• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar

Sprinkles and Sprouts

Great food with grocery store ingredients

  • Recipe Index
  • About
  • Contact Me
  • Nav Social Menu

    • Facebook
    • Instagram
    • Pinterest
    • RSS
menu icon
go to homepage
  • Recipes
  • By Category
  • Chicken
  • Pasta
  • About
    • Facebook
    • Instagram
    • Pinterest
    • RSS
  • subscribe
    search icon
    Homepage link
    • Recipes
    • By Category
    • Chicken
    • Pasta
    • About
    • Facebook
    • Instagram
    • Pinterest
    • RSS
  • ×
    Home > Meal Type > Main Dishes

    Moroccan Lentil Soup with Chickpeas and Rice

    Updated: Jun 22nd 2021 • Published: Apr 29th 2020 • Leave a Comment

    Jump to Recipe Jump to Video SaveSaved! Pin Recipe
    PIN IMAGE - rustic bowl of lentil soup with text overlay
    PIN IMAGE - close up on lentil soup with text overlay
    PIN IMAGE - close up on lentil soup with text overlay
    PIN IMAGE - a white bowl of lentil soup with text overlay

    This Moroccan Lentil Soup with Chickpeas and Rice is so simple to make! It is ready in under 30 minutes, has tons of flavor, is healthy, and uses store cupboard ingredients! 

    You can leave out the sour cream and make this vegetarian soup vegan, or add in some shredded beef, leftover pork or chicken for a meaty dinner idea that the whole family will love. 

    Add chili if you like it spicy or keep it mild. Serve with tortillas for a great meal idea! If you love quick and easy soups, then definitely give this a go!

    a spoon lifting up soup from a bowl

    Jump Menu

    • Lentils
    • What lentils to use for Moroccan soup?
    • Moroccan Seasoning
    • Ingredient Substitutions
    • Recipe Adaptions
    • Make ahead and Leftovers
    • What to serve with Moroccan Lentil Soup
    • Moroccan Lentil Soup with Chickpeas and Rice

    Lentils

    Lentils are a great store cupboard ingredient! They have a long shelf life, work with so many different flavors and cuisines, are inexpensive to buy, and bulk out meal.

    You can buy lentils in a variety of colors: 

    Red Lentils: These range in color from a light red to a yellowy-orange. They are small in size and cook quickly. They are often used in dishes where you want the lentils to breakdown and thicken a dish, like in this Dhal recipe.

    Brown Lentils: These are probably the most common lentil found in the grocery store. They range in color from a light khaki-brown to dark brown/black. They have an earthy flavor and take around 20-25 minutes to cook.

    Green Lentils: These have a wonderful peppery flavor and take far longer to cook. After 45-50 minutes, they are tender but still retain their shape. They come in a very pale green all the way through to a khaki color.

    What lentils to use for Moroccan soup?

    For this Moroccan Lentil soup, you want to pick the brown lentils; they will cook quickly and keep their shape. 

    See below for how to use red/green lentils instead.

    a wooden spoon in a cast iron pan of soup

    Moroccan Seasoning

    You can use storebought or homemade seasoning for this soup. This is my Moroccan spice blend recipe.

    If you are using a storebought seasoning blend, check the ingredients for salt. If yours contains salt, then don't add the additional salt in the recipe. Wait until the soup has cooked, then taste and add salt as needed.

    Ingredient Substitutions

    Red Lentils: If you use red lentils, then the soup will still work, it will just have a thicker texture when cooked. I used red lentils in this delicious Red Lentil Soup.

    Green Lentils: If you are using green lentils, then you can either cook them for 25 minutes in boiling water before adding them to the soup. 

    Or allow then to cook in the soup for 25 minutes before you add in the rice (with this method you will find the carrot is much softer)

    Cooked Rice: If you have leftover cooked rice, reduce the broth by 1 cup and add the cooked rice in when you add in the chickpeas.

    Canned Beans: You can substitute the chickpeas with any canned bean. Black beans work well.

    a bowl of soup with a pan of soup in the background

    Recipe Adaptions

    Add Chicken - Add cooked shredded chicken with the chickpeas to warm through. Alternatively fry chopped chicken thighs with the vegetables at the beginning of the cook and then simmer in the broth as the lentils and rice cooks.

    Add Pork - Leftover shredded pork makes a great addition to the soup. Add it when you add the chickpeas.

    Add Beef - Add leftover shredded beef to the soup when you add the chickpeas or serve the soup with slices of seared steak as a topping.

    Add Meatballs - Add frozen meatballs to the soup when you add the broth. Or if using raw meatballs, fry them off with the veg and simmer in the soup.

    Add extra veg - you can add bell peppers, mushrooms, spinach, peas, asparagus, or green beans to the soup. Add them when you add the chickpeas, so they retain their color and some crunch.

    a pan of soup with chickpeas, rice and carrots showing

    Make ahead and Leftovers

    You can make this soup ahead of time, but the longer it sits, the softer the rice becomes as it soaks up more of the broth.

    If you know you want to make it ahead, you can cook the rice separately and add it to the soup when you reheat it for serving.

    If you have any leftovers, then the soup can be kept in the refrigerator for up to 4 days. The rice will get softer as it absorbs the broth, so you will find it is much more likely to break apart, and you might need to thin the soup with some extra broth.

    The soup freezes well, but again I find the rice is a little softer. It doesn't ruin the soup, but it is a different texture.

