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sweet potato and lentil soup in a white bowl
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4.67 from 9 votes

Moroccan Red Lentil Soup with Cumin and Lemon

With warm spices, red lentils, sweet potatoes, and fresh lemon juice, Moroccan Red Lentil Soup is a one pot wonder. It's made with just a handful of ingredients, and is naturally vegan and gluten-free.
Prep Time20 minutes
Cook Time30 minutes
Total Time50 minutes
Course: Soup
Cuisine: Moroccan
Keyword: easy dinner, fall recipe, gluten free, soup, vegetarian, winter recipe
Servings: 6
Author: Jess Smith via Inquiring Chef
Cost: $6.00

Equipment

  • Dutch Oven or Large Saute Pan

Ingredients

  • 1 tablespoon olive oil
  • 1 cup minced onion
  • 1 red bell pepper, diced
  • 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
  • 2 cloves garlic, minced or pressed
  • 1 1/2 teaspoons ground cumin
  • 1 1/2 teaspoons smoked paprika (sub regular paprika)
  • 1/2 teaspoon ground coriander
  • 1/2 teaspoon ground turmeric
  • 1/4 teaspoon ground ginger
  • 1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
  • black pepper
  • 1 15-ounce can crushed tomatoes or tomato puree
  • 5 cups low-sodium vegetable stock (or use chicken stock for a non-vegetarian version)
  • 1 bay leaf
  • 3 cups diced sweet potato (from about 2 medium sweet potatoes, peeled)
  • 1/2 cup dried red lentils
  • 1 tablespoon lemon juice
  • plain or greek yogurt, for serving (optional)
  • chopped fresh parsley, for serving (optional)
  • flatbread (like pita bread), for serving (skip for gluten free)

Instructions

  • Heat a Dutch oven or large saucepan over medium-high heat. Add olive oil. When oil begins to shimmer, add onion and bell peppers. Sprinkle salt over top.
  • Cook, stirring frequently, until onions are deep golden brown, 8 to 10 minutes. (Don’t rush this step as it will give the soup the most flavor.)
  • Add garlic, ground cumin, smoked paprika, ground coriander, ground turmeric, ground ginger, ground cinnamon, and a few turns of black pepper. Sauté until fragrant, about 2 minutes.
  • Pour in crushed tomatoes, stock, and bay leaf. Bring to a simmer.
  • Stir in potatoes and lentils. Cover pot and simmer (reduce heat as needed) until both potatoes and lentils are tender, 15 to 25 minutes. (Note: The cook time for red lentils can vary based on their age)
  • Remove soup from heat and stir in lemon juice. Discard bay leaf.
  • Taste soup and season with some more salt if needed. Serve soup with yogurt and / or parsley on top and warm pita bread on the side.

Notes

Ras el Hanout Seasoning - The blend of spices in this recipe is similar to ras el hanout and this Moroccan seasoning blend recipe. If you have a pre-mixed blend of ras el hanout or another Moroccan spice blend, use 1 1/2 tablespoons of that instead of the individual spices listed above. 
Slow Cooker - To cook this soup in the slow cooker, cook everything together through the end of step 3 and then transfer to the bowl of a 6-quart slow cooker. Add remaining ingredients for the soup and cover. Cook and cook on HIGH for 3 to 4 hours or LOW for 6 to 7 hours, until the lentils and sweet potatoes are tender.
Instant Pot - To cook this soup in the Instant Pot, follow the instructions through the end of step 3 in the bowl of the Instant Pot, using the saute function on low. Add the remaining ingredients, close and lock the lid, and pressure cook for 10 minutes. Natural release for 10 minutes, then manually release any remaining pressure. 
 

Nutrition

Calories: 163kcal | Carbohydrates: 30g | Protein: 6g | Fat: 3g | Saturated Fat: 0.4g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 0.4g | Monounsaturated Fat: 2g | Sodium: 1018mg | Potassium: 483mg | Fiber: 8g | Sugar: 7g | Vitamin A: 10733IU | Vitamin C: 31mg | Calcium: 46mg | Iron: 2mg