I get a lot of emails from readers with recipe suggestions and I love them all, but don’t get the opportunity to make many of them. Every once in a while, though, an email comes through with a recipe that happens to be exactly what I’m in the mood for eating that week. That’s what happened when I got an email from Rachel with a link to this amazing Moroccan Lentil and Chickpea Soup from Wegmans.com. The first thing that I noticed is that it has almost the same blend of warm and intoxicating spices that makes my Yellow Jasmine Rice so irresistible. So, of course, I had to try it!
I switched up the spices a bit to match what I had on hand (no coriander and changed quantities). I had a half bag of lentils in my pantry, so I just went with that instead of a whole pound. To make up for the smaller amount of lentils, I added a half-pound of frozen cauliflower florets, which were also hanging out just waiting to be used up. The cauliflower was an absolutely perfect match for this soup and I think it made the ratio of beans to vegetables perfectly balanced.
I can’t express how much I love this soup. It has so much flavor and texture, plus it’s filled with fiber and anti-inflammatory spices. Then, after making it and wolfing down a bowl, I noticed that, “Hey! This is vegan!” That’s the best type of vegan food—the kind that’s so good that you don’t even notice till you stop and think about it.
I didn’t have time, but I highly suggest making some Homemade Naan to dip in the amazing broth. Do it. You won’t be sorry.
See this recipe used in my weekly meal prep.
Moroccan Lentil and Vegetable Soup
Servings 8 (1.5 cups each)Ingredients
- 2 Tbsp olive oil ($0.26)
- 1 yellow onion ($0.32)
- 4 cloves garlic, minced ($0.32)
- 4 ribs celery ($0.75)
- 1/2 Tbsp ground cumin ($0.15)
- 1 tsp turmeric ($0.10)
- 1 tsp cinnamon ($0.10)
- 1/4 tsp cayenne pepper ($0.02)
- 1 15oz. can chickpeas ($0.69)
- 1 28oz. can diced tomatoes ($0.89)
- 1/2 lb. frozen cauliflower florets ($0.70)
- 6 cups vegetable broth ($0.78*)
- 1 cup brown lentils, dry ($0.70)
- 1 bay leaf ($0.15)
Instructions
- Dice the onion and mince the garlic. Sauté both in a large pot with olive oil over medium heat until softened. Dice the celery while the onions and garlic are sautéing, then add to the pot and continue to sauté for 2-3 minutes more.
- Add the cumin, turmeric, cinnamon, and cayenne pepper to the pot. Stir and cook the spices with the vegetables for 1-2 minutes.
- Add the diced tomatoes (with juices), chickpeas (rinsed and drained), and cauliflower florets (no need to thaw). Stir the pot until everything is well mixed.
- Add the vegetable broth and bay leaf, turn the heat up to high, place a lid on the pot, and allow it to come to a boil. Once it reaches a boil, add the lentils. Stir and let it come back up to a boil, then turn the heat down to low. Let the soup simmer on low, with the lid, for 30 minutes.
- After simmering for 30 minutes, the lentils should be tender. Remove the bay leaf and give the soup a taste. Add salt if needed (this will depend on the type of vegetable broth used. I did not add any additional salt), then serve.
See how we calculate recipe costs here.
Notes
Nutrition
Have you tried this recipe?Mention @budgetbytes or tag #budgetbytes on Instagram!
How to Make Moroccan Lentil and Vegetable Soup – Step by Step Photos
Begin by dicing one onion, mincing four cloves of garlic, and slicing four stalks of celery (about a half bunch). Add them all to a large pot with 2 Tbsp olive oil and sauté over medium heat for about five minutes, or until the onions are soft and translucent.
Add 1/2 Tbsp cumin, 1 tsp turmeric, 1 tsp cinnamon, and 1/4 tsp cayenne to the pot.
Sauté the spices with the vegetables for one to two minutes. This toasts the spices a little and amplifies their flavor. They may stick to the bottom of the pot a little, but that’s okay. Just take care not to let them burn. Turn the heat down slightly, if needed.
Add one 28oz. can of diced tomatoes (with the juices), one 15oz. can of chickpeas (rinsed and drained), and about a 1/2 lb. of frozen cauliflower florets (no need to let them thaw).
Add six cups of vegetable broth and one bay leaf. Stir everything to combine and dissolve anything that may be stuck to the bottom of the pot. Turn the heat up to high, place a lid on the pot, and let it come to a boil. Once it reaches a full boil, add one cup of brown lentils. Stir the pot, let it come back up to a boil, then turn the heat down to low. Let it simmer on low (with lid) for 30 minutes.
