High Protein Vegan Stuffed Peppers with Lentils, Brown Rice and Smoky Tomato Sauce

Bell pepper halves stuffed with green lentils, brown rice, corn and toasted walnuts, baked in a smoky cumin tomato sauce. A hearty vegan dinner that reheats well.

VeganHigh ProteinHigh FiberIron-RichContains Tree NutsMeal Prep
Prep
20 min
Cook
55 min
Rest
5 min
Serves
4
High Protein Vegan Stuffed Peppers with Lentils, Brown Rice and Smoky Tomato Sauce — Bell pepper halves stuffed with green lentils, brown rice, corn and toasted walnuts, baked in a
Illustration generated by AI · SDXL

High Protein Vegan Stuffed Peppers with Lentils, Brown Rice and Smoky Tomato Sauce is a vegan dinner recipe made with dried green lentils, water, cooked brown rice. It takes 75 minutes of hands-on time, plus 5 minutes resting, serves 4, and each serving has 509 calories, 20 g of protein and 15 g of fiber.

Pre-roasting the pepper halves on their own first means they turn tender in the time it takes to heat the filling through, so you don't end up with crunchy peppers and dried-out rice. Green lentils hold their shape after simmering, and toasted walnuts give the filling a meaty bite. One pan of smoky tomato sauce does two jobs: half gets stirred into the filling and the rest goes under the peppers, where it bubbles into a sauce to spoon over them.

Ingredients

4 servings

Filling

Peppers

Smoky Tomato Sauce

Topping

Kit: medium saucepan, large skillet, rimmed baking sheet, 9x13-inch baking dish, aluminum foil

Cook mode · High Protein Vegan Stuffed Peppers with Lentils, Brown Rice and Smoky Tomato Sauce

Tips

  • Toast all the walnuts in a dry skillet over medium heat until fragrant, 3–4 minutes, before chopping. Do this first, then use the same skillet for the sauce.
  • Leftover or store-bought pre-cooked brown rice works well here. If you're cooking it from scratch, 1/2 cup dry rice gives about 1 1/2 cups cooked.
  • If your pepper halves tip over, trim a thin sliver off the rounded underside so they sit flat. Don't cut all the way through.

Swap ideas

Quinoa instead of brown rice
The filling is lighter and fluffier, with a little more protein, and quinoa is quicker to cook if you're starting from scratch.
Black beans instead of half the lentils
Gives a creamier, more Tex-Mex filling. Rinse and drain the beans, then stir them straight into the filling.
Pumpkin seeds instead of walnuts
Keeps the crunch and makes the dish nut-free, with a slightly greener, earthier flavor.
Add a minced chipotle in adobo to the sauce
Makes the sauce spicier and smokier. Start with one pepper and taste before adding more.

The numbers

509kcal per serving

Protein19.9 g
40% DV
Fiber14.5 g
52% DV
Carbs71.7 g
26% DV
Fat19.2 g
25% DV
Everything else · 4 servings per recipe
Saturated fat
2.4 g 12%
Sugars
13.6 g
Sodium
902 mg 39%
Potassium
1237 mg 26%
Calcium
110 mg 8%
Iron
6.3 mg 35%
Vitamin C
219 mg 243%
Vitamin B12
14.07 µg 586%

% Daily Value on a 2,000 calorie diet. Calculated from USDA FoodData Central values for each ingredient; optional ingredients are excluded. Estimates vary with brands and portions.

Sources: Lentils, raw, Beverages, water, tap, drinking, Rice, brown, long-grain, cooked (Includes foods for USDA's Food Distribution Program), Corn, sweet, yellow, frozen, kernels cut off cob, unprepared (Includes foods for USDA's Food Distribution Program), Nuts, walnuts, english, Nutritional Yeast Seasoning by BRAGG (fortified; legacy USDA Branded Foods entry as reproduced by NutritionValue.org), Peppers, sweet, red, raw, Oil, olive, salad or cooking, Onions, raw, Garlic, raw, Spices, paprika, Spices, cumin seed, Spices, chili powder, Tomato products, canned, paste, without salt added (Includes foods for USDA's Food Distribution Program), Tomatoes, red, ripe, canned, packed in tomato juice, Salt, table, Spices, pepper, black

Method

  1. Put the lentils and water in a medium saucepan, bring to a boil, then lower to a gentle simmer. Cook uncovered until tender but still holding their shape, 20–25 minutes. Drain off any leftover water and stir in 1/4 tsp of the salt.

