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Moroccan Red Lentil Soup is a comforting soup recipe that is easy to make and perfect for the freezer. The warm, rich spices of cinnamon, coriander, cumin, paprika and turmeric mix together perfectly to create a flavorful soup. You will love this hearty soup!
Today’s recipe, Moroccan Red Lentil Soup, is comforting. The warm, rich spices of cinnamon, coriander, cumin, paprika and tumeric mix together perfectly to create a flavorful soup. The wonderful smell of spices simmering in this soup remind me of my Grandma’s kitchen growing up. There is something about soup that can really warm the soul.
I spent most of last week eating this soup for lunch and even had some leftover to freeze. This Moroccan Red Lentil Soup is easy to make and simmers on the stove while you go about your day. If you are a fan of lentil soup, I suggest you give this one a try… make a big batch, invite your loved ones over and enjoy!
If you love lentil soups you also need to try this Moroccan Carrot Red Lentil Soup, Moroccan Red Lentil Soup and this Red Lentil Coconut Soup but nothing like theirs. All of these are variations of a vegan lentil soup. Some other lentil recipes that you might like are this Chicken and Lentil Soup, Lentil Feta Salad, Lentil Mushroom Stew, Lentil Sweet Potato Stew or this Slow Cooker Lentil Soup.
Why You Will Love this Moroccan Red Lentil Soup
We love this flavorful soup. Here is why we love it:
• Vegan: This soup is vegan, gluten-free and protein packed. It offers you a good serving of veggies from the carrots and spinach.
• Freezer-Friendly: I love that this soup freezes so well. Make a big batch of it and save half for later. Portion it out so you can pull it out when you need a healthy lunch option.
• Flavor: You honestly can’t beat the spice mixture in this soup. It is so warm, rich and just pure comforting.
Recipe Ingredients
You will love this easy recipe and the simple ingredients it uses. It is one of my favorite recipes!
- Vegetables: This soup is loaded with delicious vegetables. It uses carrots, celery, onion and tomatoes.
- Lentils: Red lentils are the star of this recipe. Make sure to rinse them and pick through them to get any rocks or other things that shouldn’t be mixed in out of the lentils.
- Spices: You will love the combination of spices in this soup. It mixes together coriander, cumin, turmeric, paprika and cinnamon.
- Vegetable Broth: I used vegetable broth but you can sub in chicken broth or chicken stock also.
How to Make this Moroccan Red Lentil Soup
Step 1: Sauté Vegetables: Heat olive oil in a Dutch over or large pot over medium-high heat. Add the onions, carrots and celery and sauté until tender (about 3-4 minutes).
Step 2: Add Spices: Add the garlic, coriander, cumin, turmeric, paprika, cinnamon, salt and pepper and continue cooking for another 2-3 minutes stirring the whole time.
Step 3: Add Remaining Ingredients and Simmer: Add the broth, tomatoes, and lentils stir well and heat to a boil. Simmer uncovered on low heat for about 20 minutes {until the lentils are tender}, stirring occasionally.
Step 4: Puree Half of the Soup: Remove the soup from the heat and ladle half of the soup into a large mixing bowl. Carefully blend half of the soup in a separate container with an immersion blender which is a hand blender (or use a blender) in small batches if necessary. Return the blended half of the soup back to the pot and mix well.
Step 5: Add Lemon Juice: Stir in the lemon juice, red pepper flakes, parsley and cilantro, cover and cook for 10 minutes. Serve hot with warm pita bread or bread of your choice. Garnish with extra parsley and cilantro if you desire.
A tip before freezing: allow the soup to cool to room temperature, then put it in an airtight container, and store in the freezer for up to 3 months. When you are ready to eat it let the soup thaw in the fridge overnight. Then when you are ready to eat it, warm it up on the stove over low heat until it is warmed through.
Cooking Tips and Variations
- Beans: Add additional protein to the soup by adding chickpeas or white beans.
- Vegetables: I enjoy extra vegetables in this soup. Try cauliflower, jalapeños for spice, potatoes or sweet potatoes.
- Garnishes: Garnishes are always a great way to take a soup to the next level. Some garnishes I love in this lentil soup is feta cheese {of course the soup won’t be vegan if you use feta}, fresh cilantro and parsley, Greek or plain yogurt swirled in to create a thicker, creamier soup.
- Protein: For those that want to add meat to the soup try adding sausage, diced chicken, ground pork or even some crispy bacon.
- Lentils: I like red lentils because they break down and become soft. With this soup I blend it, or at least half of it, but you can easily eat this soup as is. If you have brown or green lentils on hand you can swap those in or use half red and half brown or green. Some people prefer the texture of the green or brown-so that is totally up to you!
Storage Tips
- Store the leftover soup in the fridge for up to 7 days in an airtight container. You can reheat on the stove or in the microwave.
- You also can freeze this soup! It makes a great meal-prep option. Make sure the soup cools completely and then store in a freezer safe container for up to 3 months.
