One of the most popular recipe categories is soups. For soup-loving readers, here is a very tasty soup recipe from Morocco called Moroccan sweet potato and chickpea soup. It's a vegan and gluten-free soup that's perfect to be served as a light meal too. This is a great recipe to use all those sweet potatoes that are in season right now. Once you taste it it will be a go to recipe to use up those sweet potatoes sitting in your pantry! Plus, I love that I always have most of ingredients for this soup on hand.
A Taste of Morocco in Your Kitchen
Morocco is one of my favorite countries to visit. In a world that’s increasingly more global, it feels decidedly, enticingly foreign. It’s also a country for the senses, with bright stacks of spices catching your eye everywhere you look; the feel of hot sun beating down on your skin and the dirt and sand; the sound of people shouting to you - “hey lady! Over here, lady! I have the best deals” - and donkeys clip-clopping down the road; the smell of fresh mint and spicy cumin. The taste - oh, the taste. The sweet potato and carrots bring out the earthiness of the red lentils, and the cumin, turmeric, cayenne and ginger will take your nose straight to the spice-stacked souks.
The spices that are used in this cuisine are almost similar to the spices that are used in Indian cooking like turmeric, coriander, cumin, cinnamon, ginger, fenugreek, fennel, cloves, star anise, etc. These ingredients and different methods of cooking give Moroccan food its unique taste.
Health Benefits of Moroccan Spices
They also have amazing health benefits - I’ve often talked about how spices are my favorite superfoods, and these are some of the best of the bunch, teeming with anti-inflammatory and antioxidant properties. With that said, this is a detox lentil soup recipe that comes loaded with all those wonderful cleansing ingredients that are like a toothbrush for our insides. It all starts with the trinity - onions, carrots, celery. Then of course, tons of pressed garlic, which is a completely normal thing around here and it totally caught me by surprise that garlic has all these detoxing properties which NO BIG DEAL - but only it is. It’s HUGE. Love these kinds of happy coincidences. But, HOLD THE PHONE there’s more, turmeric, cumin, and cinnamon. We all know about that turmeric trend of 2016 right?
Moroccan Sweet Potato Lentil Soup Recipe
A soul-warming Moroccan sweet potato lentil soup recipe. This soup is made in the slow cooker and requires hardly any work at all. I kept this lentil soup completely vegan/vegetarian friendly so everyone can enjoy this. Know that it’s easy to make this a more protein packed meal though. Just sauté ground turkey, chicken, beef or lamb or any other kind of ground protein you like and add it straight into the crockpot with all the other ingredients. You’ve instantly got the perfect bagged lunch for the week. This lentil soup would also work well over a mound of fragrant basmati rice incase you like the whole Indian ‘daal’ scene.
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Ingredients:
- Sweet potato
- Carrots
- Onions
- Celery
- Red bell pepper
- Garlic
- Lentils
- Spices (cumin, turmeric, cayenne, ginger, cinnamon)
- Broth
- Baby spinach
- Lemon juice
- Chickpeas
- Harissa paste (optional)
- Cilantro
Instructions:
- Heat 2 Tbsp olive oil in a large pot over medium-high heat.
- Add onion and carrot and saute 4 minutes. Add garlic and ginger and saute 1 minute longer.
- Add remaining 1 Tbsp olive oil, cumin, coriander, turmeric, paprika and cinnamon. Saute 1 minute.
- Stir in vegetable broth, tomatoes, sweet potatoes and lentils. Season with salt to taste.
- Bring to a light boil then reduce heat to medium-low, cover pot and allow to simmer, stirring occasionally until sweet potatoes are soft and lentils are tender, about 25 - 30 minutes.
- Thin with up to 1 more cup of broth if desired.
Now here’s how simple this lentil soup recipe is. Grab all your ingredients, add them to a slow cooker and let them hang out of low for 6-8 hours or on high for 4-6 hours. One the lentils has softened all the way through, puree ½ of the soup in your blender and pop it back into the slow cooker along with tons of chopped baby spinach and just let it wilt. Squeeze ¼ cup of lemon juice right into the slow cooker or serve lemon wedges on the side.
Slow Cooker Method:
- Place the sweet potatoes, carrots, onions, celery, red bell pepper, garlic, lentils, spices, and 6 cups of broth into a slow cooker.
- Cover and cook on the low setting for 6-8 hours or on high for 4-6 hours. Check the lentils for doneness. If you're lentils have been in the pantry for a while, note that they'll take a bit longer to cook through.
- Place half the soup into a blender along with a little additional broth (½ cup or so) and blend till smoothish. Alternately, you can use an immersion blender directly in the slow cooker but be sure to not blend all of the soup if you want it to have a chunkier texture.
- Add the puree back into the slow cooker. Stir in the baby spinach and lemon juice.
