Moroccan Lentil Soup, aka Harira, is a spiced North African soup.
This is a vegan version of the Harira soup, and it's not a traditional, authentic recipe. It's based on the original, which is prepared with meats.
If you like soups like my Indian lentil soup, then this one-pot easy soup should be your next dinner meal!
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What is this Moroccan Soup (Harira)?
Harira is a Moroccan lentil soup served all year round, but especially during Ramadan to break the fast at night.
The soup is usually prepared with local meats such as lamb to enrich it and make it super nutritious because of the daylight fast.
If you don't eat the whole day, you need to pack the soup with nutritional value.
With the proteins from the meat and lentils, this is easily achieved, yet this is not the only perk of this wonderful soup.
Moroccan ladies know how to cook up great dishes, so they figured it would make sense to season it appropriately because you need to celebrate the fact that you managed to get through another day without eating, right?
So, the Moroccan soup is packed with gorgeous flavors.
You won't be able to leave your spoon alone.
Ingredient Notes
This Moroccan Lentil Soup is vegan simply because I am really picky with lamb meat, and I don't think this soup would be that great with beef or chicken. Besides, I decided long ago that this soup is just wonderfully vegan and that anything more would be almost too much.
After all, I am not a person who needs to fast. Yet, if you feel like adding lamb to it, just do it! (and then invite me over to convince me to make mine with lamb meat in the future! :P)
You will need legumes, red lentils, and chickpeas (garbanzo beans) for this soup. I use only dried lentils and chickpeas, not the canned stuff, and I usually go organic as well because those taste better and the quality is higher as well.
Root vegetables are important here as well because they give the basic flavors to the soup. I add carrots, celery green stalks, onion, ginger, and garlic.
The spices are essential as well. I like to use turmeric, cumin, chili, cinnamon, and black pepper.
These spices combine to create a warm, comfortable taste that works really well with the chosen legumes and root veggies. Besides that, I add in some acidity with tomato, which also thickens the soup, and lemon juice at the end.
These flavors combined to create a well-rounded taste experience for this Moroccan Lentil Soup!
Process Overview
Step 1
Sauté onion and tomato. Stir in ginger, garlic, celery greens, and carrots.
Stir in spices.
Step 2
Add the lentils, chickpeas, and broth.
Step 3
Simmer soup until done.
📖 Recipe
Spicy Moroccan Lentil Soup Recipe
Ingredients
- 1 Tablespoon Oil
- 1 Onion sliced
- 1 Tomato diced
- 1 Tablespoon Ginger + Garlic paste or chopped fine
- ½ Cup Celery Stalks greens cut small
- 1 Small Carrot cut small
- ¼ Teaspoon Black Pepper Ground
- ¼ Teaspoon Turmeric Ground powder
- 1 Teaspoon Cumin Seeds Ground powder
- 1 Teaspoon Red Chili Pepper Flakes optional
- ¼ Teaspoon Cinnamon Ground powder
- 1 Cup Red Lentils *see Notes
- 1 Cup Chickpeas aka Garbanzo Beans, soft Cooked
- 6 Cups Broth
- To Taste Salt
- 1 Lemon Juice to garnish
- Cilantro Fresh aka Coriander greens, to garnish
Instructions
- Add the oil to your pot and heat it up. Throw in the onion slices and cook until translucent.1 Tablespoon Oil, 1 Onion
- Then add the tomato pieces and stir-fry for a minute.1 Tomato
- Next, add the ginger and garlic and stir-fry on high heat quickly. Reduce heat and directly add the cut celery greens and carrot pieces.1 Tablespoon Ginger + Garlic, ½ Cup Celery Stalks, 1 Small Carrot
- Fry on medium heat for 2 minutes.
- Reduce heat and add in the spices one by one. Black pepper, turmeric, cumin, chili flakes, and cinnamon.¼ Teaspoon Black Pepper Ground, ¼ Teaspoon Turmeric Ground, 1 Teaspoon Cumin Seeds Ground, 1 Teaspoon Red Chili Pepper Flakes, ¼ Teaspoon Cinnamon Ground
- Mix a bit and increase heat to medium.
- Throw in the red lentils and the cooked chickpeas. Mix and let cook for a minute.1 Cup Red Lentils, 1 Cup Chickpeas
- Now pour in the broth and mix the contents well.6 Cups Broth
- Taste to see if salt is needed. Cover and let cook for about 1 hour on slow heat.To Taste Salt
- Check once in a while on your soup.
- The soup is ready when all the ingredients are soft after 60 minutes.
- Garnish with lemon juice and cilantro and serve hot.1 Lemon Juice, Cilantro Fresh
Notes
Nutrition
Tips
Keep your ingredients cut and ready so that you can just cook and add the ingredients along the way.
You need to keep the soup cooking for 60 minutes at least so that it gains in flavor.
This is important even if your chickpeas are cooked super soft in advance.
Lemon juice is always used to garnish this soup.
I like to add cilantro as well as color contrast and a little flavor (you can skip the cilantro if you like).
Serving
The most delicious way to enjoy Harira Soup, in my opinion, is simply to serve it as a main dish with bread or a flatbread.
Occasionally I prepare Lebanese zaatar flatbread (I know it's not Moroccan, but the combination is really wonderful!) with the Harira soup.
Moroccans that I met have their own opinion. Most will say to serve the soup with dates. Some have suggested dried figs or a potato patty called Maâkouda.
Others enjoy the Moroccan Lentil Soup as a starter and serve up other Mediterranean/North African meals after that, such as tajine or stuffed tomatoes.
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