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.
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Notes
Nutrition
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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!
LOVE this recipe! I made it a while ago, loved it, then forgot where the recipe came from so I’m SO happy to have found it again. I added kidney beans last time, I don’t remember why but I remember thinking it was delicious :)
Another great recipe, warming and cozy for cold weather! I adapted this for the instant pot and wanted to share. I could not for the life of me locate frozen cauliflower, so I just bought it fresh and figured I’d try cooking it in the instant pot to cut down on cooking time for raw cauliflower. I cooked the onion, garlic, and jalapeño (not in the recipe) in oil on the sauté function and then added the rest of the ingredients. I pressure cooked it at high pressure for 15 minutes. I let it release pressure naturally for about ten minutes and then manually released the pressure. It took a really long time to depressurization (maybe because of the large volume of the soup) but everything was cooked great! Fair warning, this method definitely cooked the cauliflower to death — it was completely mushy. But that doesn’t really bother me. This soup is super special. Something about the spices with the vegetables, chickpeas, and lentils is so satisfying.
Eating the last serving six days after I made it and it’s still so good. I used a whole head of fresh cauliflower and added two pounds of potatoes and a box of sliced mushrooms from our CSA delivery, and it was just fabulous. I also added some ghost pepper flakes to elevate it to the heat level I like. Wonderful recipe as always.
Second time I’ve made this and SO DELICIOUS! Two things I ruled at this time: I added the frozen cauliflower, frozen celery, and frozen cilantro (I know!) 10 minutes before it was done. Okay – had to cook it 5 minutes more cuz the lentils again were still not done. Not blaming the recipe as written – I honestly have issues with my understanding of low/high/boil/simmer. My goodness, though…this spice blend is intoxicating. Last thing: I think I need a squeeze of lemon in there. Seriously, I love this.
Absolutely delicious. Like another commenter, I tripled this recipe and it just barely fit in my stock pot (there was like half a cm left lol). I added a bit of eggplant that was left over from making your Ratatouille recipe. I plan on freezing half of it.
For the past several years I have cooked almost exclusively your recipes. Thank you!!!
This is basically a curry. I liked many of the ingredients but I tend to dislike traditional curry.
Beware:
This also leaves a lingering scent of curry that’s difficult to get rid of. It’s cold out but, I had to open the windows and air out the entire house.
We did eat it for dinner, so it’s not horrible, but the turmeric, cumin combo has a specific flavor profile that is very specific.
So good!!! Great for a chilly fall evening. I will make this again!
Hi there, I am not a huge fan of lentils, but love chickpeas! Is it okay to leave them out?
Yes, the soup might be slightly more watery, but it will still be delicious. :)
I made this for lunches this week again and dude, it’s money every time.
So I’m always wary of cinammon in savoury foods. I really can taste the sweetness even if it’s a small amount and I don’t enjoy… Is it completely necessary for this dish? Want to try it for Meal prep 😁
I think it would still be very tasty without the cinnamon, but of course very different than the original version. :)
YUM! I love this soup. I got a little carried away and tripled it in a 12 qt stock pot. It fit, but barely. I froze a couple containers for later and we’ll be eating this all week. My fiance adds precooked chicken and I eat as is. I used frozen diced onions as a shortcut and threw in a jalapeno I had from my garden that needed to be used. Warm, slightly spicy, versatile, healthy; it’s one of my favorites!
I add a little dark beer. It’s great
When do you add the beer? Can you please explain how you do it? Thanks!
Hi! This recipe is great!!!! I usually dont leave comments on recipes i use, either are good or bad, but this dish surprised me in a very nice way. Is delicious, healthy, easy….all the package. Thank you!
I’ve made this stew SO many times. I usually make it ahead and either freeze it portioned out, or keep it in the fridge for a few days. It’s definitely a recipe that improves after a few days, rather than eating it immediately.
This is great. I made it as a slow cooker recipe, I also added cardamom and coriander along with the spices you listed, and I threw in a can of mushrooms and made couscous as well. (Carrots might be a great add-in.) Even my husband really enjoyed it, and he tends toward things with meat in it,
The thing I wondered though is if you would know total sodium in it – he thought it tasted super salty, though I used only a minimal bit of salt substitute – I can’t figure out where since it’s so many fresh vegies and spices and I used low salt diced tomatoes and mushrooms. Anyway, it’s really good, and thanks for posting!
The majority of the salt will come from the vegetable broth. So, you may consider using a low-sodium version. :)