This hearty soup Moroccan chickpea soup recipe is the perfect comforting meal on a chilly evening. Gently flavoured with harissa and a blend of aromatic spices, it will warm you from the inside out.
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Ingredients
2Tbspolive oil
1medium onionfinely diced
225gcarrotspeeled and finely diced
2large celery ribsfinely diced
4garlic clovesgrated
2Tbspharissa pasteplus extra to serve
1Tbsptomato paste
1 ½tspground cumin
1 ½tspground cinnamon
1 ½tspsmoked paprika
150gsplit red lentils
1.25lvegetable stock
125gbaby spinach leaves
400gcan chickpeadrained
Juice of 1 lemon
Salt to taste
Instructions
Heat the olive oil over medium heat in a large heavy-bottomed stockpot. Add the onion and cook until it starts to soften, about 3 minutes.
2 Tbsp olive oil, 1 medium onion
Add the carrots and celery, and cook for a couple of minutes.
225 g carrots, 2 large celery ribs
Add the garlic, harissa, tomato paste, cumin, cinnamon, smoked paprika, and cook for a couple of minutes.
4 garlic cloves, 2 Tbsp harissa paste, 1 Tbsp tomato paste, 1 ½ tsp ground cumin, 1 ½ tsp ground cinnamon, 1 ½ tsp smoked paprika
Stir in the lentils and stock.
150 g split red lentils, 1.25 l vegetable stock
Bring to a boil, then lower the heat to a lively simmer and cook uncovered until the lentils are cooked, about 12 to 15 minutes.
Scoop out about a third of the soup into a small saucepan and whizz with a handheld blender until smooth. (if you are using an upright blender, make sure the soup has cooled down before blending it).
Return the blended portion of the soup to the stockpot.
Reheat the soup, stir in the spinach and cook until wilted.