced – 120g
- 2 cloves garlic, minced – 6g
- 1 28-ounce can diced tomatoes, 794g
- 1 15-ounce can tomato sauce, 425g
- 3 cups vegan broth, 720mL
- 2 ½ tablespoons chopped fresh parsley, plus more for garnish – 10g
- 2 teaspoons Italian seasoning, 4g
- Salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
For Serving:
- 1 cup cooked long-grain white rice, 200g
- Grated vegan Cheddar cheese and extra chopped parsley, optional
Instructions
- Prepare the Walnut–Black Bean Meat: In a food processor, add drained walnuts, 1 tablespoon oil, and water. Pulse 10–20 times until finely minced but not mushy.
- Heat the remaining 1 tablespoon oil in a skillet over medium heat. Add onion and garlic, sauté 5 minutes until softened.
- Stir in walnut mince, soy sauce, liquid smoke, chili powder, garlic powder, paprika, cumin, salt, and black pepper.
- Add black beans and cook for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally. Adjust seasoning, remove from heat, and set aside.
- Start the Soup: In a large pot, heat olive oil over medium heat. Add onion and bell pepper, sauté 5–7 minutes until softened.
- Stir in garlic, cook for 1 minute until fragrant.
- Add diced tomatoes, tomato sauce, broth, parsley, Italian seasoning, and prepared walnut–black bean meat.
- Bring to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer for 20 minutes to develop flavor.
- While soup simmers, cook rice according to package instructions. Fluff with a fork.
- Stir cooked rice directly into soup or place rice into bowls and ladle soup over it.
- Garnish with vegan Cheddar cheese and fresh parsley, if desired.
Notes
- Refrigerator: Transfer the stuffed pepper soup into an airtight container and refrigerate for up to 4 days.
- Freezer: Freeze this soup in an airtight container or freezer bag for up to 3 months. Thaw in the refrigerator before reheating.
- To reheat: Warm leftovers in a pan on the stove over medium heat, or heat individual bowls in the microwave.
Disclaimer: Although jessicainthekitchen.com attempts to provide accurate nutritional information, kindly note that these are only estimates. Nutritional information may be affected based on the product type, the brand that was purchased, and in other unforeseeable ways. Jessicainthekitchen.com will not be held liable for any loss or damage resulting for your reliance on nutritional information. If you need to follow a specific caloric regimen, please consult your doctor first.
