Moroccan Lentil Soup with Preserved Lemon and Quinoa

It’s been raining a lot lately and I wanted to make something nice and warm from the slow cooker. One of my favorite recipes has been the Moroccan Chicken with Preserved Lemons and I wanted to see if those flavors could translate into a stew. I figured red lentils and chickpeas would go well with the curry flavors of the dish, and it ended up being really good. The soup was pretty thick from the quinoa and needed extra chicken stock throughout cooking. I will probably be adding more later since the lentils and quinoa will keep on absorbing the liquid. This recipe makes a big batch so I will have a lot of leftovers (which won’t be a problem at all).

Moroccan Lentil Soup with Preserved Lemon and Quinoa
(Makes 6 Quarts)
Printable Version

Ingredients:

• 2 cups red lentils
• 2 cups quinoa
• 30 oz. chickpeas, drained and rinsed
• 29 oz. tomato sauce or diced tomatoes
• 12 oz. tomato paste
• 8 cups chicken stock
• 2 tbsp garlic, chopped
• 2 tbsp ginger, chopped
• 2 cups celery, chopped
• 2 small onions, chopped
• 6 medium carrots, chopped
• 1 large green bell pepper, chopped
• 3 tbsp olive oil
• 2 heaping tablespoons garam masala
• 1 tsp cardamom
• tbsp turmeric
• 1 preserved lemon, rinsed, pith removed and chopped
• 1/2 tsp cayenne
• 1 tsp cumin
• 2 tbsp honey
• 1 tsp coriander
• salt and pepper to taste
• chopped cilantro (optional)
• greek yogurt (optional)

Directions:

1. Heat the olive oil in a pan. Add the onions, carrots, celery and bell pepper and saute until tender, about 12 minutes.
2. Add the garlic and ginger and saute until fragrant, about a minute.
3. In a slow cooker, combine the tomato sauce, paste, chicken stock, onion/veggie mixture, quinoa, red lentils, preserved lemon, and honey.
4. In a bowl, combine the dry spices (garam masala, turmeric, coriander, cardamom, cayenne, and cumin).
5. Add spice blend to the slow cooker and stir.
6. Heat on low 8 hours or on high for 6 hours.
7. Garnish with greek yogurt and chopped cilantro.