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
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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!
Made this 3 times now, and I think I’ll keep making it for the rest of my life. 10/10
I’m putting this soup into my meal plan for next week, and I cannot (!) wait to try it! I’m sure it is going to be amazing like the few other recipes of yours I’ve tried so far. Seriously, you and your website are awesome!! And I just want to say that one of the reasons I love your website is that you only put ONE photo of the dish before I can read the recipe (followed by pictured instructions if we want them). Most other food blogs make me scroll through about 20 photos of the same exact food before I can finallyyyy find the recipe at the bottom of the page. So kudos to you for keeping it simple – and tasty – and awesome. :-)
Thank you! I hate scrolling through a million photos and going on a scavenger hunt for the actual recipe, too. ;)
I love this soup! I’ll be making it again tonight!! Thanks for posting!
Can/how would I add chicken to this recipe?
You could add a chicken breast when you add the chickpeas, tomatoes, and cauliflower, then shred the chicken after the soup simmers for 30 miutes.
This looks great. Any recommendations for a swap for the chickpeas? My husband isn’t a fan of their texture. White beans, maybe?
Yes, I think white beans would be great! I would go with a cannellini bean because they hold their shape better than something like a navy bean, and they’re a little bit larger, which will add texture.
I have a bag of red lentils that need to be used up. Would that alter the cooking time? Thanks, CA
You won’t need to alter the cooking time, but be aware that red lentils tend to break down into mush, similar to split peas, so the final texture of your soup will be different.
Hey Beth! Is this a recipe I could adapt to a slowcooker?
Thanks!
I think so! :) I’m not sure how long it would need to cook the lentils without having the vegetables be over cooked, though. It would take a little experimenting. But I’d say that any recipe where you pretty much just put things in a pot and simmer can easily be adapted to a slow cooker, because slow cookers basically just simmer food at a low temperature.
This looks great. Do you think it would work in the instant pot on the default Soup settings after saute-ing and adding the liquid?
I think so, yes. :)
My grocery has bags of mixed broccoli and cauliflower on sale for only $1 this week. Could I use that mix instead of just cauliflower?
Yes, but broccoli is a little bit more delicate than cauliflower, so the tips may get a little mushy. Also, the broccoli might not be a very pretty color after cooking. Hahah
Would you make this in your instant pot? Just made your beef stew tonight & it was beyond DELICIOUS!!!!!
Yes, I think this could definitely be done in the instant pot. I would check the manual for the recommended setting/time for lentils and use that.
I’m living abroad where some ingredients are scarce. How would I use dry chickpeas instead of canned here? + any subs for celery in this recipe? I can’t wait to fill my kitchen with the cozy scents of these warm spices…
I think your best bet would be to cook the chickpeas separately first, and then add them to the soup when I added the canned chickpeas. That way you won’t have to estimate how much water they’ll absorb or boil the soup forever while waiting for the chickpeas to soften. I don’t know that I can think of anything similar to celery, so I’d probably just leave it out. It will still be delicious.
You could try leeks instead of celery, not exactly the same but I’ve done that sub in other soups and it was tasty!
This was excellent. I used my own home-made veggie broth. An excellent recipe, well-thought out, well-explained, simple, fast and delicious. Lots of anti-inflammatory nutrition for less than a dollar a serving. Keep up the good work!
Best lentil soup recipe I’ve ever come across! I’ve made this soup a few times in the last year. Can’t get enough!! Love the cinnamon.
Great recipe. I used a cup of lentils, but I’m confused by your comment:
“I had a half bag of lentils in my pantry, so I just went with that instead of a whole pound.”
I had originally planned to use a whole pound, which is about two cups, and instead I went with what I had (about one cup) and it was great. :)
This is my absolute favorite recipe. I make it as is and it’s definitely a 10/10.