This smoky Moroccan Harira soup with chickpeas, red lentils, quinoa, is a budget friendly 1 Pot meal! 21g Protein 21g fiber, bring crusty bread to dip. (gluten-free, soy-free, nut-free. Oil-free option.)
This is such a hearty, delicious, and easy one-pot soup. Today, we’re converting pantry staples into a rich, deeply flavored, hearty, and satisfying harira. This Moroccan chickpea and lentil soup is budget-friendly, one-pot, meal prep-friendly, and packs 21 grams of protein and 21 grams of fiber per serving. It is cozy, and it tastes like it has been simmering all day, but it really only simmers for about 30 minutes!
Often, harira has either pasta or grains added in it. I am using quinoa in the soup along with the chickpeas and lentils. That makes the soup gluten-free. It is also nut-free and soy-free, if you use nut-free and/or soy-free non-dairy yogurt for the topping, or just skip the yogurt topping altogether. Harira is rich and hearty, even without it.
Serve this with a side of toasty bread, garlic bread, or pita bread, and topped with some creamy non-dairy yogurt and lemon juice. It’s also great over a baked potato or over roasted veggies.
This recipe is rich in folate, iron, potassium, and magnesium from the lentils. It also has vitamin C and lycopene from the tomato. It is very budget-friendly, about $6.50 to $7 for the whole pot!
Why You’ll Love Harira
- 1-pot soup packed with veggies, protein, fiber, and FLAVOR!
- easy to make with simple, budget-friendly ingredients
- flavors of cumin, smoked paprika, cinnamon, and black pepper paired with hearty chickpeas, lentils and quinoa
- naturally gluten-free, soy-free, and nut-free with an oil-free option
- 2 teaspoons oil
- 5 cloves garlic, finely chopped
- 1 1/2 cups chopped red onion
- 1/2 teaspoon or more salt, divided
- 3/4 cup chopped carrots, chopped small, or use more, to taste
- 3/4 cup chopped celery, or more, to taste
- 1 teaspoon minced ginger
- 1 1/2 tablespoons tomato paste
- 1 teaspoon ground cumin, or 2 teaspoons ground coriander
- 1 teaspoon smoked paprika
- 1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1/2 teaspoon cayenne
- 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
- 15 ounce can diced tomatoes
- 4 cups vegetable stock
- 1/2 cup red lentils, , washed and drained
- 1/4 cup dry quinoa
- 15 ounce can chickpeas, drained, or 1 1/2 cups cooked chickpeas or use white beans for variation
- 1/2 cup chopped cilantro, or parsley
- 2 cups baby spinach
- 2 to 3 teaspoons lemon juice
- red pepper flakes
- non-dairy yogurt, for garnish
- lemon slices, for garnish
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Heat a large saucepan or deep skillet over medium heat, and add the oil. Once the oil is hot, reduce the heat to low. Add the garlic, and cook until the garlic is starting to just about turn golden, about 15 to 20 seconds. Then, add in the onion and a dash of the salt. Increase the heat to medium, then mix in the carrots and celery. Cook until the onions start to turn translucent, about 5 to 7 minutes.
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Mix in the minced ginger, tomato paste, and all the spices. Add a splash of water, if the pan is drying out too much. Then, mix to toast the tomato paste for just 5 to 10 seconds. Mix in the canned tomatoes and another dash of salt. Continue to cook until the tomatoes have thickened a little bit, and mash some of the larger pieces of the tomatoes. 4-6 minutes, The mixture should kind of smell a bit roasted.
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Mix in the stock, lentils, quinoa, chickpeas, and the remaining salt. Cover with the lid, and continue to cook this for 20 minutes or longer, until both the lentils and quinoa are cooked to preference. You can continue cooking this soup for another 10 minutes or so to thicken it and deepen the flavor, if you like. Taste and adjust the flavor at this point. Add more salt if needed. Add some more spices and herbs, if needed.
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Chop the cilantro and spinach, if you haven’t already, then add them to the soup and mix them in. Then, mix in the lemon juice. Taste and adjust the flavor again, then let the mixture come to a boil, so that the greens can wilt a little bit. Switch off the heat.
