Moroccan Lentil Soup

Submitted by Saguaro

"This is a delicious, healthy, colorful soup. From Fields Of Greens by Annie Somerville. Freshly toasted and ground spices really make a difference here."

 

• Ready In: 1hr 10mins
• Ingredients: 16
• Serves: 6

ingredients

• 236.59 ml lentils (about 6 oz)
• 1419.54 ml cold water
• 14.79 ml extra virgin olive oil
• 473.18 ml diced yellow onions
• salt
• cayenne pepper
• 118.29 ml diced carrot
• 118.29 ml diced celery
• 118.29 ml diced red bell peppers or 118.29 ml yellow bell pepper
• 4.92 ml ground cumin
• 2.46 ml ground coriander
• 0.61 ml turmeric
• 4 garlic cloves, finely chopped
• 14.79 ml fresh ginger, minced
• 236.59 ml diced tomatoes with juice
• 29.58 ml chopped cilantro

directions

1. Pick over and rinse the lentils and place them in a soup pot with the cold water.
2. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer, uncovered, until tender, about 20 minutes.
3. While the lentils are cooking, heat the olive oil in a medium sized sauté pan and add the onion, 1/2 tsp salt, and a few pinches of cayenne.
4. Cook over medium heat until the onions are soft, 7 - 8 minutes; then add the diced vegetables, another 1/2 tsp of salt, and the spices.
5. Cook for 5 minutes, then stir in the garlic and ginger and cook for another minute.
6. Add the vegetables and the tomatoes to the lentils and their broth. Cover and cook for 30 minutes.
7. Season to taste with salt and cayenne.
8. Garnish with the cilantro.

Reviews

[theAmateurPastryChef]

MMMMMMMMM!!!! This was SO good! Thank you for sharing! I did add just a couple things, like I used french lentils and added a cup of red. Also I threw in a pinch of cardamon and cinnamon. I also added some diced potatos (I know, not really moroccan...) but I wanted to make it a little bit heartier. I also removed about 1/3 of the soup and pureed it, adding it back into the soup. I like my soups to have the illusion of creaminess....it turned out so good! Thank you for posting this recipe!

 

[Alla B.]

This is the second time I've made this recipe. Outstanding! I did make a few tweaks. I'm a part time chef with the emphasis on healthy and natural foodstuffs. I cooked the lentils in chicken stock instead of water. I doubled the amount of all the veggies and seasonings except for salt. I'm a huge fan of spices; I also added a diced hot pepper, a teaspoon of allspice and a small pinch of saffron. Also, very importantly, I never use canned tomatoes: the fruit acid interacting with the metal of the can isn't something I'm willing to contend with. I have been using all natural chunky tomato sauce in any recipe calling for canned tomatoes and it's worked out great. The soup came out thick and stewlike. Absolutely delicious with kasha or quinoa. And for the real pepper aficionados, with a squirt of Sambal Oelek into the serving bowl. Thank you for a fantastic meal idea!! Alla @fitfoodboutique

 

[recipemonkey]

Delicious! Like theAmateurPastryChef, I increased the amount of lentils (1.5 cups) and used a mix of French lentils and red lentils. I also tossed in a cube of vegetarian boullion as I was cooking the lentils. I used an immersion blender at the end to thicken it.

 

[djtoze]

Best Lentil Soup I've ever had! Make it all the time and everyone raves over it! Don't forget to add plenty of Cilantro for garnish!

 

[A_M_Engineering]

excellent soup will warm you up on a cold winters day and handy to freeze for later.