This Moroccan Lentil Soup is hearty, healthy and delicious ~ tender red lentils and chickpeas flavored with warm, fragrant Moroccan spices
I'm a very big fan of this Moroccan Lentil Soup. It's got so much to love - it's thick and creamy, hearty, healthy and colorful, and it's flavored by the beautiful, warm, fragrant spices that characterize Moroccan cuisine.
I discovered this soup when I attended a cooking class on Mediterranean Street Food at Sofra Bakery and Cafe in Cambridge. My cooking teacher that night - Cara Chigazola - is the Chef de Cuisine at one of my all-time favorite restaurants - Oleana - also in Cambridge. I was thrilled that Cara gave me the recipe and permission to share it here on Panning The Globe.
It was fun to hear Cara speak about her travels and her love of street food. She told us about a trip she took to Morocco and how she discovered this amazing soup and had to recreate it when she returned home. I know exactly how she felt! After I tasted her version I wanted to make it immediately when I got home! So did my friend Meryl, who took the class with me.
Here's How To Make Moroccan Lentil Soup
Start by chopping and sautéing a mirepoix of carrots, celery and onions, along with a good amount of minced ginger and garlic.
Next add the ground spices: turmeric, cinnamon, paprika and red pepper. Stir the spices around in the pan for a minute or two, until they're lightly toasted.
At this point you'll be inhaling the beautiful aromatic flavors of this dish and you might close your eyes and take several deep sniffs and start sighing, as I did.
Lastly, add the tomatoes, lentils, chickpeas, and herbs. Now all you have to do is let it simmer for about a half hour....
This Moroccan lentil soup is hearty enough to be a main course. Cara suggests garnishing the bowl with a wedge of lemon to squeeze in, and a date. You can either chop the date, or just put it in the middle of the bowl and scoop up sweet bits of it with each spoonful of soup.
If you live in the Boston area, cooking classes at Sofra are a very special treat that I highly recommend. Imagine stepping into a warm Middle Eastern cafe at 6:30 in the evening.
Pour yourself a cup of tea and get comfy on one of the kilim-covered benches. As you watch the chef prepare the food, intoxicating aromas will float your way and you will be seriously craving the scrumptious dishes that are being created. Your wish will be answered with a delicious serving of each dish, along with the perfect wine pairing.
By the end of the night, you'll be happily stuffed and armed with a bunch of great new recipes to make at home (as well as some other irresistible items from Sofra, such as pomegranate molasses and earthquake cookies, if you're me.)
Here's the link for information about Sofra Bakery, Menu, Catering and Cooking classes.
Here's the link for Oleana Restaurant in Cambridge
Update! Chef Cara recently opened a Honey Road restaurant in Burlington Vermont. It's getting great reviews. I can't wait to check it out next time I'm in Burlington.
Other Delicious Moroccan Recipes:
• Moroccan Chicken Stew with Sweet Potatoes, Apricots and Kale
• Ras El Hanout Spice Mix
• Ras El Hanout Grilled Chicken Thighs
• Slow Cooker Chicken Tagine with Apricots and Chickpeas
• Spicy Moroccan Sweet Potato Stacks
• Moroccan Carrot Soup with Lemon Honey Yogurt
• Moroccan Raw Carrot Salad
Here's the recipe for Moroccan Lentil Soup: Harira. If you try this recipe, I hope you'll come back to leave a star rating and share your thoughts in the comments. I'd love to know what you think!
PrintMOROCCAN LENTIL SOUP: HARIRA
- Total Time: 1 hour 5 mins
- Yield: 6-8 1x
Description
Beautifully-spiced soup of lentils, chickpeas, vegetables and herbs. Hearty enough for dinner.
