Moroccan Lamb, Lentil, and Chickpea Soup
I made this for my make-ahead cooking group "The Make-Ahead Mamas'" holiday soup swap. The wonderful traditional Moroccan cinnamon-spice combination is lovely with the ground lamb and sweet potatoes, and the chopped apricots or cranberries add a surprising tart sweetness with every few bites. Whenever I make this recipe, I make a double (or triple!) batch and freeze a few portions.
- Preparation:
- Cooking:
- Total:
- Serves: 8 persons
Ingredients
- 1pound ground lamb
- 1teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1teaspoon ground cumin
- 1teaspoon kosher salt
- ½teaspoon ground ginger
- ¼teaspoon ground cloves
- ¼teaspoon ground nutmeg
- ¼teaspoon ground turmeric
- ⅛teaspoon curry powder
- 1tablespoon butter
- 1sweet onion, chopped
- 2(10.5 ounce) cans beef consomme
- 1(14.5 ounce) can diced tomatoes with juice
- 1(14 ounce) can organic beef broth
- 1(14 ounce) can organic chicken broth
- 1tablespoon honey
- 3large carrots, halved lengthwise and thinly sliced
- 2sweet potatoes, peeled and diced
- 1(15 ounce) can garbanzo beans, rinsed and drained
- 1cup lentils, rinsed and drained
- ½cup chopped dried apricots
- ⅛teaspoon cayenne pepper, or to taste
- 1pinch ground black pepper to taste
Instructions
Step 1
Mix ground lamb, cinnamon, cumin, salt, ginger, cloves, nutmeg, turmeric, and curry powder together in a bowl. Cover and put in the refrigerator for 2 hours to overnight.Step 2
Melt butter in a soup pot over medium-high heat; stir in onion. Cook, stirring frequently, until the onion has softened and turned translucent, 5 to 10 minutes. Reduce heat to medium and add spiced lamb mixture. Cook and stir until browned and crumbly, 5 to 7 minutes.Step 3
Add consomme, diced tomatoes, beef broth, chicken broth, and honey. Stir in carrots, sweet potatoes, garbanzo beans, lentils, apricots, cayenne pepper, and black pepper.Step 4
Bring soup just to a boil over medium-high heat, then reduce heat to low, and simmer until lentils and vegetables are tender, 15 to 20 minutes.