    If you know there will be leftovers; then you can always cook the rice separately and add it to the bowls as you serve the soup. This way, the leftover soup can be kept easily or frozen without rice in it.

    two rustic bowls stacked together on a grey table

    What to serve with Moroccan Lentil Soup

    I think any soup needs bread! Something you can dunk in and soak up the last bit of soup with. 

    For this Moroccan soup, I often like to go a bit international and serve tortilla wraps or garlic naan! Or if I want to keep it traditional, then I serve Moroccan flatbreads, which are lovely flaky, buttery squares of bread.

    a bowl of moroccan soup garnished with sour cream and cilantro

    Enjoy 

    x

    For more delicious soups try:

    • Creamy Tuscan White Bean Soup
    • Pasta Soup
    • Red Lentil Soup with Lemon and Rosemary
    • Spiced Coconut Potato Soup
    • French Shrimp Soup 
    • Chicken Sausage, White Bean and Kale Soup


    Pin this recipe for Moroccan Lentil Soup. 
    Pin it here.

    close up on a lentil soup with sour cream and cilantro garnish
    Print Recipe Pin Recipe
    5 from 1 vote

    Moroccan Lentil Soup with Chickpeas and Rice

    This quick and easy Moroccan Soup is full of great store cupboard ingredients! Lentils, chickpeas, and rice give this vegetarian soup plenty of texture, and without the sour cream, this soup is vegan. Or add some shredded chicken or leftover roast pork to the soup to make it a meaty dinner idea. Add chili to make it spicy or keep it mild for the kids! And a side of tortilla wraps or flatbread is the perfect accompaniment!
    Prep Time5 mins
    Cook Time25 mins
    Total Time30 mins
    Course: Lunch, Main
    Cuisine: Moroccan
    Servings: 6
    Calories: 194kcal
    Author: Claire | Sprinkle and Sprouts
    For more great recipes follow me on PinterestFollow @sprinklessprout
    Need Metric Measurements?Use the options below to toggle between cups and grams (if relevant)
    Prevent your screen from going dark

    Ingredients

    US Customary - Grams
    • 1 onion
    • 1 carrot
    • 1 stick celery
    • 1 tablespoon olive oil
    • 2 tablespoon moroccan seasoning
    • ¾ cup lentils
    • ½ cup long grain rice - uncooked
    • 6 cups broth
    • 1 can chickpeas -drained and rinsed

    Garnish

    • sour cream
    • fresh cilantro
    • lemon slices

    Instructions

    • Peel and finely chop the carrot and onion. Then thinly slice the celery stick.
      1 onion
      1 carrot
      1 celery stalk

    • Heat the olive oil over medium heat in a heavy-based pan.
      1 tablespoon olive oil

    • Add the chopped vegetables and cook for 5 minutes until softened but not colored.
    • Add in the Moroccan seasoning and salt. Stir to combine.
      2 tablespoon Moroccan seasoning
      1 teaspoon salt

    • Add the lentils and raw rice, stir to combine.
      ¾ cup dried lentils
      ½ cup raw long grain white rice

    • Add the broth/stock to the soup. Bring to a low simmer then cook, with the lid on, for 20 minutes.
      6 cups vegetable broth

    • Add the drained chickpeas to the soup and cook for 5-10 minutes until heated through.
      1 can chickpeas (drained and rinsed)

    • Serve the soup in deep bowls with some sour cream/yogurt, fresh cilantro/coriander and slices of lemon.

    Nutrition

    Calories: 194kcal | Carbohydrates: 34g | Protein: 8g | Fat: 3g | Saturated Fat: 1g | Sodium: 999mg | Potassium: 376mg | Fiber: 9g | Sugar: 4g | Vitamin A: 3029IU | Vitamin C: 3mg | Calcium: 37mg | Iron: 2mg
    Tried this recipe?Mention @sprinklesandsprouts or tag #sprinklesandsprouts

    More Main Dishes

    • French Dip Hot Turkey Sandwich
    • Rolled Stuffed Turkey Breast
    • Open Faced Turkey Sandwich
    • Pumpkin Bacon Risotto

    Reader Interactions

    Leave a Reply Cancel reply

    Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

    Recipe Rating




    This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

    Primary Sidebar

    a lady stood in a white kitchen chopping a tomato

    I'm Claire and I love food!
    I dream about food and I am happiest when I am in the kitchen cooking. Whether that is dinner for my family, snacks for drinks with my girlfriends or testing new recipes for my site, the kitchen is my happy place. Sprinkles and Sprouts is where I share it all and I am so happy you are here.

    Read More →

    As featured in

    Popular

    • Easy Homemade Brown Gravy (no drippings)
    • Creamy Tomato Chicken and Chorizo Pasta
    • Homemade Peshwari Naan
    • Easy Garlic Bacon Pasta
    • Homemade Peri Peri Seasoning
    • Slow Roasted Greek Lemon Potatoes

    Footer

    ↑ back to top

    About

    • About Sprinkles
    • Privacy Policy

    Newsletter

    • Sign Up! for emails and updates

    Contact

    • Contact

    All content, recipes and photographs are copyrighted to Claire McEwen and are the property of Sprinkles and Sprouts.
    THEY MAY NOT BE REPUBLISHED IN PART OR WHOLE WITHOUT PERMISSION AND PROPER CREDIT.
    Contact me to see republishing and syndication rights.

    Copyright © 2020 Sprinkles and Sprouts

    Copyright © 2023 · Cravings Pro Theme on Genesis Framework · WordPress · Log in