allergens: gluten
Keep cozy during the winter months with this recipe for the delicious Moroccan soup called Harira. It’s full of flavorful vegetables, legumes and spices. And when you make it in the Instant Pot it’s super fast!
It’s definitely soup time here in the northeast. Temperatures are dropping and Laura told me she even saw some snowflakes while she was out getting coffee yesterday. Not my favorite weather, but one upside is that I get to break out the Instant Pot or the crock pot and whip up some really comforting dishes like this traditional Moroccan soup, Haria.
Often served during Ramadan, Harira has a broth base and is loaded with vegetables and legumes. The classic recipe calls for meat, which I’ve obviously omitted. You won’t miss it anyway! There are so many incredible flavors in here that there isn’t even any room for meat. One thing I did include though, in my own way, is smen, which is a really stinky, herb-infused butter concoction that is similar to ghee. I simply incorporated regular plant-based butter and thyme. It might not be exactly what’s called for in Morocco, but it does add some good flavor here nonetheless.
Harira is super hearty and pretty low-calorie at less than 200 per cup. And like everything that’s made in the magical Instant Pot, it can be done in roughly twenty minutes. How great is that? Instead of spending forever stirring something in a Dutch oven, you can curl up on the couch with a hot mug of this filling soup and watch an old Barbara Stanwyck movie (there’s a peek into my viewing habits, ha!). Oh, and if you want a nightcap afterward, I suggest this Turmeric Golden Milk to round out the evening.
Tell Me What You Think
As always, I’d love to hear your thoughts on this Instant Pot Moroccan Harira if you make it. So drop me a comment below, and be sure to tag @nutfreevegan on social media if you’re posting photos. Plus, it’s always super fun to see these dishes out in the wild!
Instant Pot Harira (Moroccan Lentil and Chickpea Soup)
Ingredients
- 3 Tbsp. oil
- 1 large onion chopped
- 2 stalks celery with leaves chopped
- 2 carrots sliced
- 1 28 oz. can diced tomatoes
- 5 cups vegetable broth
- 3 Tbsp. tomato paste
- 1/2 tsp. turmeric
- 1 tsp. cumin
- 1/2 tsp. paprika
- 1 tsp. harissa paste
- 1 15 oz chickpeas canned drained and rinsed
- 1/2 cup lentils dry
- 1 tsp. ground cinnamon
- 1 tsp. salt
- 1 tsp. black pepper
- 1 Tbsp. butter
- 1 tsp. thyme
- 1 tsp. ground ginger
- 1/2 cup parsley chopped
- 1/2 cup cilantro chopped
- Juice of 2 lemons About 1/4 cup
- 1/2 cup flour
Instructions
- Set Instant Pot to Sauté setting. Heat oil for about 1 minute and add onion, celery and carrot. Sauté for 5 minutes.
- Add remaining ingredients except for flour. Using the Soup setting, cook for 10 minutes.
- Once it’s safe to open the lid, stir in flour until it’s thoroughly mixed. Serve garnished with cilantro or parsley.
Nutrition
Hi, looks amazing… what if you don’t have any Harissa? Will it truly make a difference in the taste? Thank you.
Hi, Nancy. Harissa is a big part of this recipe, but more for its heat than its flavor (though it does add that as well). So if you’re OK with no heat, feel free to omit it altogether. Or if you still want the heat I’d suggest a chopped red chile or even some hot sauce or sriracha. Hope this helps!
Can I make this in a slow cooker? Also, are the lentils pre-cooked or dry?
Hi Sheila,
Yes! You can make this in a slow cooker. I’ve never done it myself, but based on similar recipes I’ve researched, you can start by cooking it on Low for four hours. Also, the lentils are dry—I’ll update that on the recipe. Let me know how it goes!
Wow is this good!! Comforting. The spices in it are earthy and satisfying. The only modification I made is I added double the parsley since I am one of ‘those’ that dislike cilantro. Make this awesome soup!
Oh and I did stovetop and it was easy to modify to that😊
I’m so glad you liked it, Terri! Thank you for letting me know. 😀
Hey as a Moroccan my self I can say that this isn’t a Harira. It’s more a lentil/chickpea stew that we call La3des. Harria is soup that we eat mostly during Ramadan. We break our fast with this and we actually don’t use harissa in the soup. Just a FYI
Thank you for clearing this up, Myriame! I try to always research the recipes I put together to make sure they’re authentic and most of what I found did have harissa included. But those could certainly be American interpretations, so it’s good to know that the real-deal version doesn’t include it.