Spiced Moroccan Lentil Soup

Tasty and flavorful Spiced Moroccan Lentil and Vegetable Soup. Warm your soul and your belly with this delicious, easy to make soup. It's not spicy, but is full of flavor and veggies. Vegan and gluten free, too!

I love soup. It's delicious, filling, and pretty easy to make. And you always end up with so much soup that there is enough of it for a couple of days, which is a good thing in my book.

This Spiced Moroccan Lentil Soup is perfect for that because it gets more delicious on the second day after all the flavors have had a chance to meld together.

Related recipe: Lentil Tabbouleh

What kind of lentils to use for this soup?

I used green lentils for this Moroccan lentil soup. Green lentils have more fiber than all the other colored lentils (don't ask me why, I have no idea!), so there's a little health benefit there.

Green lentils are usually sold as whole lentils (instead of split lentils), so they cook a little longer. This is actually a good thing for soup, since you probably don't want mushy lentils in your soup. Green lentils hold up well to cooking and won't overcook too easily if you need to keep the soup simmering while the rest of the veggies get cooked to your liking.

Related recipe: Red Lentils with Eggs

What spices are used in this soup?

A few traditional Moroccan spices are used in this soup: cumin, coriander, turmeric, and even a bit of cinnamon. All of these are added in their powdered form. The cinnamon adds a bit of depth, but it really doesn't make the soup cinnamony. Don't be afraid of giving it a try.

I love the spices and flavors from Moroccan cuisine and used them in a couple of other recipes on my blog: Moroccan Meatballs, and Pumpkin and Chicken Moroccan Stew. Check those out too!

What veggies can I use in this soup?

I used carrots, onion, and cauliflower in this recipe. Oh, and canned tomatoes! Tomatoes are actually the one vegetable that are healthier in some ways when they are canned or cooked. Canned tomatoes have a higher amount of lycopene than fresh tomatoes. Good thing canned tomatoes are so convenient to use!

You can also add other veggies, such as parsnips or potatoes instead any of the above. If you use parsnips, add them in the beginning instead of or with the carrots, since they will take longer to cook. If you add potatoes, dice them into bite sized pieces and add them in towards the end, with the cauliflower.

Related recipe: Couscous Tabbouleh

Other tips for making this Moroccan Lentil Soup:

• Take the extra few minutes to saute the onion and the spices before adding the broth to the soup. It will create a richer flavor
• Double check the cooking time on your lentils package. If they cook in less time than 35 minutes, then add the canned tomatoes and cauliflower florets in Step 3 sooner than 30 minutes
• If you don't love spicy things, skip the hot pepper. The soup will still be flavorful and tasty, but not spicy
• Use fresh lemon juice, it gives the soup a fresher taste. This citrus squeezer is my go-to for squeezing lemon and lime juice directly into soups and other recipes.

Other Moroccan-inspired recipes you will love:

• Moroccan chicken pumpkin stew
• Moroccan meatballs with polenta

Other healthy soup recipes to try:

• Kale and white bean soup with root vegetables
• Vegan carrot soup with parsley pistou
• Sweet potato leek soup
• Butternut squash lentil soup

If you enjoyed this recipe, let me know with a comment and a star rating below. And don't forget to share it on Facebook and save it on Pinterest for later!

Print Recipe

5 from 3 votes

Spiced Moroccan Lentil Soup

Flavorful, tasty Spiced Moroccan Lentil Soup. This soup will warm your soul and your belly on a chilly day.

Prep Time10 minutes mins

Cook Time45 minutes mins

Total Time55 minutes mins

Course: Soup

Cuisine: American, Moroccan

Servings: 6

Author: Kate

  Cook Mode: Prevent your screen from going dark

Ingredients

• 1 cups green lentils - uncooked
• 1 yellow onion - chopped
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 teaspoon ground cumin
• 1 teaspoon ground coriander
• 1 teaspoon ground turmeric
• ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 2 medium carrots - sliced ¼ inch thick (about 1 cup sliced carrots)
• 4 cups vegetable broth
• 3 cups water
• 1 teaspoon salt - see notes
• ½ cauliflower head - cut into small florets
• 1 15 oz can diced tomatoes
• 1 small dried Thai chili pepper - (or ¼ - ½ teaspoons red pepper flakes, to taste)
• Juice of ½ lemon
• 3 tablespoons cilantro leaves - chopped

Instructions

• Heat the olive oil in a large soup pot, and add the chopped onion. Saute for 3 minutes, or until the onion starts to turn translucent. Add the spices - cumin, coriander, turmeric, and cinnamon, and saute for 1 minute.
• Add the carrots, vegetable broth, water, salt, and lentils. Bring to a boil, and then cover and let simmer for 35 minutes. Check on the soup after 20 minutes to make sure there is enough liquid in there. If it seems too dry, add some water, a half a cup at a time.
• After 30 minutes, when the lentils are fully cooked and are just starting to fall apart, add the can of diced tomatoes and the cauliflower florets. Cover and cook for another 5-10 minutes, until the cauliflower is fully cooked to your liking.
• Remove from heat and stir in the lemon juice and cilantro leaves. Taste the soup and season with more salt if you think it needs more.

Notes

Other tips for making this Moroccan Lentil Soup:

• Take the extra few minutes to sauté the onion and the spices before adding the broth to the soup. 
• Double check the cooking time on your lentils package. Adjust cooking time if needed (read the blog post for details)
• If you don't love spicy things, skip the hot pepper
• Use fresh lemon juice, it gives the soup a fresher taste.
• I used sodium-free vegetable broth and I needed 1 teaspoon of salt for this soup. If you are using regular broth or lower-sodium broth, you might need less salt. Go easy on the salt first and add more later if you think you need it.

Nutrition

Calories: 205kcal (10%) | Carbohydrates: 28g (9%) | Protein: 9g (18%) | Fat: 5g (8%) | Saturated Fat: 1g (5%) | Sodium: 1132mg (47%) | Potassium: 470mg (13%) | Fiber: 11g (44%) | Sugar: 5g (6%) | Vitamin A: 447IU (9%) | Vitamin C: 10mg (12%) | Calcium: 54mg (5%) | Iron: 3mg (17%)

The nutritional information displayed is an estimate and not to be used as dietary or nutritional advice. Consult a nutritionist or dietician for nutritional info based on the exact ingredients you use.