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Ladle the harira soup into bowls. Top with some non-dairy yogurt, sliced lemon, some pepper flakes, and some chopped parsley or cilantro. Serve with some garlic bread, sourdough, toasted pita bread, or over a baked potato or roasted veggies. You can also serve with croutons or crackers.
Oil-free: lightly dry toast the garlic over medium low. Then add onion, carrot celery and a dash of salt and 2 tablespoons stock and continue to cook. Deglaze with more stock or water if drying out too much.
Storage: Store refrigerated for upto 4 days. Freeze for months. Thawing overnight is preferred but can be immediately reheated as well. Reheat in saucepan or microwave.
This harira soup is naturally gluten-free, soy-free, and nut-free as long as you use soy-free and/or nut-free non-dairy yogurt for topping. You can omit the yogurt all together, if you like.
Calories: 422kcal, Carbohydrates: 73g, Protein: 21g, Fat: 7g, Saturated Fat: 1g, Polyunsaturated Fat: 3g, Monounsaturated Fat: 3g, Sodium: 614mg, Potassium: 1387mg, Fiber: 21g, Sugar: 15g, Vitamin A: 8293IU, Vitamin C: 35mg, Calcium: 214mg, Iron: 8mg
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Ingredients
- oil – To sauté. You can broth fry for an oil-free version, if needed.
- aromatics – Red onion and garlic are the first flavor layer in this soup. You will also add ginger later on for even more flavor!
- veggies – Carrots, celery, and canned tomato add flavor, texture, and more fiber.
- tomato paste – Deepens the umami in this harira.
- ground spices – cumin or coriander plus smoked paprika, cinnamon, cayenne, and black pepper add so much great flavor to this soup!
- vegetable stock – A good, flavorful veggie stock adds moisture and more flavor.
- red lentils – Adds fiber, protein, and texture to the harira.
- quinoa – Harira can have grains or pasta in it. I’m using quinoa to make it gluten-free.
- chickpeas – For protein and texture.
- greens – Baby spinach plus cilantro or parsley add color and flavor.
- lemon juice – Brightens the flavor.
- toppings – Top steaming bowls of harira with red pepper flakes, non-dairy yogurt, and lemon slices. Choose soy-free and/or nut-free non-dairy yogurt, if needed.
💡Tips
- Toasting the tomato paste brings out the flavor and adds to the smokiness of the harira.
- You can add other spices to the soup, like ras el hanout or baharat.
How to Make Harira
Heat a large saucepan or deep skillet over medium heat, and add the oil. Once the oil is hot, reduce the heat to low. Add the garlic, and cook until the garlic is starting to just about turn golden, about 15 to 20 seconds.
Then, add in the onion and a dash of the salt. Increase the heat to medium, then mix in the carrots and celery. Cook until the onions start to turn translucent, about 5 to 7 minutes.
Mix in the minced ginger, tomato paste, and all the spices. Add a splash of water, if the pan is drying out too much. Then, mix to toast the tomato paste for just 5 to 10 seconds.
Mix in the canned tomatoes and another dash of salt. Continue to cook until the tomatoes have thickened a little bit, and mash some of the larger pieces of the tomatoes. 5-6 mins. The mixture should kind of smell a bit roasted.
Mix in the stock, lentils, quinoa, chickpeas, and the remaining salt. Cover with the lid, and continue to cook this for 20 minutes or longer, until both the lentils and quinoa are cooked to preference. You can continue cooking this soup for another 10 minutes or so to thicken it and deepen the flavor, if you like. Taste and adjust the flavor at this point. Add more salt if needed. Add some more spices and herbs, if needed.
Chop the cilantro and spinach, if you haven’t already, then add them to the soup and mix them in. Then, mix in the lemon juice. Taste and adjust the flavor again, then let the mixture come to a boil, so that the greens can wilt a little bit. Switch off the heat.
Ladle the harira soup into bowls. Top with some non-dairy yogurt, sliced lemon, some pepper flakes, and some chopped parsley or cilantro.
What to Serve with Harira
Serve with some garlic bread, sourdough, toasted pita bread, or over a baked potato or roasted veggies. You can also serve with croutons or crackers.
Frequently Asked Questions
This harira soup is naturally gluten-free, soy-free, and nut-free as long as you use soy-free and/or nut-free non-dairy yogurt for topping. You can omit the yogurt all together, if you like.