Harira is a classic traditional Moroccan soup of lentils and chickpeas with fresh herbs and lots of hot spices. This satisfying vegetarian soup is even better the next day, making it the perfect easy pot to feed a small crowd. I usually serve it with lemon slices and hot desired pita bread.
What is Harira?
Harira Soup is a typically hearty Moroccan food tomato soup made with legumes such as lentils and chickpeas, fresh herbs and hot spices such as turmeric, cumin and cinnamon. Usually it thickens with broken noodle pasta or rice. This amazing tasty lentil and chickpea soup is served in Morocco and other parts of North Africa at any time of the year, but is particularly associated with the month of Ramadan and is most often served to break fasting.
Vegetarian Harira
One of the things I like about this soup is that there are many variations of it, depending on the legumes you have at hand. I used a combination of green lentils, red lentils and chickpeas (canned chickpeas are an excellent shortcut option). I took some freedoms by adding things like celery and carrots (carrots are a good idea because they add a subtle sweetness). And instead of noodle pasta, I used long-grain rice that makes this recipe gluten-free.
Harira soup is not always vegetarian as popular, many recipes incorporate small pieces of boneless lamb optional. I could try this option one day, but like my recipe for black-eyed peas, red lentil soup and many other bean dishes we eat on the Mediterranean diet, this is another dinner that is hearty and satisfying without the addition of meat.
This recipe for harira is even better the next day, when the flavors have had time to melt. It will become quite thick as it sits in the refrigerator, but you can simply add a little liquid while warming up your rest of harira soup.
The resolutely hot flavors of North Africa in this harira soup recipe are what makes it different from another lentil or chickpea soup.
Turmeric ground cumin ground ginger ground cinnamon ground black pepper pinch of cayenne Tip: You can skip the cayenne and stir in a little homemade harissa dough. This is the next level delicious!
Ingredients
virgin olive oil
1 large finely chopped yellow onion
2 chopped celery stalks
1 peeled and chopped carrot
kosher salt
4 chopped garlic cloves
1 ½ teaspoon black pepper
1 ½ teaspoon turmeric
¼ cup long-grain rice, rinsed or ¼ cup broken noodles wedges lemon, to serve
2 14-ounce cans crushed tomatoes
3 tablespoons or teaspoons tomato paste
1 cup chopped fresh coriander
1 cup green lentils, rinsed
1 cup red lentils, rinsed
1 tbsp cumin
½ teaspoon ground ginger
½ tsp ground cinnamon
½ teaspoon cayenne
1 14 ounces can chickpeas
7 cups of vegetable or chicken broth, preferably low-sodium
Instructions to cook:
- In a large oven, heat 4 tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil over medium heat until it shines. Add onions, celery and carrots. Season with kosher salt. Cook for 5 minutes, stirring regularly until softened.
- Add garlic and spices and cook for 1-2 minutes, stirring regularly.
- Add crushed tomatoes, tomato paste, coriander, lentils (green and red) and chickpeas. Add a stream more kosher salt and cook for 5 mins, stirring.
- Add the broth and raise the heat. Bring to a boil for 5 minutes, then turn the heat to low. Cover and simmer for 45 minutes or until legumes are fully cooked and very tender (check from time to time and plan to add more broth or water. The soup will be thick, but it should not be too thick so that you can not pour it. Be sure to adjust the salt as you add more liquid).
- Add the rice and cook another 15 or until the rice is completely cooked.
- Serve with pieces of lemon.
How to make harira: step by step
Cook onions, celery and carrots Agarb a large saucepan or Dutch oven (this is the one I use) and cook the chopped onions, celery and carrots in a little extra virgin olive oil until they soften a little (about 5 minutes). Season with kosher salt and add garlic and spices and cook for about a minute (your kitchen will have an incredible smell)
Add tomatoes, lentils, chickpeas:
At this point, add tomatoes (crushed tomatoes from a can), tomato paste (this really amplifies the taste and gives the soup a good color), green and red lentils, and drained chickpeas (I used chickpeas from a can). Add the chopped cilantro, and if you end up using a little harissa paste, that's where you stir it. Add a pinch of kosher salt and give everything a good stir to combine.
Add the liquid and cook:
You can use low-sodium vegetable broth or chicken (7 cups, or more if you like more broth). Bring the soup to a boil, then turn the heat to low and cover and simmer until the lentils are completely cooked and very tender (about 45 minutes). Be sure to check the soup from time to time to adjust the liquid; it will become thick but you want to make sure you can always pour it (plan to add a little water or more broth and adjust the salt as needed). At this point, mix rice (or broken noodles) and cook for another 15 minutes.
Serve with lemon wedges:
Don't underestimate this squeezed fresh lemon to awaken all the earthy and deep flavours of this soup. Cut one or two lemons into pieces and have those available next to the soup.
Cooking time & prep time around 46 minutes
Allow the soup to cool before storing it. Pour the leftovers into containers with a tight lid and store in the refrigerator for 3-4 days.
Remember that this lentil and chickpea soup will thicken while sitting in the refrigerator; this is the nature of legumes. You can add a little water to loosen the soup while it is heated. Heat over medium heat, stirring regularly.
Nutrition facts:
Calories: 304,3k Cal carbohydrates: 37g Vitamin A: 2850 Vitamin C: 14,5 mg Calcium: 108,6mgG iron: 7.4 mg Protein: 22.3g Saturated fat: 0,3g Potassium: 1107.9 mg Fiber: 24,9g
try other tastes:
see tagine recipe
see Couscous recipe