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!
hi i was just wondering if i could use green lentils in this recipe. I live in a small town and cant find brown lentils anywhere
You could, but you may need to simmer it a bit longer to make sure they’re tender. Other than that, it should be just fine.
Sorry for double post, forgot to rate : )
I absolutely cannot stand chickpeas, but the rest of this looks great. Do you think there is something I could substitute for the chickpeas that wouldn’t throw the rest of the dish off?
Do you like white beans? I think white beans (like cannellini) would go great with these flavors.
Hmm, they’re not my favorite but I don’t hate them or anything, so I’ll have to try that. Thanks! I’ve never replaced chickpeas in a recipe before (normally I just avoid a recipe if it has them in it, but this sounded too good to outright ignore) so I wasn’t sure where to even begin.
I’m thinking about substituting white beans for chickpeas also, and was wondering if you thought Great Northern beans might break down too much in comparison to cannelini. Great Northern are my favorite so that’s what I’d love to use, but not sure if they’ll mess up the texture.
Also, I have some leftover frozen peas from making your Curry Beef and thought I might throw those in here as well. Do you think they would work well?
The peas would work beautifully. The sweetness of the peas goes really well with the savory spices. Great Northern beans will break down quite a bit, especially compared to the chickpeas, but that will thicken the stew which might be nice in a way. In other words, you might actually like it, but there’s no way to know unless you try it. hahaha (I’m sorry that wasn’t very helpful!) :)
I tried it and it worked beautifully! The beans didn’t break down nearly as much as I expected, and the peas were great. I always appreciate your advice on modifications!
So glad it turned out well! :D
just made it with lentils instead and it was SO GOOD. Any other pulse would work really I reckon
I added a handful of baby carrots, a zucchini, and 8 oz of mushrooms. Also threw in some coconut flakes and curry powder, and doubled all the spices except cayenne, that one was quadrupled. Left out the bay leaf because I have no idea where to find one.
It came out absolutely amazing and even my rooommates who hate anything vegetarian asked for seconds. Plus there were a ton of leftovers.
Thanks for the recipe, I will definitely be making this again.
This soup was so delicious and flavorful. It was also very filling. I will definitely make it again. Thank you for sharing the recipe.
Can I add meat to this recipe. I bought some stew meat and thinking of adding to it.
I love your website. I can’t wait to go home after a long day of work to try all these recipes.
You could probably sauté the stew meat in the bottom of the pot before adding the onions and garlic. Just until it gets browned, then it will cook the rest of the way through as you continue to cook the rest of the soup.
I made a giant pot of this, and it was good at first, but it turns out it’s not the kind of thing I want to eat several days in a row. (That’s how I usually cook; make giant amounts of something, then eat leftovers for several days.) I don’t mean to imply anything negative about the dish–just that its leftovers, for whatever reason, went from “good” to “meh” for me more quickly than most dishes do.
That said, I froze the rest of the leftovers that we didn’t feel like eating, and a couple weeks later they were delicious! I also served it to a very well-traveled older lady, and she raved about it. It might have even been better thawed and reheated than it was originally.
When I make this in the future, I will either only make a single recipe, or I’ll immediately freeze most of it. Thanks, Beth!
I made this exactly as you directed. Ok, a little less broth and a thyme leaf instead if a Bayleaf. This was only due to what I had on hand. Anyway, it was amazing! great vegetarian meal
I have red lentils, can I substitue those for the brown ones?
You can, but be prepared for them to not hold their shape. Red lentils tend to break down and get very soft. That being said, I think they’ll still taste great in this soup.
Another A+ review! It was a bit more spicy than I expected – but in a good way! (I use sriracha a lot, but had this cayenne kicking around with finally a use for it!) Added carrots and found that Better Than Bouillon stuff. So happy!
Saw the ingredient list . . . didn’t think I’d like it. But I needed to use up leftover lentils.
Tossed it all together . . . didn’t think I’d like it. The smell blend was interesting, but not quite doing it for me.
Tasted. Loved.
Beth, remind me never to doubt you.
This stew is delicious. I made a big batch and
froze several portions for a later date.
Really nice. I knew I had to try this because it’s the same spice mixture as your Yellow Jasmine Rice (which is my FAVORITE – it smells like absolute heaven). I added additional vegetables (carrots, some frozen peppers, a couple zucchini), and halved the cinnamon because I’m a coward. ;) I loved it.
Cooked this tonight, though I was forced to substitute mixed veg for cauliflower. Apparently my store doesn’t sell frozen cauliflower by itself, just as part of a mix? (And I was too lazy to take apart a fresh one). Also used beef broth because it was what I had on hand.
It was hearty, filling, and delicious, and the combo of spices is just perfect. It’s definitely going to be a staple meal now. Thank you!
Try adding the cilantro with the lentils, the flavor then adds to everything else. Also added golden raisins.