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Who said the healthiest recipes have to be salad?
Watch the How-To Video Here:
Crockpot Moroccan Lentil and Chickpea Soup from Half Baked Harvest on Vimeo.
Because this soup is packed full of healthy ingredients, and YOU GUYS, this soup is, so, so good! Like it’s got to be in my top ten soups, but then I absolutely adore Moroccan flavors. They’re spicy, full of colorful veggies, and Moroccan foods like this one are usually topped with goat cheese…a major a yes in my book!
In all seriousness though this soup is incredible and the very best part is that literally all of the ingredients get thrown into the crockpot and you are done. DONE! You’ll have soup slow cooking all day long, the house is going to small awesome, and dinner will be ready when you walk in the door. No browning meat, no making extra things when you arrive home, just ladle the soup into bowls and eat…and eat…couldn’t be better.
This soup was inspired by many things, but the main reason is my brother’s girlfriend, Lyndsie. She traveled to Morocco last year and ever since then has been begging me to make a Moroccan inspired soup. Lynd’s is big on beans, veggies and all the spices they traditionally use in Morocco. I feel like Moroccan food has so much flavor and color, I love it. I also love all the incredible home goods Lyndsie brought back from Morocco. The next time she goes, I’m requesting a rug…or two, because they are some of the prettiest rugs I’ve ever seen. You can check out a few of the rugs they brought back here on her sister, Amber’s Interior Design site (click on rugs).
Anyway, I have made a few Moroccan recipes before…
Moroccan Butternut Squash and Goat Cheese Soup w/Coconut Ginger Cream + Pistachios
Moroccan Spiced Lamb Burgers with Apricot Chutney + Pistachio Feta Pesto
Moroccan Chicken Salad with Pistachio Crusted Fried Goat Cheese + Garlic Naan
Spring Veggie + Lemon Moroccan Chicken Skewers with Minted Goat Cheese Yogurt
One Pot Moroccan Chicken + Chickpeas with Pistachio Couscous and Goat Cheese
Okok, so more than a few. What can I say, I really dig Moroccan flavors. Like I said, the color of the veggies and the spices they use are SO my kind of food. This soup is one of the more traditional Moroccan recipes I have made…or at least I think so. Meaning I did a little research before fully developing the recipe and learned that a few of my very favorite ingredients are used commonly in Moroccan cooking: cinnamon, cilantro, dates, chile peppers, bell peppers, lemons, and pistachios…literally all of my favorites, and I used all of them except dates in this recipe. See, can’t you tell this is going to be so good?
I also added harissa for some serious flavor, lots of green lentils, chickpeas for protein, and carrots and bell peppers for some veggies. I then topped the soup off with a spoonful of whipped goat cheese, lots of fresh cilantro, mint and lemon juice, plus toasted almonds and pistachios.
Oh, and then a side of, not pictured, naan, because at the time I took these photos, everyone had already eaten all of the naan I had made the day before. We are a naan obsessed family for sure! FYI, I made more for dinner that night. Can’t do soup without bread, and Moroccan inspired soup calls for bread in the form of naan. DUH.
If the whipped goat cheese is feeling a little fancy for you (it’s just goat cheese beaten together with a little Greek yogurt until creamy), just top the soup with crumbled goat cheese or Greek yogurt. Either way you serve it up, it’s going to be GOOD.
ps. this is also REALLY good served the next day wrapped up in naan with a little couscous (to help sock up the extra liquid), goat cheese and pistachios…oh and pomegranate arils. Got to love the leftovers!
Crockpot Moroccan Lentil and Chickpea Soup.
Servings: 8 servings
Calories Per Serving: 632 kcal
Nutritional information is only an estimate. The accuracy of the nutritional information for any recipe on this site is not guaranteed.
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 cups green lentils
- 1 sweet onion, finely chopped
- 1 inch knob of fresh ginger, grated
- 2 cloves garlic, minced or grated
- 3 carrots, chopped
- 1 red bell pepper, chopped
- 1 (14 ounce) can diced tomatoes
- 4 cups low sodium veggie or chicken broth
- 1-2 tablespoons red harissa
- 2 teaspoons smoked paprika
- 3/4 teaspoon cumin
- 3/4 teaspoon cinnamon
- kosher salt and pepper
- 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
- 1 (14 ounce) can chickpeas
- 1/2 cup fresh cilantro chopped
- goat cheese and toasted almonds for serving
Instructions
- In the bowl of a crockpot, combine the lentils, onion, ginger, garlic, carrots, red pepper, tomatoes, veggie broth, 1/2 cup water, the harissa, paprika, cumin, cinnamon and a large pinch of both Kosher salt and pepper. Stir to combine. Cover and cook on low for 6-8 hours or on high for 4-6 hours.
- Just before serving, stir in the lemon juice, chickpeas, and cilantro, cook until heated through. If the soup is thick, add more water or broth to thin. Taste and adjust the salt to your liking.
- Ladle the soup into bowls and top with whipped goat cheese, almonds, and fresh cilantro. Eat!
Happy Wednesday! Now let’s eat Moroccan soup!
Hey!
I’m so excited to try this recipe tomorrow. Would canned lentils work, do you think? If so, what would you do differently?
