Moroccan Lentil and Chickpea Soup (Harira)
By Steve DunnPublished on January 8, 2018
Time
1½ hours
Yield
Serves 6 to 8
Ingredients
⅓ cup extra-virgin olive oil 1 large onion, chopped fine2 celery ribs, chopped fine5 garlic cloves, minced1 tablespoon grated fresh ginger 2 teaspoons ground coriander 2 teaspoons smoked paprika 1 teaspoon ground cumin ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon ⅛ teaspoon red pepper flakes ¾ cup minced fresh cilantro ½ cup minced fresh parsley 4 cups chicken broth or vegetable broth4 cups water 1 (15 ounce) can chickpeas, rinsed1 cup brown lentils, picked over and rinsed1 (28-ounce) can crushed tomatoes ½ cup orzo 4 ounces Swiss chard, stemmed and cut into ½-inch pieces2 tablespoons lemon juice Salt and pepper Lemon wedges
Before You Begin
For a vegetarian version, substitute vegetable broth for the chicken broth. We like to garnish this soup with a small amount of harissa, a North African chile paste, which you can find in some supermarkets or make using our recipe.
Instructions
- Heat oil in large Dutch oven over medium-high heat until shimmering. Add onion and celery and cook, stirring frequently, until translucent and starting to brown, 7 to 8 minutes. Reduce heat to medium, add garlic and ginger, and cook until fragrant, 1 minute. Stir in coriander, paprika, cumin, cinnamon, and pepper flakes and cook for 1 minute. Stir in ½ cup cilantro and ¼ cup parsley and cook for 1 minute.
- Stir in broth, water, chickpeas, and lentils; increase heat to high and bring to simmer. Reduce heat to medium-low, partially cover, and gently simmer until lentils are just tender, about 20 minutes.
- Stir in tomatoes and pasta and simmer, partially covered, for 7 minutes, stirring occasionally. Stir in chard and continue to cook, partially covered, until pasta is tender, about 5 minutes longer. Off heat, stir in lemon juice, remaining ¼ cup cilantro, and remaining ¼ cup parsley. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Serve, passing lemon wedges separately.
Time
1½ hoursYield
Serves 6 to 8Ingredients
⅓ cup extra-virgin olive oil
1 large onion, chopped fine
2 celery ribs, chopped fine
5 garlic cloves, minced
1 tablespoon grated fresh ginger
2 teaspoons ground coriander
2 teaspoons smoked paprika
1 teaspoon ground cumin
½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
⅛ teaspoon red pepper flakes
¾ cup minced fresh cilantro
½ cup minced fresh parsley
4 cups chicken broth or vegetable broth
4 cups water
1 (15 ounce) can chickpeas, rinsed
1 cup brown lentils, picked over and rinsed
1 (28-ounce) can crushed tomatoes
½ cup orzo
4 ounces Swiss chard, stemmed and cut into ½-inch pieces
2 tablespoons lemon juice
Salt and pepper
Lemon wedges
Ingredients
⅓ cup extra-virgin olive oil
1 large onion, chopped fine
2 celery ribs, chopped fine
5 garlic cloves, minced
1 tablespoon grated fresh ginger
2 teaspoons ground coriander
2 teaspoons smoked paprika
1 teaspoon ground cumin
½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
⅛ teaspoon red pepper flakes
¾ cup minced fresh cilantro
½ cup minced fresh parsley
4 cups chicken broth or vegetable broth
4 cups water
1 (15 ounce) can chickpeas, rinsed
1 cup brown lentils, picked over and rinsed
1 (28-ounce) can crushed tomatoes
½ cup orzo
4 ounces Swiss chard, stemmed and cut into ½-inch pieces
2 tablespoons lemon juice
Salt and pepper
Lemon wedges
Ingredients
⅓ cup extra-virgin olive oil
1 large onion, chopped fine
2 celery ribs, chopped fine
5 garlic cloves, minced
1 tablespoon grated fresh ginger
2 teaspoons ground coriander
2 teaspoons smoked paprika
1 teaspoon ground cumin
½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
⅛ teaspoon red pepper flakes
¾ cup minced fresh cilantro
½ cup minced fresh parsley
4 cups chicken broth or vegetable broth
4 cups water
1 (15 ounce) can chickpeas, rinsed
1 cup brown lentils, picked over and rinsed
1 (28-ounce) can crushed tomatoes
½ cup orzo
4 ounces Swiss chard, stemmed and cut into ½-inch pieces
2 tablespoons lemon juice
Salt and pepper
Lemon wedges
Why This Recipe Works
For our version of this classic Moroccan soup, we carefully reduced the ingredient list and altered the technique to deliver harira's warm flavors in less time. Using canned chickpeas rather than dried saved about 2 hours of cooking time, and we pared down the number of spices to a key five that are available in most supermarkets. Using large amounts of just two herbs made for quicker prep. Finishing the dish with fresh lemon juice helped focus all the flavors.
Before You Begin
For a vegetarian version, substitute vegetable broth for the chicken broth. We like to garnish this soup with a small amount of harissa, a North African chile paste, which you can find in some supermarkets or make using our recipe.
Instructions
- Heat oil in large Dutch oven over medium-high heat until shimmering. Add onion and celery and cook, stirring frequently, until translucent and starting to brown, 7 to 8 minutes. Reduce heat to medium, add garlic and ginger, and cook until fragrant, 1 minute. Stir in coriander, paprika, cumin, cinnamon, and pepper flakes and cook for 1 minute. Stir in ½ cup cilantro and ¼ cup parsley and cook for 1 minute.
- Stir in broth, water, chickpeas, and lentils; increase heat to high and bring to simmer. Reduce heat to medium-low, partially cover, and gently simmer until lentils are just tender, about 20 minutes.
- Stir in tomatoes and pasta and simmer, partially covered, for 7 minutes, stirring occasionally. Stir in chard and continue to cook, partially covered, until pasta is tender, about 5 minutes longer. Off heat, stir in lemon juice, remaining ¼ cup cilantro, and remaining ¼ cup parsley. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Serve, passing lemon wedges separately.
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