Moroccan Spiced Lentil And Quinoa Soup

This Moroccan Spiced Lentil And Quinoa Soup is a flavorful and healthy meal that’s warm, comforting, and satisfying. Pair this vegetarian soup with a salad and crusty bread for a healthy dinner that your family will love.

I love a meal that has no meat and yet is super filling and hearty. Moroccan spiced lentil and quinoa soup is full of vegetables, warm spices, lentils, and quinoa. Plus, it takes less than an hour to make, so it’s great for a Meatless Monday meal!

When dinner includes this soup with Fruit And Nut Winter Salad, a slice of homemade Cheddar Jalapeno Bread, and Dark Chocolate Avocado Brownies, I find myself looking forward to it all day!

What Is Meatless Monday?

Meatless Monday is an international campaign encouraging people to forgo meat products for a day to benefit their health and the health of the planet.

Adding more plant-based proteins and vegetables to your diet significantly increases your fiber intake and the nutrients your body craves. So, it’s a no-brainer that a vegetarian or vegan meal is healthier for our bodies.

Meatless meals benefit our planet because it takes significantly fewer resources to grow vegetables than it does to produce ‘meat’.

Sources Of Plant-Based Proteins

It’s thought that Americans eat too much protein and that being vegetarian or vegan makes it difficult to get adequate protein. However, consuming enough protein is much easier than you think. Check out some of these sources of non-meat protein. This is just a sampling and not a complete list.

• Legumes – What is a legume? A legume is a pea, bean, or lentil. 1 cup of lentils contains 18 grams of protein. 1 cup of black beans has 15 grams of protein. Legumes also have tons of fiber!
• Nuts and seeds (per 4 tablespoons)
  • Chia seeds 12 grams
  • Peanuts – 9 grams
  • Flax or sunflower seeds – 8 grams
  • Sesame seeds – 7 grams
  • Almonds – 7 grams
  • Walnuts or cashews – 5 grams
• Grains (per 1 cup)
  • Quinoa – 6 grams
  • Oats – 7 grams
  • Wild rice – 7 grams
  • Brown rice – 5 grams
• Vegetables – per 1 cup
  • Potato with the skin – 5 grams
  • Green peas – 8 grams
  • Broccoli – 6 grams
  • Spinach – 5 grams

Ingredients Needed

• Butter and olive oil – the olive oil raises the smoke point of the butter. I use butter for flavor. You could absolutely use all olive oil if you wanted.
• Onions, carrots, bell pepper, and garlic – add a ton of flavor and fiber. The carrots and yellow bell pepper also add sweetness to the soup.
• Poblano pepper – gives it just a tiny bit of heat. You could also use jalapeno or any other chili pepper. It all depends on how spicy, hot you want it.
• Cumin, chili powder, cinnamon, thyme, and turmeric – spices that are Moroccan in flavor, warm, smokey, and a little sweet.
• Canned petite diced tomatoes
• Brown lentils – I like using brown lentils in this recipe. They’re widely available in any grocery store, cook quickly, and almost ‘melt’ instead of holding their round, little shape. By breaking down when cooked, the lentils create an almost ‘pureed’ quality to the soup that is amazing.
• Quinoa – I used mixed quinoa, but any color – red, white, or black quinoa all work well. Be sure to rinse the quinoa very well in a fine-mesh strainer before adding it to the soup. Quinoa has a natural coating, saponin, that tastes bitter and soapy. You need to rinse it off completely.
• Vegetable stock – mushroom broth is delicious as well and gives the soup a more ‘meaty’ flavor. You could also use water but will need to adjust the spices and salt to add more flavor.
• Salt and pepper
• Honey – this is optional, but it enhances the flavors of the vegetables and lentils.
• Fresh lime juice – brightens the flavor of the soup and makes it ‘pop’.

Steps To Make This Soup

1. Melt the butter and olive oil together.
2. Chop all of the vegetables to a fine mince in a food processor.
3. Saute the vegetables in the butter and olive oil mixture until tender.
4. Add the spices and allow the spices to ‘toast’ until very fragrant.
5. Stir in the tomatoes, quinoa, lentils, and vegetable stock.
6. Simmer until the lentils are very tender and the soup has begun to thicken.
7. Season with salt, pepper, honey, and lime juice.
8. Serve hot.

Here are a few more comforting soup recipes to try:

• Spiced Pumpkin Bisque
• Irish Potato Leek Soup
• White Chicken Chili
• French Onion Soup
• Italian Chestnut Soup With Parmesan Crema
• Easy Butternut Squash Soup
• Classic Matzoh Ball Soup
• The Best Cream Of Asparagus Soup
• Italian Wedding Soup

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