More Lentil Soup Recipes
Vegetarian
Moroccan Carrot Red Lentil Soup
Mediterranean
Lemon Lentil Soup Recipe
Mediterranean
Lebanese Lentil Soup
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Moroccan Red Lentil Soup
Video
Ingredients
- 3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
- 1 large onion, chopped
- 1 stalk celery , chopped
- 1 carrot, chopped
- 3 cloves garlic , chopped
- 2 teaspoons ground coriander
- 1 teaspoon ground cumin
- 1 teaspoon ground turmeric
- 1/2 teaspoon sweet paprika
- 1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1/2 teaspoon sea salt
- Dash of pepper
- 8 cups vegetable broth, low sodium if possible
- 1-15 ounce can crushed tomatoes, or diced tomatoes
- 2 cups red lentils, picked over, washed and rinsed until water runs clean
- 1 lemon, juiced
- Pinch red pepper flakes
- 4 tablespoons flat-leaf parsley, fresh chopped
- 1 tablespoon cilantro, fresh chopped
Instructions
- Heat olive oil in a Dutch over or large pot over medium-high heat. Add the onions, carrots and celery and sauté until tender (about 3-4 minutes).
- Add the garlic, coriander, cumin, turmeric, paprika, cinnamon, salt and pepper and continue cooking for another 2-3 minutes stirring the whole time.
- Add the broth, tomatoes, and lentils stir well and heat to a boil.
- Simmer uncovered on low heat for about 20 minutes {until the lentils are tender}, stirring occasionally.
- Remove the soup from the heat and ladle half of the soup into a large mixing bowl. Carefully blend half of the soup in a separate container with an immersion blender which is a hand blender (or use a blender) in small batches if necessary. Return the blended half of the soup back to the pot and mix well.
- Stir in the lemon juice, red pepper flakes, parsley and cilantro, cover and cook for 10 minutes. Serve hot with warm pita bread or bread of your choice. Garnish with extra parsley and cilantro if you desire.
Notes
- I liked blending half of the soup so create a semi-pureed soup with some chunks. If you prefer a chunky soup then you do not need to blend the soup at all.
- I like to use an immersion/hand blender because it provides a little chunkier texture than a blender.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Thanks for the recipe! Hands down one of my favorite dishes to make!
Thanks! Glad you like it!
I just made this as well. I used 6 c chicken broth (I’m not vegan, obviously) and a 14.5-oz can of organic coconut milk. I also added a dash of habanero and ginger, both powdered. AMAZING. Very like the lentil soup a once-favored Iranian eatery used to serve in NYC—I did so miss it, but not any more!! Thank you/Merci/Shukran!
Thank you for sharing! I love that you enjoyed it. The coconut milk is a great idea. I am going to try that soon.
Hello,
I am going to make this soup in a few minutes….however can I make it in a crockpot (slow cooker) and if so how?…also how can I make the consistency more soup like and not so thick like a stew?
Thank you
Gary
Sorry! I was on vacation and did not see this until today. I have not made this in a slow cooker but I looked up other lentil soups in the slow cooker and it seems like people cook on Low 4 hours or on High 2 hours, or until lentils are tender.Let me know how it turns out! My suggestion for making is more like a soup is to add more broth or water. Broth will give it more flavor I think.
I have some ras el hanout. Could you substitute this for any of the spices listed? If so which?.
I think that mixture has a lot of different spices in it so I think you could use that in place of the following:
2 tsp. ground coriander
1 tsp. ground cumin
1 tsp. ground turmeric
½ tsp. sweet paprika
¼ tsp. ground cinnamon
Since I have never tried this I think its a trial. I would start with maybe 1 teaspoon of ras el hangout and see how it tastes. Then I would add other spices as you see necessary to get to the flavor you like.
Hi! I am trying to make this for a dinner party – do red lentils have an official name? Mine look orange and they cook fairly fast. I don’t want to get a smushy lentil in such a beautiful broth. Also, besides blending, any recs on making it thicker – more like a stew?
Red lentils are actually orange before cooked. For thicker–just cover the vegetables and lentils with enough vegetable broth so that everything is covered. Maybe try 4-6 cups instead of 8 cups. As it cooks if it seems to get dry at all you can add more broth if you need to. When I really want to thicken a soup up I add one or two white potatoes or yukon gold potatoes chopped and just simmer that as part of the soup. Let me know if you have more questions! I hope you love it as much as I do.
Hi Julia,
Just finished making this soup – it’s spectacular! I am sure it will be even better tomorrow having all of the flavors meld. Thanks for the recipe.
Thanks Carol! So glad you liked it. It is one of my favorite fall/winter soups. And yes –the flavors are even better the next day (or you can freeze it for later).
Could this be made in a slow cooker?
I have never tried it in a slow cooker so I am not sure–sorry! If lentils can go in a slow cooker–which I think they can-then I would say yes.
Red lentils are a favorite of mine. It’s amazing how well red lentils,cinnamon and tomato mix so well. It gives it a lovely savory taste that is just so refreshing. I wish they would offer this in restaurants. It would be an easy sell.
I just made this, and it was yum. I halved the vegetable stock, lentils and lemon (so it made half the quantity) but really worked.
So glad you liked it Andrew! Thanks for letting me know. 🙂
Thank you for the nice soup recipes.
You are welcome Liz!
A great tribute on Boston’s tragedy. I was in tears when the news broke, but at the same time thank god there weren’t many that succumbed to it.
I had friends running in the marathon and was so relieved to know they are fine.
Your soup is a gentle reminder that life is filled with love and warmth amid-st of cruelness.
I know. And now the aftermath and they hunting these guys down is crazy too! I just can’t believe all that has happened. Glad your friends are safe!