Hi there! Yes, you could definitely throw in canned lentils and follow the recipe the same 🙂 xT
Thank you, this was rather delicious . I did not have harissa paste. I am sure it would’ve deepened the flavours even more. Thank you. We will make this again
Hi! So glad to hear you enjoyed the recipe! Thanks for trying it out! xT
Delicious! I used 2 heaping T of harissa. 😳 Spicy enough to top with some whipped ricotta as well as feta. So dang good. I used chicken broth, because that’s what I had. Family is throwing down on this. Thanks, Tieghen!
Thank you so much Holly! xT
Wondering if this could be made in a normal pot if you don’t have a crockpot?
Yes, that should work fine! xT
This makes a regular apperance in our house. So, so good and not too much effort 😀
Hey Irene,
Happy Wednesday!! Thanks a bunch for making this recipe so often and your comment, so glad to hear it is always a hit! xx
Very good, my 17 month old liked it too.
Hey Jasmine,
Happy Wednesday!! 🍉🍓 Thanks a bunch for testing out this recipe, I’m so glad to hear that it turned out well for you! xT
Used red curry paste rather than Harissa as that is what I had. Looking forward to leftovers tomorrow for lunch😋
Hey Leslee,
Happy Friday!!☀️🐰 Thanks so much for making this recipe and sharing your feedback, love to hear that it was delish! xT
I needed something different to shake up the norm around here and this was perfect! Not only was it super easy to make but it was light, yet filling. And so healthy! I served it with the naan bread (slightly less healthy, but absolutely amazing!) and it made for a very simple, but tasty dinner.
My husband, the meat eater of the two of us, said it would be good with a sausage of some sort. So next time I make this I’ll make him some on the side. I love a good dinner that allows him to have a meat fix but painlessly allows me to stay vegetarian.
Hi Kristen,
Happy Friday!!☘️ Thanks a bunch for testing this recipe out and sharing your review, I’m so glad to hear it was delish! xx
Hi Tieghan,
This may not even be possible, but my brother-in-law can’t have fresh garlic (only garlic infused oil) or onions, any recommendations for substitutes?
Thank you!
Hey Jackie,
I would use shallots in place of the garlic:) Let me know if you have any other questions, I hope you love this recipe! xx
So delicious. Had to sub a few items based on what I had on hand. I used green split peas instead of lentils and skipped the harissa and put less ginger. Whole family ate and had leftovers. Perfect for a dreary day! Will definitely make this again.
Hi AMber,
Happy Sunday!!🍀 I am thrilled to hear that this recipe turned out well for you, thanks so much for making it and sharing your comment! xT
I made this today, since we are expecting a very cold weekend, and it was wonderful! I added garlic chicken smoked sausage the last 30 minutes to up the protein and served it with jasmine rice and naan. Perfect!
Only thing, in calculating the calories I don’t come anywhere close to 635 calories a serving. My calculations come up to about 380 calories a serving with the sausage added. I can’t figure what I’m missing.
Hey Donna,
Happy Friday!😁 Thanks so much for making this recipe, I am so glad to hear it turned out well for you! I always recommend that if the nutritional information is important to you, you use your own personal calculator. Ours is automatic and controlled by google. It’s not something we’d prefer to be using. We are required to. I’m sorry for the trouble, we do our best! xx
Hi, are you using harissa paste or powder?
Hey Meredith,
For this recipe, I used harissa paste. Please let me know if you have any other questions, I hope you love this recipe! xx
Could I use red or black lentils for this instead?
Hey Lydia,
Sure, that would work well for you! I hope you love this recipe, please let me know if you give it a try! xT
I tried it with red lentils and it was sooo good. Love the flavors. So comforting and nourishing for cold dark nights.
Hey Lydia,
Happy Wednesday! I love to hear that this recipe was enjoyed, thanks so much for making it and sharing your feedback! xx
This soup was just ok. The green lentils were a bit crunchy (soaked for 12 hours and cooked for 10 hours). This soup needs much more time than listed to be done. I was rather disappointed since this recipe looked so good in the photos.
Hey Lena,
Thanks for giving this recipe a try and sharing your feedback! So sorry to hear it was not enjoyed! Let me know if there is anything that I can help with! xx
What kind of lentils did you use? They aren’t normally soaked because they are small and cook quite quickly. Were the lentils fresh? Did you cook them on low or high heat? I cooked mine on high for five hours and they were perfect.
Hi Tieghan,
I absolutely loved this recipe. It was full of flavor and delicious! This will definitely be a staple at my house.
Hey Michelle,
Happy Wednesday!!❄️ Thanks so much for giving this recipe a try and sharing your feedback, I am so glad it was a hit! xx
Wondering if you have an InstaPot version for this?
Hey Dan,
You can follow the recipe and cook in the instant pot on high pressure for 8 minutes. Please let me know if you have any other questions! xTieghan
This looks so good! If I wanted to make this as a regular stovetop recipe, what would I need to change?
Hey April,
I would just simmer on low for 2-3 hours. Please let me know if you give the recipe a try, I hope it turns out amazing for you! xx
Tried it, loved it, currently making it for the second time! Thanks again for sharing it ?
Hi April,
Thanks so much for trying this recipe, I love to hear that it was enjoyed! Have a great week! xTieghan