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Photo credit Sonya Sanford

Moroccan Harira Soup Recipe

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5 from 2 reviews

Harira is a hearty North African soup made with tomatoes and legumes. Moroccan Jews adopted the recipe as a traditional break fast dish after Yom Kippur, and it has become popular in Israel and across the Diaspora. 

  • Total Time: 1 hour 15 minutes
  • Yield: 4-6

Ingredients

Units
  • 3 Tbsp oil
  • 3 medium carrots, peeled and diced small
  • 2 stalks celery, diced small
  • 1 large yellow or white onion, diced small
  • 34 cloves garlic, minced
  • 1 Tbsp harissa paste, or 2 tsp harissa spice blend (or to taste)
  • 2 tsp ground turmeric
  • 1 tsp ground ginger
  • 1 tsp ground cinnamon
  • 1 tsp ground coriander
  • 1 tsp freshly ground black pepper
  • 2 Tbsp tomato paste
  • ¾ cup dried chickpeas (soaked overnight), or 1 (15 oz) can
  • ½ cup French green lentils, rinsed
  • ½ cup red lentils, rinsed
  • 6 medium tomatoes, or 1 (14.5 oz) can diced tomatoes
  • 8 cups vegetable stock, or water with 1 added bouillon cube
  • ¼ bunch fresh parsley, stems and leaves chopped fine
  • ¼ bunch fresh cilantro, stems and leaves chopped fine
  • 1 cup fine egg noodles or vermicelli
  • salt, to taste
  • lemon slices, for serving (optional)
  • olive oil, for serving (optional)

Instructions

  1. For stovetop: Add oil to a large pot over medium heat. Add the diced carrot, celery and onion to the pot. Sauté for 5-6 minutes, or until starting to soften. Add the minced garlic to the pot and sauté for 1-2 minutes, or until the garlic is fragrant. 
  2. Add the harissa, turmeric, ginger, cinnamon, coriander, pepper and salt to the vegetable mixture. Stir until everything is well coated and sauté for 1 minute. Add the tomato paste to the pot, stir and sauté for another 1-2 minutes. Add the soaked chickpeas (if using canned chickpeas do not add them at this point) and stir. Add the green lentils and red lentils to the pot. Stir everything so that it is well coated in the tomato paste mixture.  
  3. Add the diced tomatoes, vegetable stock, chopped parsley stems and chopped cilantro stems to the pot, then increase the heat to high. Bring the liquid to a boil, then reduce it to a simmer. Allow the soup to simmer for 60-90 minutes, or until the chickpeas are tender and the soup is starting to thicken.
  4. Add the noodles and simmer for 15 minutes. If using canned chickpeas, add them along with the noodles. Taste and season as needed, add more liquid if needed. Turn off the heat and add the freshly chopped parsley and cilantro. 
  5. For Instant Pot or slow cooker: Combine all of the ingredients except the noodles in a pot and cook according to the manufacturer’s recommendation for soups and stews. Add noodles to the soup after it is cooked; simmer for 15 minutes or you cook the noodles separately and add them to the soup when serving.

Notes

This recipe is best made at least one day in advance of serving, which makes it ideal for preparing a break-fast meal in advance. It will last for up to a week in the fridge, but will thicken in the refrigerator, so you may need to add water when reheating. 

  • Author: Sonya Sanford
  • Prep Time: 20 minutes
  • Cook Time: 1 hour 40 minutes
  • Category: Dinner
  • Method: Soup
  • Cuisine: Vegetarian