- Cover the slow cooker, unplug it, and allow the ingredients to just hang out for 30 minutes or so until the spinach wilts down. Season with salt, pepper and curry powder to taste as desired. Thin with additional broth to desired consistency.
Pro tip: make this one day ahead for even more flavor. So pop it into the slow cooker when you get home from work tonight and into the fridge before you head to bed. Puree it when you get home from work tomorrow, add the spinach and just heat it through.
For extra flavor let’s take things up a notch and roast our sweet potato first! If desired you can skip this step and simply let your soup simmer longer to cook the potatoes. Toss the sweet potato with 2 TBSP oil and season with *half* the salt and pepper. While your sweet potato roasts, heat an additional tablespoon of oil in a large pot or dutch oven over medium-high heat. Sauté onion until tender with golden edges. Add garlic, cumin, and remaining salt and pepper. Add harissa, broth, and chickpeas. Bring to a boil then reduce heat to medium to simmer.
Moroccan soup recipe with sweet potato and chickpeas
Instant Pot Instructions
Spicy Moroccan Sweet Potato Soup with both Instant Pot and Stove-Top instructions.
- Peel and cut sweet potatoes into 1-inch pieces. Dice onion and mince garlic. Drain and rinse chickpeas and set all your veggies aside separately.
- Switch Instant Pot to SAUTE function and add a little cooking oil to the inner pot. Once hot, sauté onions until slightly tender, adding garlic at the very end and mixing well.
- Turn OFF Instant Pot and add vegetable broth. Mix well or scrape to deglaze the pot and make sure no browned bits of onion are left stuck to the bottom.
- Add sweet potato cubes, chickpeas, harissa paste, cumin, salt, and pepper.
- Lock lid with valve in the sealing position. Set to 3 minutes HIGH pressure. Soup may take 15-18 minutes to come to pressure before starting 3 min cook time.
- When the IP beeps, allow to naturally depressurize for 5 minutes then quick release the remaining pressure by flipping valve to venting position.
- Allow a spoonful or so to cool and give it a taste! Adjust spice level to taste (I added extra harissa and red pepper flakes) and add any additional seasoning desired.
- Spoon into bowls and garnish with fresh cilantro and lime wedges that can be squeezed into the soup for a burst of citrus flavor! A little cinnamon, greek yogurt, or coconut milk also make tasty additions to this soup. We love ours with a side of toasted naan for dunking.
My soup took about 15 minutes to come to pressure and I allowed it 5 minutes to naturally depressurize before flipping the vent to release the remaining pressure. if additional ingredients are added it may take longer to pressurize.
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Serving Suggestions
To serve, spoon compote atop soup, and top with sliced almonds and salt and pepper to taste. This lentil soup would also work well over a mound of fragrant basmati rice incase you like the whole Indian ‘daal’ scene. I always keep a few packages of garlic naan in my freezer to make flatbread pizzas and dunk into curry. I warmed up a little naan, tore it into pieces, and dunked it into the soup as I ate. Holy cow it was good! You can make this sassy Moroccan sweet potato soup as spicy or as mild as you’d like.
Tips and Variations
- Adjust Consistency: You may adjust the consistency of the soup to your liking.
- Spice Level: Adjust spice level to taste.
- Protein: Know that it’s easy to make this a more protein packed meal though. Just sauté ground turkey, chicken, beef or lamb or any other kind of ground protein you like and add it straight into the crockpot with all the other ingredients.
- Make it Ahead: Pro tip: make this one day ahead for even more flavor. So pop it into the slow cooker when you get home from work tonight and into the fridge before you head to bed. Puree it when you get home from work tomorrow, add the spinach and just heat it through.
Additional Tips
Spices get burned very fast so don't leave them unattended and saute for a few seconds only. You may add 1-2 bay leaves to the soup while cooking sweet potatoes and chickpeas. The soup can be blended in a stand blender too if you don't have an immersion blender. You may adjust the consistency of the soup to your liking.
This spicy moroccan sweet potato soup can also be made in a pot or dutch oven on the stove.
It also reheats beautifully; this is a great warming winter soup to make on the weekend and eat throughout the week.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can frozen sweet potatoes be used in this recipe? Yes, frozen sweet potatoes can also be used to make this Moroccan soup.
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Is harissa paste vegan? Yes, harissa is a vegan and gluten-free ingredient.
Are garbanzo beans and chickpeas the same? Yes, they are different names for the same beans.
Nutritional Information (Estimate)
The nutrition information is provided as a courtesy and is just an estimate. Nutrition Facts below are an estimate gathered using an online recipe nutrition calculator.
Enjoy your delicious and healthy Moroccan Sweet Potato Soup!
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tags: #Moroccan