After 30 minutes, the lentils should be tender. Give the soup a taste and add salt if needed. I use Better Than Bouillon to make my vegetable broth and it’s plenty salty enough, so I didn’t need to add any, but if your brand has less salt, you may need to add a pinch. Remove the bay leaf and serve!
I LOVE how these spices make my house smell. So good! Serve with homemade naan. Oooh it makes my knees weak!
Oh my goodness! This is the best stuff EVER!!! I cannot stop eating it, I am totally serious. And the best part is that my veggie hating husband loved it, too. He said that he could eat it on a regular basis! The flavor is so rich and satisfying. Not only is it filled with deliciousness it’s filled with stuff that’s actually good for you! thanks for such an incredibly amazing and delicious recipe. Now my headed back to the kitchen for another bowl. I am not kidding.
Beth, thank you so much for sharing all your recipes! Easily half of the new recipes I try/love come from your site.
Just a heads-up: you may have accidentally typed “broccoli” instead of “cauliflower” here: Add one 28oz. can of diced tomatoes (with the juices), one 19oz. can of chickpeas (rinsed and drained), and about a 1/2 lb. of frozen broccoli florets (no need to let them thaw).
Hahhaha, thank you for catching that! The brain works in mysterious ways. :)
Would like to try this but I don’t like chickpeas. What can I use instead?
You can try adding some diced potatoes, carrots, or even large lima beans.
I made this last night, using fresh cauliflower instead of frozen and chicken instead of vegetable broth because it’s what I had on hand. I really like the flavor of the broth, and I can see how easy it will be to use whatever vegetables I have on hand. I may try it with only 4 cups of broth next time to make it a little thicker.
Thanks in advance.
If I wanted a thicker lentil dish instead of soup, how much should I reduce the broth by?
Try four cups of broth instead of six.
Is there something I can substitute for lentils? A different type of bean or simply just adding more chickpeas?
Maybe a white bean would be good. Like cannellini?
This looks delicious! I’m not a cauliflower person though-any suggestions on what I could use instead? I’m willing to bite the bullet on celery for soups, but I’m not sure if I should just double the lentils, or throw in a bunch of fresh spinach, or maybe some fresh broccoli? Would that work? I am all about broccoli.
I’m with you – not a cauliflower person. I’ve made moroccan soup/stews with either rutabaga or parsnip (always get them mixed up) and carrot so I wonder if those would work.
I think potatoes would be awesome in this. I’m not sure how broccoli would hold up, but if you love it, I say try it! :)
Potatoes are delicious! Should I cube a raw one, or zap it for a few minutes before cubing it and tossing it in? I will definitely go for some carrot medallions too.
I think you can toss it in there raw, just cut it into small cubes (about a 1/2 inch) so they will cook through in the 30 minutes. :)
Thanks! I chopped up three carrots and a potato, and used 4 cups of broth instead. Perfect thick stew with some great texture from the chickpeas and potato! Thanks so much for all your help tweaking things to humor my pickiness.
Anytime! :)
Gotta love Wegmans! I’m from the place where Wegmans originated and some of their recipes are just fantastic. This looks delicious!
Me, too! Wegmans is the best — I love love love their spicy red lentil chili and despite my best attempts at their recipe, I always cave and buy their prepared version. So delicious!
Is the cilantro added just for the pictures or do you recommend adding it? I don’t see it mentioned in the recipe.
It was in the Wegman’s recipe (to add on top at the end), so I bought it, but didn’t find that it really added anything to the recipe. I’m a cilantro lover, but in this case the soup is so flavorful that the cilantro just got lost. I added it for the pictures, though. :)
I just made this tonight. It was great! I followed the recipe, with two changes: I used half normal diced tomatoes, and half fire-roasted with chiles, and I stirred through some greens (book choy) right at the end. I also used fresh cauliflower, instead of frozen, and that worked great. The only thing I would change next time is a bit less broth – it was a little soupy for a stew. But so tasty!
This looks so good, that I had to go out and buy turmeric just so I could make it!
I just took this off the stove, and oh my word does it smell good in my house!
Thanks for sharing this – it’s very tasty!
I have a head of cauliflower that I need to use up. Could I use that instead of the frozen?
That’s what I did! I also threw in a couple of carrots, chopped up. Turned out great!
Yep, absolutely! :) No changes needed. Just chop it up and toss it in.
I have a similar recipe- can’t remember where I got it. It has raisins, in addition to the chickpeas and cauliflower, and also curry powder.
This looks super tasty, and I’m looking forward to giving it a shot. BTW, to activate the anti-inflammatory elements in the tumeric (the curcumin), make sure to get some black pepper in this dish. For some reason, pepper releases the curcumin (at least, that’s what I’ve read), and pepper only makes a dish better anyway!