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!
Post updated 10-22-17
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!
This looks amazing. Can I sub orange lentils for the brown in this recipe? Thanks! Looking forward to trying this!
Hi, Andrea! You can definitely substitute red/orange/yellow lentils in this recipe, but since they cook/breakdown faster than green or brown lentils, you may want to adjust the cooking time. For more info, I’d suggest looking over our explainer on the differences between each type of lentil in our new lentil soups recipe round-up! (https://www.budgetbytes.com/lentil-soup-recipes/) I hope that helps! ~Marion :)
This looks wonderful, but I am on a low potassium diet and wonder if there is any way to get information about the amount of potassium in this dish per serving? Thank you!!
Hi, Molly! I wish I could be more help with this. The nutrition information listed at the bottom of each recipe card is calculated using a widget called Spoontacular API, which you can find out more about in our nutrition information disclaimer. (Here’s the link: https://www.budgetbytes.com/nutrition-information-disclaimer/) The software does not give us the option to view potassium levels. Even so, the information provided should only be used as an estimation and should not be considered actual medical advice. I would suggest asking your doctor or a certified nutritionist for a list of high-potassium foods to avoid. Then, you can come back to our website and search for recipe ideas that do not include those ingredients! We’d be glad to help you find some! ~Marion :)
I am not a big fan of tomato chunks, would it be ok without the diced tomatoes?
Zoe, you can try it however you want! But, I will say, a lot of the flavor and liquid content in the recipe are coming from the tomatoes. If you don’t like chunks, you could maybe substitute with a 28oz can of tomato puree instead? We haven’t tested it this way so I can’t guarantee as successful a result. — Marion :)
Really yummy. Thought I’d give it a shot in the instant pot, and wow! Easy and delicious. I just threw everything in and cooked on high pressure for 11 minutes. Added 2 potatoes cut up. And kept broth the same. 10/10 would make again.
Used Instant Pot also. Perfect! Thanks!
914 mg of salt is too much for me. Any suggestions?
Try low-sodium veggie broth, which should reduce the amount of sodium significantly. XOXO -Monti
I use no sodium broth, no sodium canned chickpeas, no added sodium tomatoes. This makes the soup so low-sodium that you can actually add some salt.
I’m excited to try this. Do you think it’d be okay to sub red lentils for brown?
You can use red lentils. Just keep in mind, red lentils cook faster than all other lentils, so keep an eye on things as you approach the end of the cook. And your stock will thicken considerably. XOXO -Monti
Wow! This was incredibly delicious!! I forgot celery but I did add potato and carrot following the comments suggestions. This made the soup more starchy and filling! I also doubled the seasonings, and accidentally added an extra dose of cayenne. This made the soup too spicy for me, but luckily I had some sour cream on hand which made the soup nice and creamy. Served with sourdough toast and VIOLA !! A beautiful meal :)
So easy and flavorful! I don’t like lentils, and I wanted to make this even more veggie-licious, so I used a whole 12-oz package of frozen cauliflower, and added 3 chopped carrots and a 12-oz bag of frozen peas in place of the lentils. I also added a bit of chopped fresh cilantro and a bit of lemon juice to every bowl. Otherwise I followed the recipe exactly as written and it made 6 big servings. A nice spin on my usual vegetable soup lunches :)
Just love this recipe! I am not the biggest fan of chickpeas or lentils, even though I know they are both very healthful. The flavor of all the different spices and the yummy cauliflower really make this meal a hit. I wonder if this could be made in the crockpot.
I’ve made this recipe a half a dozen times and absolutely love it. Thank you, Budget Bytes! This was the first recipe outside of my comfort zone, and I’ve since incorporated so many new spices and flavours into our weekend dinners. I do add a bit more cumin and substitute root for stalk with the celery. Thank you again BB!
I add greek yogurt in lieu of say sour cream and some hot sauce.
staple of the diet.
Didn’t you have a chicken version of this recipe? I can’t seem to locate it.
Hmm, nope, I don’t remember making anything like this with chicken.
Really good and easy to make! Used carrots instead of cauliflower bc that’s just what I wanted. Good with parsley and thinly sliced jalapeno as a topping/garnish. Yum!
Can this be done with green lentils?
Just check the recommended cooking time on your package of lentils. If it says to simmer about 20 minutes, they will work in this recipe. The lentils that I call “brown” are unfortunately also sometimes called “green” (they’re a drab brownish-green color). French green lentils take about 45 minutes to cook, so you’d need to adjust the recipe quite a bit.
We ate up the last of our planned meals and didn’t have anything for tonight until about 4:30pm. Emily and I figured out we had plenty of vegetables in the house along with lentils and chickpeas. So, Moroccan lentil veggie stew it was! Garli, onions, celery, carrots, green pepper, broccoli, cauliflower, canned tomatoes, some spinach at the last second. Cutting all that up was therapeutic today. It was nice to not have to run to the store since it was already getting late to start making food. It was delicious and filling.