Harira is a wonderfully filling and hearty soup originally from Morocco. It can be made with many different ingredients (and can be made vegetarian), but it’s typically made with lamb, chicken, or beef, lentils, and chickpeas in a lightly spicy tomato broth.
This dish is a staple during Ramadan to break the daily fast, and also makes for an awesome dinner on chilly nights!
Ingredients:
- 2 tablespoons olive oil, divided
- 1 lb lamb chunks
- 1 large onion, diced
- 3 stalks celery, diced (or if you’re like me and don’t like the texture of celery, keep large so you can remove later)
- 3 carrots, chopped
- 4 garlic cloves, minced
- 1 tablespoon ground ginger
- 2 teaspoons ground turmeric
- 1 teaspoon ground cumin
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon ground black pepper
- ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
- ½ to 1 teaspoon harissa paste, depending on your heat tolerance
- 1 (28oz can) crushed tomatoes
- ½ cup parsley, chopped, plus more for garnish
- ¼ cup cilantro, chopped, plus more for garnish
- 1 cup brown lentils, rinsed
- 1 cup red lentils, rinsed
- 1 (15 oz can) chickpeas, drained
- 6 cups chicken broth
- 4 oz vermicelli, broken into smaller, 1-inch pieces
- 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour (or 1/2 tablespoon cornstarch to make gluten free)
- 1 large egg
- The juice and zest of 2 lemons
Add 1 tablespoon olive oil to a saute pan over medium-high heat. Add the lamb and brown on all sides, about 10 minutes. Set aside.
While the lamb cooks, add the remaining 1 tablespoon olive oil to a large pot or Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Add the onion, celery, and carrots and cook, stirring occasionally, until softened and lightly browned, about 8 to 10 minutes. (As a reminder, I keep my celery large so I can remove it later. It’s a texture thing for me. If you’re keeping yours in, chop the celery rather than keeping in large pieces.)
While waiting for the vegetables to cook, combine the ground ginger, black pepper, turmeric, cumin, salt, and cinnamon.
Mince your garlic. Stir the garlic, harissa paste, and spice mixture into the pot. Cook, stirring, for 2 minutes.
Add in crushed tomatoes, ½ cup chopped parsley and ¼ cup chopped cilantro and bring to a simmer. Stir to combine.
Add in the brown lentils, red lentils, chickpeas, reserved browned lamb, and chicken broth. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to a low simmer.
Cover partially (I usually keep a wooden spoon in the pot then add the top.) Simmer for 45 minutes.
After 45 minutes, add in the vermicelli noodles. (If you’re removing the celery, remove prior to adding in the vermicelli noodles.)
Whisk the flour, egg, and lemon juice with 1 cup of water in a small bowl. Stir into the soup and simmer for a few more minutes.
Ladle into bowls and sprinkle with the remaining cilantro and parsley. Top with a few more drops of harissa, if desired.
This dish smells so fantastic. After 45 minutes, I was ready to dig in! It really is a hearty meal — chickpeas, lentils, vermicelli noodles, and lamb really fill you up! The harissa and lemon flavors come through nicely too.
Harira is a great make ahead meal. I made this over the weekend and reheated it on my stovetop with a bit more chicken broth.
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons olive oil, divided
- 1 lb lamb chunks
- 1 large onion, diced
- 3 stalks celery, diced (or if you’re like me and don’t like the texture of celery, keep large so you can remove later)
- 3 carrots, chopped
- 4 garlic cloves, minced
- 1 tablespoon ground ginger
- 2 teaspoons ground turmeric
- 1 teaspoon ground cumin
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon ground black pepper
- ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
- ½ to 1 teaspoon harissa paste, depending on your heat tolerance
- 1 (28oz can) crushed tomatoes
- ½ cup parsley, chopped, plus more for garnish
- ¼ cup cilantro, chopped, plus more for garnish
- 1 cup brown lentils, rinsed
- 1 cup red lentils, rinsed
- 1 (15 oz can) chickpeas, drained
- 6 cups chicken broth
- 4 oz vermicelli, broken into smaller, 1-inch pieces
- 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour (or 1/2 tablespoon cornstarch to make gluten free)
- 1 large egg
- The juice and zest of 2 lemons
Instructions
- Add 1 tablespoon olive oil to a saute pan over medium-high heat. Add the lamb and brown on all sides, about 10 minutes. Set aside.
- While the lamb cooks, add the remaining 1 tablespoon olive oil to a large pot or Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Add the onion, celery, and carrots and cook, stirring occasionally, until softened and lightly browned, about 8 to 10 minutes. (As a reminder, I keep my celery large so I can remove it later. It’s a texture thing for me. If you’re keeping yours in, chop the celery rather than keeping in large pieces.)
- While waiting for the vegetables to cook, combine the ground ginger, black pepper, turmeric, cumin, salt, and cinnamon.
- Mince your garlic. Stir the garlic, harissa paste, and spice mixture into the pot. Cook, stirring, for 2 minutes.
- Add in crushed tomatoes, ½ cup chopped parsley and ¼ cup chopped cilantro and bring to a simmer. Stir to combine.
- Add in the brown lentils, red lentils, chickpeas, reserved browned lamb, and chicken broth. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to a low simmer.
- Cover partially (I usually keep a wooden spoon in the pot then add the top.) Simmer for 45 minutes.
- After 45 minutes, add in the vermicelli noodles. (If you’re removing the celery, remove prior to adding in the vermicelli noodles.)
- Whisk the flour, egg, and lemon juice with 1 cup of water in a small bowl. Stir into the soup and simmer for a few more minutes.
- Ladle into bowls and sprinkle with the remaining cilantro and parsley. Top with a few more drops of harissa, if desired.
