This creamy, mildly spiced Moroccan Beef and Lentil Soup is packed with wholesome ingredients and full of rich, vibrant flavors. Not too sweet and not too spicy, this Moroccan Beef Stew with Lentils dish knocks it out of the park!
This comforting soup combines tender ground beef, sweet carrots, and hearty lentils, creating a satisfying and nutritious meal. Naturally gluten-free, it’s perfect on its own or as a warming, filling dish for any time of year.
Here’s a different beef mince recipe idea for you - a hearty Beef & Lentil Soup with vegetables! Healthy, hearty, economical and a complete dinner made in one pot.
This is a hearty lentil soup loaded up with lots of vegetables and the convenience of ground beef for the meat! Why don’t we use beef mince in soup more often? It’s so handy and economical, it soaks up flavour and makes this one-pot hearty meal a very low-effort endeavour.
I like to brown the beef using spices to incorporate flavour into it which then seeps into the soup broth. I like to add a sprinkling of Moroccan flavors in this to add interest.
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Beef Lentil Soup with Vegetables - made with beef mince!
The Simplicity: This recipe couldn’t be easier-just add all the ingredients to one pot, simmer for about 25 minutes, and you’re done. The soup itself is a mildly spiced, creamy blend of beef, lentils, and vegetables.
While you can certainly add other veggies to customize it, I wanted to keep the focus on the beef and lentils. This Moroccan soup features a mildly spiced, creamy base with tender beef and vegetables. Of course, you can always get creative and add other vegetables-yellow or red bell peppers, celery, and kale would all be great additions.
To make this Moroccan soup extra creamy, I added coconut milk. Along with the coconut milk, I added a touch of fresh lemon juice and a splash of maple syrup.
When you’re looking for a quick and easy dinner, especially on busy weeknights, one-pot meals are the way to go. Whenever I make a one-pot soup meal, I love to load it up with toppings.
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Ingredients
- Beef: Ground beef / beef mince. Use lean beef if you prefer, though the fattier it is, the better beef flavour you will get. Substitute with any other ground meat - pork, chicken, turkey, even lamb.
- Lentils: Dried lentils works really well here because you get a bit of extra flavour and thickening of the broth. But canned will work just fine too.
- Moroccan spices: This is where you can add any flavour you want! Start conservatively, add it bit by bit and taste, and keep adding as needed until it tastes right to you. I kept the base recipe simple by using store bought Moroccan spice mix as my main flavour, then spruced it up with a bit of extra spices.
- Beef stock/broth: For big hearty beef flavour. However vegetable or chicken stock/broth will work a treat here. For soups, I do recommend buying stock in liquid form rather than using cubes or powder because the flavour is cleaner and more natural.
- Vegetables: Use 6 - 8 cups of anything you want that cooks well in soup broth! I typically firstly add vegetables that can hold up to a 25-minute simmer at the beginning (eg. carrots, celery), then vegetables I want to stay greener and/or not turn into mush towards the end (eg. beans, zucchini).
Instructions
Stove Top Instructions
- In a large pot, saute the ground beef, onion, and garlic over medium heat until the ground beef is cooked through.
- Add the carrots, spices, salt, and pepper. Cook 1 more minute.
- Then add the broth, tomatoes, lentils, and honey. Turn the heat down to low.
- Simmer until the lentils are cooked.
- Add the raisins and apricots.
- Serve over brown rice with a side dish of green beans.
Instant Pot Instructions
- Saute the ground beef, onion, garlic, spices, salt and pepper over medium heat until the ground beef is cooked through.
- Then add the carrots, broth, tomatoes, lentils, and honey.
- To make the meal vegetarian, omit the ground beef and add an additional cup of lentils and 2 cups of broth. Saute onions in 2 tbsp vegetable oil.
I believe you can make great food with everyday ingredients even if you’re short on time and cost conscious.
Tips
- Brown beef with spices: Add some of the spices and cook it with the beef. Here we add a ton of extra flavour into this soup, so cook off those spices well! Have a nibble and make sure it’s tasty, then tweak as needed.
- Simmer for 25 - 30 minutes for the lentils to soften and tomato to break down so it thickens the sauce.
- TIP: Older dried lentils take longer to cook, so really old ones might take 35 minutes. Add the faster-cooking vegetables partway through, and based on how long they take to cook. I added the diced zucchini and green beans after 15 minutes - so they cooked for 10 minutes.
- Serve! Because I went for a Moroccan flavour for the base recipe, I finished with a dollop of yogurt and some fresh coriander. The soup broth is thickened by the starch from the lentils and the crushed tomatoes that are simmered so they break down.
✔️ You can give it kapow! flavours by really dialling up the spices as much as you like. It’s easy to figure: Just add and taste, add and taste!
✔️ It’s very economical and versatile.
✔️ It’s a complete, healthy meal in one pot: Meat, starch and lots of vegetables.
If you give this recipe a go, let me know! Leave a comment, rate it, or snap a photo and tag it with #smartnutritionrecipes on Instagram! I’d love to see your creations! Knowing someone has enjoyed one of my recipes always makes my day brighter.
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tags: #Moroccan