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
- 1 large yellow onion, finely chopped
- 2 stalks celery, finely chopped
- 1 carrot, peeled and finely chopped
- ⅓ cup chopped parsley, leaves and tender stems
- ½ cup chopped cilantro, leaves and tender stems
- 2 ½ tablespoons minced garlic (about 5 large garlic cloves)
- 2 tablespoons minced ginger (about a 2-inch by 3-inch piece)
- 1 teaspoon ground turmeric
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 2 teaspoons sweet paprika
- ½ teaspoon Aleppo pepper (or substitute freshly ground black pepper)
- 1 ¼ cups dry red lentils, rinsed and picked over
- 1 15-ounce can chickpeas, drained (or 1 ½ cups cooked chickpeas)
- 1 28-ounce can whole plum tomatoes and their juice, pureed with an immersion blender or squeezed by hand until they're broken down. (I recommend San Marzano or organic)
- 7-8 cups low salt chicken broth or vegetable broth (I recommend Swanson's)
- Coarse salt
- Optional Garnish:
- Dates, 1 per person, chopped or left whole
- Lemon wedges (1 per person)
Instructions
- In a large heavy pot or Dutch oven, warm 2 tablespoons olive oil and sauté the onion, celery, carrots, garlic, and ginger over medium-low heat until they soften, 5-7 minutes. (Don't let them brown) Add the spices: turmeric, cinnamon, paprika and pepper. Cook, stirring, for 5 minutes, to toast the spices. Add the tomatoes and chicken broth (start with 7 cups and add more later, if you want a thinner soup). Bring to a simmer. Add the lentils, chickpeas, cilantro and parsley. Simmer, uncovered, for about 35 minutes, until the lentils break down and the soup becomes thick and creamy, adding more broth if you want a thinner soup.
- Season, to taste, with salt. Serve with lemon wedges and dates.
- Prep Time: 20 mins
- Cook Time: 45 mins
- Category: Main Dish Soup
- Method: stove top
- Cuisine: Moroccan
Sophia
The recipe is wonderful. Thank you.
Laura E.
Help! The soup is bitter instead of savory. Not sure how to repair. Any suggestions?
Lisa
Hi Laura. I'm not sure why the soup would taste bitter. You should be able to taste cinnamon and ginger, which are strong flavors but they shouldn't make the soup bitter. Perhaps you were expecting it to be sweeter? Try adding the dates, as suggested. Add them whole or chopped, to the hot soup after you ladle it into bowls. They will melt into the broth and add a sweet richness. You can also drizzle the soup with a little olive oil which adds a rich savory flavor. I hope that helps. Please let me know.
Shannon
Hi there,
If the soup is bitter, it could be that the lentils were not rinsed, or that they need more rinsing before cooking..This has happened to me before.
Fernanda
Hi there! I have to say I absolutely love this recipe thx a lot! One question tho, is this soup also vegan ??
Many thanks!
Jeannine Holland
Putting this back into rotation starting today. Love this dish! My family was happy to hear it’s “what’s for dinner.”
Lisa
Oh I'm so glad to hear Jeannine! My family loves that soup too. You're reminding me I have to make it again soon. Thanks for your comment!
Debra McCristal
I have made this on repeat for the tast 6 months absolutely delicious
Lisa
I've been making it a lot too, lately! I'm so glad you are enjoying! Thank you for coming back to comment.
Susie Moloney
Hi, this looks AMAZING! I plan to make it tonight. Can you tell me what is considered a "bowl?" Is that about a cup? Nutrition makes up for the high calorie count, of course, but I'm still counting them, ha ha. Can you let me know?
Alina
Lisa made this tonight with roasted chicken. Added the roasted chicken the last 10 min to blend in and it was amazing!
Lisa
What a fantastic idea Alina! Love it!! Thanks so much for coming back to leave a comment.
Noella Martens
Since there is an tomato allergies in the family can we sub it with roasted red peppers, please contact
Lisa
Hi Noella, I bet roasted peppers would work in this dish. Another thing you might try is canned pureed pumpkin or cooked and pureed butternut squash. Those are a bit milder than red peppers and might better preserve the flavor of the soup.
Reena
I made this today and it is amazing! I added 3 pureed dates and squeezed the juice of 1/2 a lemon. Yummy!
Lisa
Hey Reena, I'm really glad you enjoyed!
