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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!
This post was originally published on January 25, 2017
Hi,
I was wondering if I can make this without a crockpot and how you’d suggest to adapt the recipe?
This looks devine and I’d love to make it 🙂
Sure! I would simmer on the stove over medium heat for 45 minutes to an hour or until the lentils are soft. Then finish as directed. Please let me know if you have other questions. Hope you love this recipe! Thanks! 🙂
I made this today in my Instant Pot and it came out great! (I used the Soup setting, which cooks it for 4 hours.) I didn’t have any chickpeas, and since it was 3 degrees for a high here today, I substituted the white beans I had in my pantry. It is very hearty and I will definitely make it again.
I am so happy to hear that! Thank you Dawn!
My boyfriend and I made this soup today. It was amazing! We followed the recipe very closely except we used dry chickpeas instead of canned ones. I look forward to eating this the rest of the week! Thanks so much for sharing 🙂
That is so amazing! Thank you Haley!
This soup sounds marvelous……Just wondering if there is any other fresh herb that I could sub for cilantro?
Sure! Parsley or basil would be great! Please let me know if you have any other questions. Hope you love this recipe! Thanks! ?
Wow, this was delicious! My first recipe from your site and I’m checking out others that look good to try soon. The secret ingredient is definitely the whipped goat cheese … oh my gosh. I do love my goat cheese so this was the kicker. I added a bag of greens to the soup when I tossed in the chickpeas because I love my greens and they went superbly with this dish, a great add-in. Thank you Tieghan! I’m glad I discovered your site.
That is amazing! I am so glad you liked this soup Jerri! I think my favorite part is the whipped goat cheese.. so yum! Thanks!
My boyfriend has been asking for this recipe almost every day since the first time it hit a degree under 75 degrees in Nashville. We call it Moroccan “chili” since it’s so hearty. I finally gave in and made it today (it’s technically 75 here today, but it’s October dangit!). I am so glad I did and this time didn’t forget the naan. It’s one of our favorites! Thanks!
I am so happy you and your boyfriend loved this Aly! Thank you!
In anticipation of travelling to Morocco in a couple of months, I was looking for a recipe to try. Not only did I LOVE this recipe but I stirred a little into some rice to serve along with our chicken for dinner. My husband thought it smucked with flavour. Very tasty. I pinned it to my favourites!
I am so glad you loved this Kathryn! Thank you so much!
Why do recipes that start out with “healthiest” never include calories and nutritional information?
Hey! I go by how healthy and nutrient dense the ingredients are. Like for this recipe, lentils are high in protein and super good for our heart. Instead of worrying about calories or fat content, I try to focus my recipes on the nutrients we can receive from them. I hope this helps, let me know if you have any other questions!
If you do still want to find out the nutritional information, you can put the ingredients in an online calculator and divid by the number of servings.
Sounds delicious and can’t wait to try! Do you think it would freeze/reheat well?
Hi Kelly! Yes, this freezes perfectly! Let me know if you have other questions. Hope you love the recipe! Thank you!
Can it be canned
I am not sure. I have not tried that. Let me know if you have questions. Hope you love this recipe! 🙂
This turned out really well! I sautéed the onions in a little olive oil first and added in the spices, before dumping it into the crockpot. Really easy and I packaged it up into 4 containers to take for lunch all week.
Such a great meal prep! Thanks Sabrina!
there is no way i can get red harissa , what can i sub in its place
Use 2 teaspoons crushed red pepper flakes. Let me know if you have questions. Hope you love this!
soups ♥, needed a content like this, gratitude!
Glad you found this! Thanks Elisa!
Has anyone done this with dry chickpeas? Maybe just soak them the night before and add extra water, putting them in at the very start along with the lentils?
Can’t wait to try this! If I wanted to make ahead to freeze, are there any modifications I should follow?
Hi Kim!! I would make it as directed. Chill and then freeze. This freezes so well without having to do anything special to it. Let me know if you have other questions. Hope you love the soup! 🙂
Tieghan, this soup was delicious! It’s been too long since I’ve made your recipes but I’m rediscovering some yummy ones that I had bookmarked.
I made the recipe exactly as written except I subbed a bit of hot sauce and pinch of red pepper flakes for the harissa. My family enjoyed the soup. It served 5 hearty bowls for us 🙂
Woops! I forgot to mention, in all fairness, I need to say that I ignored the “slow-cooker” aspect of the recipe and just made it like a regular soup on the stovetop. The flavors were still on point! 😉 I’d make this again for sure!