Lentils know no bounds. They’re the perfect high-protein, high-fiber food that take on just about any flavor you add to them. Speaking of flavor, many cooks are inspired by the flavors of Morocco to create lentil dishes.
If you’re into saucy, smoky lentils, these recipes are for you. They can stand alone or accompany other Authentic Moroccan recipes beautifully.
Key Ingredients: The Essence of Moroccan Cuisine
Some of the spices common in Moroccan cuisine are cinnamon, cumin, ginger, paprika, saffron, and turmeric. In different villages and cities across Morocco, families have various spice combinations we call Ras El Hanout. A blend called Ras El Hanout is also commonly used in Moroccan cooking. It includes spices such as anise, cardamom, cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, turmeric, and peppers. The best way to get comfortable cooking with Moroccan spices is to dive in and start using them!
Made with tomatoes, typical Moroccan spices, and delicious, high-quality organic olive oil, this authentic Moroccan lentil salad is rich and full of flavor.
Moroccan lentils Recipe - CookingWithAlia - Episode 94
Moroccan Lentil Salad Recipe
One of my goals for the new year is to share more family recipes, starting with this Classic Moroccan Lentil Salad made with O-Live & Co. This post was sponsored by O-Live & Co. In Morocco, this salad is served amongst several other bowls of various vegetable salads, all surrounding the main entre (usually a tajine of some sort) and piles of fresh Moroccan bread.
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Ingredients:
- 1 tbsp O-Live & Co. Sauté garlic in oil.
- In a saucepan, heat the olive oil over medium heat.
- Add veggies, lentils, and water.
- Add in grated onion, sliced zucchini, and all of the spices.
- Simmer for 5 minutes before tossing in grated tomatoes, lentils and water.
- Simmer until lentils cook through.
- Stir in tomato paste & serve.
Once lentils are cooked through, add tomato paste and stir well until evenly incorporated, adding water if needed.
Quick Moroccan Lentils
This 30-minute recipe starts with cooking your lentils. To create a super flavorful and quick sauce, blend onion, garlic, and red bell pepper with spices like turmeric, paprika, and cayenne. Tomato paste adds depth of flavor, and apple cider vinegar adds a little acidity. All that’s left to do is add the sauce to the lentils with some fresh herbs - like parsley and cilantro - and stir to combine.
Ingredients:
- Garlic
- Onion or shallot
- Bell pepper
- Tomato paste
- Coconut sugar
- Sea salt
- Paprika
- Cumin
- Coriander
- Ginger
- Turmeric
- Cayenne pepper
- Apple cider vinegar
- Parsley or cilantro
Taste and adjust flavor as needed, adding more tomato paste for depth of flavor, spices for more overall flavor (especially coriander and paprika), cayenne for heat, coconut sugar for sweetness, apple cider vinegar for acidity, or salt for saltiness. Set aside.
Once the lentils have cooked, drain off any excess liquid and then add spice mixture and parsley or cilantro and mix well to combine.
Enjoy immediately with salads, rice (or cauliflower rice), bowls, and more.
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Moroccan Lentil Stew
Get back into the groove by serving Moroccan lentil stew for supper tonight. The stew is made with pantry staples that are easy to find at the grocery store.
Ingredients:
- Vegetables: Onions, carrots, sweet potatoes, and diced tomatoes.
- Spices: Garlic, cumin, coriander, turmeric, sweet paprika, salt, cinnamon, and nutmeg.
Let the oil heat up in a Dutch oven over medium high heat, then sauté the onions and carrots until softened, then add the garlic and cook until fragrant. Add all the dry spices and cook for one minute, stirring constantly. This will intensify the spices' flavor. Deglaze the pot by pouring in ½ cup of broth and scraping the brown bits off the bottom of the pot with a wooden turner. This will add more flavor to the Moroccan lentils.
Pour in the diced tomatoes with their juice, the cubed sweet potatoes, and the rinsed lentils. Pour in the 4 ½ cups of vegetable broth. Keep the remaining 2 cups for later to thin the stew. Cover the Dutch oven and bring the Moroccan lentil stew to a boil, then simmer covered for 45 minutes, stirring once and a while to prevent the vegetables from sticking to the bottom.
During the last 10 minutes of cooking the Moroccan lentil stew, pour in 1-2 cups of vegetable broth. During the last 5 minutes of cooking, stir in the spinach so it will wilt. Mix in ½ cup of chopped cilantro.
Add the lemon juice at the end of cooking, and stir until well combined. Taste and adjust seasonings for the Moroccan lentil stew; add another ½ teaspoon of salt. Serve the Moroccan lentil stew hot and garnish with the last ½ cup of chopped cilantro.