Louis
I made this and it was absolutely fantastic. Really remarkable. I was so surprised. I added tablespoon and a half of fish sauce, tablespoon and a half of tamari, two teaspoons of rice vinegar and mirin. I wanted to amp up the umami. Everybody loved it and asked for seconds.
David Yavin
I made this soup last night. Contrary to my normal tendencies, I actually followed the recipe verbatim. It came out amazing! The combination of spices, garlic and ginger is perfect.
Lisa
I'm so glad to hear it David 🙂
David Yavin
I doubled the quantities, and the pot was so full I was sure I'd made way too much. It lasted exactly 2 days...
Lisa
🙂
Mallory Dittmer
I have had this recipe saved for weeks now and I was waiting until I was able to get a can of chickpeas (in Seattle we’re all out because of the pandemic) anyways, we made it. My 4 year of son, who is a vegetarian, helped me. I think when kiddos are able to help cook the foods then they are more excited to try it. There is a Restaurant in Portland that has a similar soup for an appetizer. The last time I had that soup was 17 years ago and I still think about it often. This soup is exactly like I remember that soup tasting. It’s absolutely incredible. We have tried many Moroccan soups and this one is by far the best soup we have ever made. I really appreciate how easy it is and how it’s fills my house with a wonderful aroma. Thank you so much for creating this, it will be made very often in our home. I appreciate you.
Lisa
I can so relate to waiting for ingredients Mallory. There are several recipes on my wish list and I only venture out to the grocery store once a week, masked up and stressed out. So great that you were able to finally source the chickpeas. I'm really happy to hear that you all enjoyed the soup. Thank you for coming back around to leave a comment.
Justine Janis
This soup is so flavorful and delicious. I've already made it 3 times in the past few weeks. I double the recipe so I can take it to work throughout the week. Thanks for the recipe!
Kelki
Made this soup twice within 3 days once for my family of 6 and then for a lunch church outreach for 40 and both times had rave reviews with eithet none left over or eaten quickly the next day!
Found the lemon did not work so well but the dates did
For my family i followed a readers suvgestion of a Rose wine and that worked well
Thanks for a keeper
Erika
I made this last week and packed individual servings in mason jars to eat throughout the week for lunch/dinner. The flavor and texture was amazing every time!
Lisa
I love the thought of a fridge filled with jars of soup ready for reheating. I'm really glad you enjoyed the soup Erica - it's one of my favorites!
Teresa
I made a double batch of this last night using normal lentils (I didn't have red). My husband raved over this recipe! I froze about half - I'm hoping this freezes well. I was able to use garbanzo beans I had in the freezer and some celery I had on hand. Served this with salted toast. Delicious!
Kim
Is this soup good re-heated? I'm going to serve it for dinner and would like to prepare the night before if possible. Thanks!
Lisa
Hi Kim, yes. It's delicious reheated. I hope you enjoy! L
Joel Silberman
YUM YUM..ingredients were purchased before I saw the Top 10 (pure luck cause we would have jumped over to the ones we hadn't made yet) and the soup was awesome, amazing, delicious. Loved the texture, flavor, spices, and overall taste. For sure will make this one again.
Lisa
I'm so glad you made the lentil soup Joel - isn't it amazing?! It's one of my favorite recipes. I hope you won't let the "top 10 list" dissuade you from browsing around and finding what appeals to you. Happy New Year!
Lori Yarvis
This soup is a hearty and delicious dish to bring to a dinner party for the vegetarians in the group. Perfect with a salad. It is also the most flavorful lentil soup I've ever tasted. And it's quick and easy to make. Thank you, Lisa!
Anne Hoffman
This soup was outstanding! First recipe from your blog, and we have enjoyed searching this evening given this recipe's success. Can't wait to make more!
Lisa
I'm so glad to hear that Anne! Thanks so much for letting me know 🙂
Valerie
I just made this Moroccan soup tonight and loved it !!! The recipe is perfect, thanks a lot Lisa
Lisa
I'm so glad to here that you loved the soup Valerie. Thanks for coming back to let me know 🙂