Moroccan Lentil Soup

During my first visit to Washington, my family went to a local restaurant, Garlic Crush. I ordered a vegetarian platter (as you do), and was honestly mind-blown by the simple yet flavor-packed soup that was served as a complementary starter. It’s dusty yellow hue definitely doesn’t look like much, but I spent a few days experimenting with this recipe to get the dish as close as the one I tasted there.

Variations

To keep this dish veggie-friendly, you can use vegetable stock. For all my non-veggie folks out there, USE CHICKEN BROTH. I’m not too strict when it comes to this, and chicken broth/stock adds so much more flavor to the dish (and it’s so worth it). The original dish has a bit of rice in the soup, and I prefer it for the texture. You could also add quinoa or other grains too!

Moroccan Lentil Soup
Prep Time: 5 mins
Cook Time: 20 mins
Yield: 4 servings

Ingredients

• 200 g red lentils, rinsed
• 4 cups stock of choice
• 2-4 cups water, more or less to preference
• 1-2 tsp olive oil
• 1 large yellow onion, finely diced
• 4 garlic cloves, minced
• 2 tsp ground cumin
• Fresh or dry parsley
• Salt to taste
• Juice of 1 lemon
  
  

Directions

1. In a large pot, bring lentils, stock, and water to a boil before reducing to a simmer.
2. Meanwhile, heat olive oil in a sauté pan. Add onions and sauté until translucent for 2-3 minutes. Add garlic and continue cooking until fragrant for 1-2 minutes. Add cumin and stir until incorporated.
3. Remove onions and garlic from heat and add to simmering lentils—at this point, they should be nearly cooked. Stir through to combine and continue simmering until fully cooked, adding more water to reach desired consistency if too much liquid has evaporated.
4. Once lentils and rice are completely tender, stir in parsley, lemon juice, and salt to taste.
5. Garnish with more parsley and serve warm.

Per serving: 270 calories: 47.6 g carbs; 2.7 g fat; 15.5 g protein