Moroccan Spiced Bean and Lentil Soup
Eaten before a meal, this vegetarian soup can can help fill you up without making you fat.
Number of servings : 8 to 10
Prep time: 10 minutes
Cooking time: 40 minutes
Type of meal : | Soups | Soups
Special diet :
Ingredients
1 tbsp (15 mL) olive oil
2 onions, chopped
2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
1 tbsp (15 mL) chopped fresh gingerroot
1 pinch hot red chili flakes (preferably chipotle)
2 tsp (10 mL) cumin
1/4 tsp (1 mL) cinnamon
1 carrot, coarsely chopped
1 rib celery, coarsely chopped
1 28 oz (796 mL) tin plum tomatoes, with juices, puréed
6 cups (1 1/2 L) vegetable stock or water
1 cup (250 mL) small green lentils, rinsed
2 cups (500 mL) cooked chickpeas (1 19 oz/540 mL tin, drained and rinsed)
salt and pepper to taste
1 tbsp (15 mL) lemon juice
2 tbsp (25 mL) chopped fresh cilantro
2 tbsp (25 mL) toasted pine nuts (optional)
Directions
- Heat oil in a large saucepan or Dutch oven.
- Add onions, garlic, gingerroot, hot pepper flakes, cumin and cinnamon. Cook gently 2 to 3 minutes until very fragrant. Add carrot and celery and cook until tender, about 5 minutes. Add tomatoes and stock, and bring to a boil. Add lentils and cook 20 minutes. Add chickpeas. Cook gently 15 minutes. Season with salt and pepper.
- Add lemon juice. Heat thoroughly. Sprinkle with cilantro and pine nuts.
Tip: For a thicker soup, refrigerate overnight, then reheat and reseason.
Bonnie says: Serve this exotic vegetarian soup with salad and whole grain bread for a main course. If you make a soup with lentils or beans the day before, it will thicken overnight in the refrigerator—just add water when reheating and reseason to taste.
Fran says: Eating a nutritious bowl of soup before your meal can make you feel fuller—a very useful tool in weight management. In addition, a bowl of this soup contains 7 grams of fibre, 10 grams of protein and only 3 grams of fat.
Photo by Benoît Levac; Food Stylist: Marie-Éve Charron; Prop Stylist: Irène Garavelli.
Nutritional information:
