Moroccan Harira Soup with Chickpeas, lentils, quinoa

Recipe from Vegan Richa.

Smoky Moroccan harira soup with chickpeas, red lentils, and quinoa is a budget friendly, 1-pot meal!

Ingredients

• 2 teaspoons oil
• 5 cloves garlic (finely chopped)
• 1 1/2 cups chopped red onion
• 1/2 teaspoon or more salt (divided)
• 3/4 cup chopped carrots (chopped small, or use more, to taste)
• 3/4 cup chopped celery (or more, to taste)
• 1 teaspoon minced ginger
• 1 1/2 tablespoons tomato paste
• 1 teaspoon ground cumin (or 2 teaspoons ground coriander)
• 1 teaspoon smoked paprika
• 1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/2 teaspoon cayenne
• 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
• 15 ounce can diced tomatoes
• 4 cups vegetable stock
• 4 strands saffron (Optional) crush between your fingers or chop)
• 1/2 cup red lentils (, washed and drained)
• 1/4 cup dry quinoa
• 15 ounce can chickpeas (drained, or 1 1/2 cups cooked chickpeas or use white beans for variation)
• 1/2 cup chopped cilantro (or parsley)
• 2 cups baby spinach
• 2 to 3 teaspoons lemon juice
• red pepper flakes
• non-dairy yogurt (for garnish)
• lemon slices (for garnish)

Only the amounts at the start of each ingredient change. The steps stay as written.

Instructions

1. Heat a large saucepan or deep skillet over medium heat, and add the oil. Once the oil is hot, reduce the heat to low. Add the garlic, and cook until the garlic is starting to just about turn golden, about 15 to 20 seconds. Then, add in the onion and a dash of the salt. Increase the heat to medium, then mix in the carrots and celery. Cook until the onions start to turn translucent, about 5 to 7 minutes.
2. Mix in the minced ginger, tomato paste, and all the spices. Add a splash of water, if the pan is drying out too much. Then, mix to toast the tomato paste for just 5 to 10 seconds. Mix in the canned tomatoes and another dash of salt. Continue to cook until the tomatoes have thickened a little bit, and mash some of the larger pieces of the tomatoes. 4-6 minutes, The mixture should kind of smell a bit roasted.
3. Mix in the stock, saffron if using, lentils, quinoa, chickpeas, and the remaining salt. Cover with the lid, and continue to cook this for 20 minutes or longer, until both the lentils and quinoa are cooked to preference. You can continue cooking this soup for another 10 minutes or so to thicken it and deepen the flavor, if you like. Taste and adjust the flavor at this point. Add more salt if needed. Add some more spices and herbs, if needed.
4. Chop the cilantro and spinach, if you haven’t already, then add them to the soup and mix them in. Then, mix in the lemon juice. Taste and adjust the flavor again, then let the mixture come to a boil, so that the greens can wilt a little bit. Switch off the heat.
5. Ladle the harira soup into bowls. Top with some non-dairy yogurt, sliced lemon, some pepper flakes, and some chopped parsley or cilantro. Serve with some garlic bread, sourdough, toasted pita bread, or over a baked potato or roasted veggies. You can also serve with croutons or crackers.