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Moroccan Lentil Soup
This easy Moroccan Lentil Soup recipe is packed with vegetables, lentils, and chickpeas. It's warm, comforting, and packed with flavor. It's naturally vegetarian, and high protein.
Instructions:
- Sauté Vegetables: Add olive oil to a pot over medium heat. Once hot, sauté onion for 5 minutes. Add carrots, celery, garlic, and ginger and sauté a few more minutes.
- Simmer: Add lentils, chickpeas, tomatoes, spices and vegetable broth. Bring to a boil, stirring occasionally, then reduce heat and simmer for about 30-35 minutes, or until lentils are tender.
- Thicken: Use an immersion blender to puree the soup just a little bit, to add a thick and creamy texture (or blend half of the soup in a food processor or blender).
- Stir in vinegar and season with salt and pepper, to taste.
- Garnish with fresh chopped cilantro, crushed red pepper flakes and feta cheese when serving.
Make Ahead Instructions: Chop the veggies in the morning to help this soup come together even quicker.
Freezing Instructions: Allow to cool completely then place in a freezer safe container and freeze for up to three months.
Healing Moroccan Lentil Soup
Made with a blend of Moroccan-inspired spices, this lentil soup is packed full of flavor and nourishing nutrition. This is one of my absolute favorites because it has such a unique blend of ingredients that feel extra nourishing to the body.
- Fennel and Carrots: Fresh fennel and carrots add texture and flavor.
- Lentils: Typically brown lentils are used in this soup but green lentils can also be used. You can also use red lentils but they tend to absorb less broth so you might want to reduce the liquid in that case. They also take less time to cook so you’ll need to adjust the cooking time.
- Sweet Potato: Paired with the lentils, sweet potato makes for a heartier soup.
- Spices: Cumin, Turmeric, Coriander, Cayenne and Cinnamon- the savory blend of spices paired with just a touch of cinnamon adds delicious and healing vibes to the broth.
- Vegetable Broth: Using a flavorful broth is key to making this soup delicious.
- Lemon Juice: Adding lemon juice gives it that extra flair. It’s especially good in this recipe as the sour helps balance out the sweet from the potatoes, carrots, and cinnamon.
In large pot, warm the oil over medium heat. Add the onion,fennel, carrot and garlic. Cook for about 3 minutes, until onion is translucent and garlic is fragrant.
To the pot, add 1 cup of the vegetable broth along with the spices (cumin to cinnamon). Bring to a low boil and cook for 10 minutes so that the liquid reduces by approximately 1/3.
Pour in the remaining broth along with the sweet potato and rinsed lentils then bring to a boil. Reduce to a simmer and cook for 20 minutes, or until the lentils and potato are tender.
Remove the pot from the heat then squeeze in the lemon juice and stir together. Ladle into individual bowls for serving and garnish with chopped cilantro.
Tips
- This recipe will work with regular supermarket lentils, or fancier lentils from a deli.
- If you would like to add vegetables to the lentils, add 1 cup diced hard vegetables (i.e. carrots, green beans) about halfway through the cooking. This variation will require the extra 1/2-cup of water for sure.
- Have all your ingredients measured, chopped and ready to go before starting the cooking part.
Heat a medium-sized pot over medium-high heat. When hot, add olive oil and whole cumin seeds. Let cumin seeds sizzle for 10 or 15 seconds, then add the onion and sauté, stirring frequently, until onion is translucent all the way through and turning golden in spots. Add the garlic and sauté for about 15 seconds, until fragrant.
Add the spice mix and stir vigorously for a few seconds, until everything has been coated in oil. Immediately stir in the tomato and salt and turn down the heat to medium low. Add the water (start with 2 cups) and the lentils. Bring to a boil, reduce heat to low, cover, and simmer for 30 to 40 minutes.
Remove lid to check the progress of the lentils. (Very important - while you are checking the lentils at this stage, stir in the lemon zest.) The lentils should be fully cooked, but still hold their shape, and most of the water should be absorbed. If the lentils look dry, add a bit more water. If the lentils look too wet, remove the lid for the last few minutes of cooking.
When the texture and cooked-ness of the lentils are to your satisfaction, stir in the fresh lemon juice and the minced cilantro and parsley.
The lentil dish keeps in the fridge for at least 4 days and freezes beautifully.
Nutritional Information
Moroccan lentil stew is healthy. It has 293 calories in a 1 ¼ cup serving. This recipe is high in vitamins A and C from the spinach and sweet potatoes, and high in iron from the lentils. It also has turmeric in it, so it will provide many antioxidants which are great for improving your cellular health.
| Nutrient | Amount per 1 ¼ cup serving |
|---|---|
| Calories | 293 |
| Vitamins | High in A and C |
| Iron | High |
| Antioxidants | Present from Turmeric |
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