Moroccan Red Lentil Soup

A little over eight years ago, I studied abroad in London and stayed with a host family. While London is home to some amazing restaurants which I adored (lookin’ at you, Nando’s), I can honestly say my greatest food memories were the home-cooked meals from my host mom.

A few dishes worth mentioning that I think about to this day are Cottage Pie, Bannoffee Pie and classic Sunday roast. But the dish I have thought about most over the years is the coziest, most heart-warming red lentil soup.

This lentil soup was unlike anything I’d ever had because of the unique spice mixture. Warming, nutty and slightly spicy, this soup features flavor of Morocco. The result is one perfect, hearty soup for a rainy day.

Fast-forward to eight years and I’m so thrilled that I’ve finally discovered the perfect recipe that tastes just as good as the soup I enjoyed in London. This soup is easy to throw together and can be made vegan if you’re using veggie stock! Pair it with some garlic bread or even a “cheese toasty” as the Brits would day, and it’s sure to bring comfort during this season.

Moroccan Red Lentil Soup

Ingredients

• 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

• 1 large onion, chopped

• 1 celery stalk, chopped

• 1 carrot, chopped

• 4 garlic cloves, chopped

• 2 teaspoons coriander

• 1 teaspoon cumin

• 1 teaspoon turmeric

• 1/2 teaspoon paprika

• 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon

• 1 teaspoon red pepper flakes

• 1 teaspoon Kosher salt

• 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

• 8 cups vegetable or chicken stock

• 1-15 oz can crushed tomatoes

• 2 cups red lentils

• Juice of one lemon

• 1/4 cup fresh Italian parsley, chopped

• 2 tablespoons cilantro, chopped

• Olive oil and flaky sea salt for garnish

Directions

Heat olive oil in a Dutch oven 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, red pepper flakes, 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 20-25 minutes until the lentils are tender, stirring occasionally.

Remove the soup from the heat and either lade half of soup into a blender to pulse to desired consistency. Return blended mixture to soup pot. Alternatively, use an immersion blender in the soup pot and pulse until you reach desired consistency. I like my soup just slightly chunky!

Stir in the lemon juice, parsley and cilantro, cover and cook for another 10 minutes. Garnish with extra parsley and cilantro, a drizzle of olive oil and flaky sea salt if you desire. Enjoy with crusty bread, garlic bread or a cheese toasty (AKA grilled cheese!)