Moroccan Lentil Soup
The deliciously warm and cozy Moroccan soup, harira, is loaded with healthy ingredients like chickpeas, lentils and greens. Serve with a chunk of bread or rice,
Servings: 6 servings
Calories: 469kcal
Equipment
- Saute pan or Dutch oven
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
- 1 medium onion (finely chopped)
- 3 stalks celery (with any leaves, finely chopped)
- 6 cloves garlic (minced or put through a garlic press)
- ½ cup parsley (finely chopped, divided)
- ½ cup cilantro (finely chopped, divided)
- 1 tablespoon ground coriander
- 1 teaspoon ground cumin
- ½ teaspoon turmeric
- 1-2 teaspoons paprika
- ½ teaspoon ground ginger
- 1 teaspoon ground allspice (optional)
- 14 oz pureed tomatoes
- 1 heaping tbsp tomato paste
- 1 cup dried brown lentils (rinsed)
- 15 oz cooked or canned chickpeas (about 1½ cups, drained)
- 6 cups vegetable stock (or mushroom stock or water)
- 1 cup pasta (use a small pasta shape like orzo, ditalini or vermicelli broken into 1-inch pieces)
- 1 heaping tbsp harissa
- 4 cups spinach (or any quick-cooking green like Swiss chard, arugula or watercress)
- Juice of a lemon (add as much juice as you want to after tasting the soup)
- Salt and ground black pepper to taste
Instructions
- Place olive oil in pot. Add celery, onions and garlic along with some salt and ground black pepper. Turn heat to medium.
- Sauté the onions and celery for a couple of minutes until the onions are soft.
- Add half the parsley, half the cilantro, ground cumin, ground coriander, ground ginger, turmeric, paprika and optional ground allspice. Mix them in and sauté for 30 seconds.
- Add the tomato paste and pureed tomatoes and mix.
- Stir in the uncooked, rinsed lentils and canned or cooked chickpeas. Mix them in.
- Add six cups of vegetable stock or mushroom stock or water. Mix and wait for the liquid to boil. Stir once more, cover the pot and simmer for 20 minutes or until the lentils are tender.
- Stir in the pasta. Cover the pot again and let the pasta cook for another 10 minutes or until the pasta is al dente. Stir in the spinach and let it wilt.
- Add harissa paste and lemon juice and mix. Check salt and add more if needed. Garnish with remaining parsley and cilantro before serving the soup hot.
Nutrition
Calories: 469kcal | Carbohydrates: 74g | Protein: 27g | Fat: 10g | Saturated Fat: 1g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 2g | Monounsaturated Fat: 4g | Potassium: 673mg | Fiber: 24g | Sugar: 14g | Vitamin A: 3313IU | Vitamin C: 25mg | Calcium: 163mg | Iron: 11mg