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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!
Before I set out on my Moroccan eating adventure, can you tell me if this lentil soup can be frozen? It looks wonderful, but I will be the only one eating it and it will take me a while to finish the whole pot. Also, I’ve never heard of harissa. Do I have to buy it at a specialty store, or is it available at the grocery store? Thank you! Can’t wait to try it!
Alice
I almost thought I was going to agree with the “bland” commenters, but turned out what it needed was a load more salt plus the lemon juice at the end! Next time, I’ll be a little less cautious seasoning it up front, or use a full-sodium chicken broth. 🙂 It did turn out to be delicious!
Hey Betsy,
Thanks so much for giving the recipe a try, I am so glad it was enjoyed! Happy New Year! xTieghan
Absolutely delicious!!! Served it to guests and who want the recipe. I used vegetable broth, one tablespoon of Red Rahissa and only 1/8 tsp of cinnamon. We made 1/2 lb. of flank steak leaving it pink, sliced it into small chunks and added it right before serving. Excited to have left overs for tonight!
Thank you so much Laura! I am really glad this recipe turned out so well for you! xTieghan
I only have powdered harissa – does that work in the recipe or are you using harissa paste?
Thanks!
Hey Dan,
You can use harissa powder here. I hope you love the recipe, please let me know if you have any other questions! xTieghan
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Thank you! xTieghan
This was just watery and bland, even though I doubled the spices! I was so sad because it looked so good from the pictures. I don’t know what to say. I don’t know what went wrong!
Hi Mads! I am really sorry to hear that! Is there any way you could have changed something about the recipe? xTieghan
This was INCREDIBLE. I threw in some sweet photos and spinach and black beans (cleaning out the fridge). My local grocery store didn’t have harissa so I used chili paste. Incredible recipe like everything I’ve tried on Half Baked Harvest!!
Leftovers for days and packed with good food.
Thank you so much Christina! I am really glad this recipe turned out so amazing for you!! xTieghan
This was soooooooo yummy! Thank you for sharing it! I did mine with red lentils and in the Instant Pot – it came out perfect in 11 minutes of high pressure cook. And it was delicious without the cheese and almonds.
I can’t wait to visit Morocco! The architecture, people, and food are beautiful.
I am so glad this turned out so well for you! Thank you so much Trudi! xTieghan
I need to use the crockpot more, it’s so much easier. I cook these kinds of bean stew type dishes all the time b/c I’m from a Tunisian family. This is so easy b/c it’s vegetarian and you just throw it into the pot (could do well with some lamp chop). I also diced some potatoes and threw them in for density and it cooked well. I feel like this would be good over couscous, especially since it came out a little thicker than expected (preferable for me). I added a little extra cumin and onion powder, but I would recommend sauteing the onions beforehand just to get the flavor out. I would also add less cinnamon if the smell/flavor puts you off. My family was pleased with it and I found it to be a nice winter/fall soup.
Hi Nisma! I am so glad this recipe turned out so well for you! Thank you so much for trying it! xTieghan
Ok, so I’m rating a similar recipe to this from your Super Simple book – the Moroccan Chickpea and Carrot Tagine which has many of the same ingredients and is.to.die.for.good! So so so good. My instant pot was busy cooking the chick peas so I did the stovetop and it was perfect. So yummy! I can’t wait to make this next.
Amazing! I am so glad you enjoyed that recipe and I hope you love this one just as much! Thank you Annette! xTieghan
Love this recipe – great rich flavors. Only change I made was to add the carrots and peppers about an hour before the soup was finished to keep them a little crispier. Would definitely make this again.
Amazing!! Thank you so much MaryEllen! xTieghan
Hi Tieghan. Is it possible to substitute Harissa powder for the Harissa paste and if so how much?
Thanks so much! Can’t wait to try this recipe.
Hey Anne! Sure I would use 1 tablespoon harissa powder, then add more to your taste. Please let me know if you have any other questions. I hope you love this recipe! Thank you!! xTieghan
Made this for my lunch for the week. Added red lentils bc I didn’t have enough green. I used dried chickpeas and made it in the instant pot so I added more liquid for the peas. Then at the end I added some roasted acorn squash and spinach. It’s amazing and I’m looking forward to lunch every day! Thanks
Thank you Molly! I am really glad you enjoyed this recipe! Have a great week! xTieghan
Can I use split red lentils instead of green? And how long would you cook it in the instant pot?
Hey Erin! Yes, red lentils will be great. I would recommend cooking on high pressure for 8 minutes. Please let me know if you have any other questions. I hope you love this recipe! Thank you! xTieghan ??
I make a lot of soups in the fall and winter and tend to go for creamy and cheesy soups. I wanted to try something a little healthier and this did not disappoint. Holy moly was it good the first time, and even better as leftovers for lunch. So good! Can’t wait to try some of your other recipes!
Thank you so much Erin! xTieghan