I know it’s Spring, but guess what? It still feels like soup for dinner! This Moroccan Lamb and Turmeric Lentil soup is comfort in a bowl. And while it’s categorized as a soup, it’s a full meal on its’s own. Flavor and protein packed fresh lamb, more goodness from black lentils, chickpeas and white beans all cooked in a fragrant turmeric tomato base. Bonus-this delicious lamb and lentil soup recipe can come together in just 30 minutes if you’ve got a pressure cooker or instant pot!
Today’s pure deliciousness in a bowl recipe is in partnership with American Lamb— All thoughts and opinions are my own.
It’s such a joy to share how much I LOVE lamb with you, and especially American lamb because it’s by far the highest quality lamb I’ve ever tasted! For some of you who haven’t tried lamb, or have a bad experience with lamb, I can certainly say it’s because you didn’t try American lamb! YES, it makes a huge difference! It’s always fresh, raised to the highest industry standards and best of all, it’s raised with so much LOVE from our farmers! You absolutely taste every bit of that love. 🙂
Before I go into details of this lick your bowl delicious lamb and lentil soup, I should mention a few things. This recipe is so easy, I’ve made a quick video below so you can watch how it all comes together. Another thing, I probably should mention that you don’t need to have cold weather to enjoy a bowl of soup like this. I used to make lamb lentil soup all year round when I lived in Miami. And almost every time this topic comes up, the same thought pops in my mind. Why on earth did I leave Miami?! lol I don’t have a real answer, just some excuses which are even more confusing!
So if you’re having some cold weather and need a warm cozy bowl of comfort and deliciousness, make this lamb lentil soup. And similarly, if you live in a warm place, first of all, I envy you! Secondly, you’ll still enjoy this bowl of lentil soup. I promise 🙂 It’s one of those soups that truly is all you need in a full meal. Lamb for flavor and protein, some lentils for a hearty & filling meal which likewise has protein and fibre goodness. Also, add to that some chickpeas, beans, barley and simmer in a flavorful turmeric broth.
The beauty of this recipe is that anything would be great to add here. Something like fresh kale, spinach, carrots, sweet potatoes..anything. Just simmer them halfway after you add the lentils, because the lentil need to cook the longest. I love finishing off my lamb lentil soup with some cooling Greek yogurt, chopped chillies, cilantro and tomatoes. This is certainly optional, but it really does give your lentil soup a nice contrast in texture and freshness.
A quick background, I came across this wonder of a soup through a Moroccan chef who worked for us a long time ago. It was love at first sip. Literally. I was very keen on her showing me exactly how it’s done and have been making it ever since. About a decade later, I’ve met a lovely Moroccan friend through a kids activity. And the first thing I probably told her was that I LOVE Moroccan lamb and lentil soup!! lol So she invited me over and made it for me.
I found out that every Moroccan grandma made this soup a bit differently. The base of it always includes lamb, lentils and chickpeas. Sometimes it could include tiny pasta shells added at the end, and veggies like carrots, sweet potatoes, peas..etc. Also the ratio of lamb versus lentils may vary from one home to the other. So as a result, I’ve tweaked mine a bit to include extra cilantro, more turmeric (which I’ve been loving lately!) and added some white beans and barley. I couldn’t ask for more 🙂 it’s insanely delicious!
Here’s a breakdown of how to make this lentil soup. If you have an instant to (like I’ve used in the video) or pressure cooker, it’ll all be ready in 30 minutes. If not, then it works just as well on your stove, but it needs around an hour. So start by sautéing the onions and garlic, add your American lamb and start seasoning. Salt, pepper, nutmeg, turmeric, paprika and cumin. Then throw in a slice of lime, cilantro, tomato paste, lentils, barley and the liquid of your choice.
I added stock and water combo for an extra boost of flavor, however I’ve made it a few times with water alone and it was still delicious!! Since I used an instant pot, I set it to pressure cooker and it took just 30 minutes for the lentils and barley to cook through. Then I added my canned and rinsed beans, chickpeas and a little more water. At that point everything is cooked, so you basically need to just give the lentil soup 10 mins of simmering so all the flavors infuse beautifully together.
There you go. Soothing, comforting, hearty, filling and mouthwatering delicious lamb and lentil soup that’s ready in 30 mins. Finish it off with some spice, fresh tomatoes and cooling Greek yogurt for a contrast of taste and textures. Something as tiny as those garnishes can make your lentil soup feel like a fancy meal 🙂 Try this delicious lamb soup and tag me to check out your scrumptious versions of lamb lentil soup! Get more lamb recipes here and enjoy more lamb in life 🙂
Moroccan Lamb and Turmeric Lentil Soup
Ingredients
Soup:
- 1 tablespoon of olive oil
- 1 red onion diced
- 4 cloves of garlic minced
- 1 pound of ground American lamb
- 1 teaspoon each of salt and pepper
- 1/2 teaspoon of nutmeg
- 1 teaspoon of turmeric
- 1/2 teaspoon of cumin
- 1 teaspoon of paprika
- 3 tablespoons of canned tomato paste
- slice of 1 lime
- 2 tablespoons of minced cilantro
- 1 cup of brown or black lentils
- 3/4 cup of barley
- 4 cups of liquid a mixture of broth/stock (any flavor you prefer) and water.
- 2/3 cup of white beans
- 1 cup of chickpeas
- 1/4 cup of cilantro
- **extra half cup of water if needed
garnish:
- chopped chillies
- chopped tomatoes
- Greek yogurt
Instructions
- Preheat your instant pot, or regular pot on the a medium high heat. Add the olive oil and sauté the onions for 2 minutes until they start to soften, then add the garlic and lamb. Start seasoning the lamb and add the salt, pepper, nutmeg, turmeric, paprika and cumin. sautee the lamb for 5 minutes until cooked. Add in a slice of lime, cilantro and tomato paste and mix them in with the lamb mixture. Then add in the lentils, barley and liquids. Cover your pot and allow the lentils and barley to cook through. If using an instant pot, set it to pressure cooker and set it to 25 minutes, and if you’re using a pressure cooker, also set it to 20-30 mins most. If you’re making the soup on the stove, then allow the mixture to boil , lower the heat to medium low, cover the pot and allow the soup to cook for 40-50 minutes until the lentils cook through. Add the beans and chickpeas, plus an extra half cup of water if needed** and cover the pot for another 10 mins. At that point, add some cilantro and serve!
- Garnish the soup with chillies, tomatoes and Greek yogurt. Enjoy! 🙂
Hi. Nice recipe. Question: lentils, barley, chickpeas and white beans. Do you use dried stuff? It’s not clear to me. Thank you.
Hi Claudia, Yes there’s the lentils and barley which are raw so they need the most to cook. The beans and chickpeas are canned, drained and rinsed, that’s why I added them towards the end.
Feel free to use all raw beans and chickpeas too, but add them at the beginning with the lentils and adjust the cooking time/water amount.