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Slow Cooker

Slow-Cooker Moroccan-Spiced Lentil Soup

by:
November  6, 2018
4
24 Ratings
Photo by Meredith Corporation
  • Cook time 8 hours 30 minutes
  • Serves 8
Author Notes

A long cooking time allows the spices to work their way into the lentils and vegetables, creating a fragrant soup. If you make it ahead, the flavors will have more time to develop.

Excerpted from EatingWell Soups © 2018 Meredith Corporation. Photography © 2018 by Meredith Corporation. Reproduced by permission of Houghton Mifflin Harcourt. All rights reserved. —Food52

Test Kitchen Notes

Featured in: 7 Vegetarian Slow-Cooker Recipes So Everyone Can Netflix & Chill. —The Editors

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Ingredients
  • 2 cups chopped onions
  • 2 cups chopped carrots
  • 4 cloves garlic, minced
  • 2 teaspoons extra-virgin olive oil
  • 1 teaspoon ground cumin
  • 1 teaspoon ground coriander
  • 1 teaspoon ground turmeric
  • 1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
  • 1/4 teaspoon ground pepper
  • 6 cups vegetable broth
  • 2 cups water
  • 3 cups chopped cauliflower
  • 1 3/4 cups French green lentils or brown lentils
  • 1 (28-ounce) can diced tomatoes
  • 2 tablespoons tomato paste
  • 4 cups chopped fresh spinach or 10 ounces frozen chopped spinach, thawed
  • 1/2 cup chopped fresh cilantro
  • 2 tablespoons lemon juice
Directions
  1. Combine onions, carrots, garlic, oil, cumin, coriander, turmeric, cinnamon and pepper in a 5- to 6-quart slow cooker. Add broth, water, cauliflower, lentils, tomatoes and tomato paste and stir until well combined.
  2. Cover and cook until the lentils are tender, 4 to 5 hours on High or 8 to 10 hours on Low.
  3. Add spinach to the slow cooker. Stir, cover and cook on High for 30 minutes.
  4. Just before serving, stir in cilantro and lemon juice.
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9 Reviews

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LULULAND August 7, 2023
Made as is but, didn't add the water. Added twice the spices, not cinnamon. No salt was needed. Didn't add the spinach, no room in the crockpot. Added 1/2 of a large zucchini. Flavor was really good!
Greg C. February 25, 2022
What a flavor bomb. And healthy too! I wouldn't change anything. I could see how maybe sauteeing the onion and garlic and roasting the cauli before might intensify the flavors but honestly, I felt there was enough flavor there. And really easy to put together. I love recipes like this that have the flexibility to dial up or down the seasonings. Added a dash of red pepper flakes to my bowl and loved the extra kick.
Marcene A. January 14, 2022
This is absolutely one of my all-time favorite soups! I followed the directions and found them to be totally perfect! I served this for a small dinner party, and everyone really enjoyed it. This and a serving of rosemary focaccia bread with fresh fruit for dessert made a healthy, fun meal! Thanks for posting this!
Elizabeth T. December 15, 2020
So I made this and was not thrilled so I tweaked it and now it is a favorite. I have an All Clad slowcooker so the insert comes out. I placed the onions and carrots and sautéed them for 15 minutes. I then added the minced garlic and all the spices which I aded much more of except the cinnamon. I also added 3/4 teaspoon of Haressa. While this was going on I roasted the cauliflower at 400 in the oven with olive oil and salt and pepper. I added the diced tomatoes, the tomato paste and only chicken stock, no water. I let it come to a simmer and then added Umbrian Lentils as that is all I had. I then added the crisp roasted cauliflower and gave a good mix. I seasoned it with a bit more salt and fresh ground pepper and placed it in the slow cooker for 8 hours on low then I added some spinach, baby kale and torn mint leaves and let cook for 30 more minutes. I let it cool and had it for lunch today and it was spectacular. It is well worth investing time in the vegetables and spices.
andrea S. November 13, 2021
Thanks for commenting with the great additions & changes. I also have a slow cooker with insert, and I took yours & tweaked it with great success!
jgagen1 July 12, 2020
Pretty bland, even after doubling the spices.
meme S. October 13, 2019
Have made this healthy and easy soup several times. My mother used to add to her lentil soups some yeast so I added 2 cups of beer au lieu of water, also more spiced to give the soup the true Moroccan taste. So I, too increased all the dry spices by 1/ 1/2 times. Thank you for this wonderful and flavorful soup!

I'm rating it 5*
Fern January 26, 2020
I wish I'd read this before I made it; found it to be lacking in flavor as written. Also found it to be quite thin.
Anna November 14, 2018
This was really good, but on the second time around I would up the amount of spices. I could taste them, but not as strongly as I would have liked. Otherwise, nice and healthy recipe!