Healthy vegetarian stuffed pepper soup
This easy and healthy stuffed pepper soup comes together effortlessly in the Instant Pot and makes for a filling dinner or lunch.
Servings: 5
Calories: 156kcal
Equipment
- 1 six quart Instant Pot
- 1 slotted spoon/ladle
- 1 set measuring cups and spoons
Ingredients
Rice and lentils
- 1/4 cup Jasmine rice
- 1/3 cup green lentils
- 2 cups hot water
For the soup
- 3 tbsp chopped garlic
- 1 cup white onions finely chopped
- 1 can chopped tomatoes (I have used a 14 oz can here)
- 1 tbsp tomato paste
- 3 cups red bell peppers chopped
- 4 cups vegetable stock add 1 more cup broth if you prefer a thin soup (refer notes in the blog post)
- 2 tsp Italian seasoning
- 2 tsp ground black pepper
- 2 tsp smoked paprika
- 3/4 tsp cayenne
- Salt to taste
For garnish
- 2 tbsp parsley finely chopped
- 2 tbsp sweet basil finely chopped
Instructions
Prep work
- Place the rice and lentils in a colander and wash well. Soak them in 2 cups hot water for 30 minutes. While they soak, prep and assemble the remaining ingredients.
Making the soup
- Insert the inner pot into the inner pot. Tip in the onions, chopped garlic.
- Drain the soaked rice and lentils mixture. Add the drained rice and lentils along with the chopped red bell peppers and seasonings to the inner pot.
- Now, add the canned diced tomatoes, tomato paste and vegetable stock and stir to combine.
- Finally, tip in the cayenne and mix well. Ensure that the sealing ring has been fitted properly into the Instant Pot lid.
- Close the lid, turn the VALVE to SEALING. Plug in the Instant Pot and press PRESSURE COOK- HIGH PRESSURE and set the timer to 5 minutes.
- Wait for the cooking cycle to complete. When done, allow the pressure to release naturally for 5 minutes. After 5 minutes, do a gradual quick pressure release by turning the VALVE to SEALING.
- Open the lid and stir the soup well. At this stage, if you find the soup too thick, feel free to add 1 cup broth and let the soup simmer for 2 to 3 mins on SAUTE mode -NORMAL for 2 minutes.
- Finish with a garnish of finely chopped parsley and basil. Serve hot.
Notes
- You can make this soup in the Instant Pot, Dutch oven or in a crockpot also.
- This soup is a bit thick, much like a stew. If you prefer your soup to be runny, then I recommend adding 1 more cup broth.
- Soaking the rice and lentils helps reduce cooking time. Please do not skip this step. If you do not soak the rice and lentils, they won't cook well.
- For a spicier soup, add 1.5 tsp cayenne or regular red paprika along with the seasonings mentioned here. A fresh deseeded jalapeno added, while sautéing the onions and garlic, is also a good way to add heat.
- If you plan to use cauliflower rice to this soup, then stir it in towards after the soup is done cooking. Press CANCEL, close the lid, turn the VALVE to SEALING and let the soup sit for 10 minutes undisturbed.
- When switching the rice to quinoa, use the same soaking and cooking time.
- For brown rice, the cooking time will be 6 minutes instead of 5 minutes. The rest of the procedure remains the same.
For Instant Pot & Air Fryer Recipes
Instant Pot timings may vary based on your geographic location. Air fryer settings and timings may vary based on the capacity and the model of the Air fryer.
Disclaimer
Nutrition values are provided here as a courtesy and are only a rough guide. Please consult a health care provider if you have any concerns.
Nutrition
Calories: 156kcal | Carbohydrates: 33g | Protein: 7g | Fat: 1g | Saturated Fat: 0.2g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 0.4g | Monounsaturated Fat: 0.1g | Sodium: 908mg | Potassium: 628mg | Fiber: 8g | Sugar: 10g | Vitamin A: 4022IU | Vitamin C: 130mg | Calcium: 82mg | Iron: 3mg
Tried this recipe?Mention @tomatoblues or tag #tomatoblues!