  2. While the lentils cook, heat the oven to 400°F. Brush the pepper halves all over with 1 tbsp olive oil and set them cut side up on a rimmed baking sheet. Roast until they just start to soften and the edges are lightly blistered, 12–15 minutes.

  3. Heat 1 tbsp olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the onion and cook, stirring now and then, until soft and translucent, 5–6 minutes. Stir in the garlic, smoked paprika, cumin and chili powder and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds.

  4. Stir in the tomato paste and cook until it darkens slightly, about 1 minute. Add the crushed tomatoes, the remaining 1 tsp salt and the black pepper. Simmer, stirring occasionally, until slightly thickened, about 10 minutes. Lower the oven to 375°F.

  5. Spread about 1 1/2 cups of the sauce over the bottom of a 9x13-inch baking dish. Stir the rest of the sauce into a large bowl with the cooked lentils, brown rice, corn, 1/3 cup toasted walnuts and nutritional yeast. Taste and add salt if it needs it.

  6. Set the roasted pepper halves cut side up in the sauce and pack the filling into them, mounding it generously. Cover the dish tightly with foil and bake for 20 minutes.

  7. Uncover, sprinkle the remaining 3 tbsp chopped walnuts over the peppers, and bake until the peppers are fork-tender, the sauce is bubbling at the edges and the walnuts are toasted, 10–12 minutes more.

  8. Let the peppers rest for 5 minutes. Serve with the sauce from the dish spooned over, plus cilantro and lime wedges if you like.

Storage: Once cool, refrigerate in an airtight container with the sauce for up to 4 days. Reheat covered at 350°F for 15–20 minutes or in the microwave until hot all the way through. The filling also freezes well on its own for up to 3 months.

Questions

How much protein is in high protein vegan stuffed peppers with lentils, brown rice and smoky tomato sauce?
Each of the 4 servings has 20 g of protein, 15 g of fiber and 509 calories, calculated from USDA FoodData Central values for every ingredient.
Is high protein vegan stuffed peppers with lentils, brown rice and smoky tomato sauce vegan?
Yes. It contains no dairy, eggs, honey or other animal products.
How long does high protein vegan stuffed peppers with lentils, brown rice and smoky tomato sauce take to make?
20 minutes of prep and 55 minutes of cooking, so 75 minutes of hands-on time, plus 5 minutes of unattended resting.
Can you make high protein vegan stuffed peppers with lentils, brown rice and smoky tomato sauce ahead?
Once cool, refrigerate in an airtight container with the sauce for up to 4 days. Reheat covered at 350°F for 15–20 minutes or in the microwave until hot all the way through. The filling also freezes well on its own for up to 3 months.
What can I substitute in high protein vegan stuffed peppers with lentils, brown rice and smoky tomato sauce?
Quinoa instead of brown rice — the filling is lighter and fluffier, with a little more protein, and quinoa is quicker to cook if you're starting from scratch.. Black beans instead of half the lentils — gives a creamier, more tex-mex filling. rinse and drain the beans, then stir them straight into the filling.. Pumpkin seeds instead of walnuts — keeps the crunch and makes the dish nut-free, with a slightly greener, earthier flavor.. Add a minced chipotle in adobo to the sauce — makes the sauce spicier and smokier. start with one pepper and taste before adding more..
Does high protein vegan stuffed peppers with lentils, brown rice and smoky tomato sauce contain tree nuts?
Yes — the ingredient list includes tree nuts, in some cases as an optional ingredient you can leave out. Check the labels on the products you buy if you're cooking for an allergy.

Nutrition is calculated from USDA data for every ingredient — how we work it out.

Published September 25, 2026 ·American

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