Traditional Moroccan Harira (Lentil & Chickpea Soup)
Follow these simple steps at home to make my Dad’s traditional Moroccan Harira, a warming soup made to break fast during Ramadan in Morocco (Iftar). This homemade soup combines chickpeas, beef, or lamb stew meat, and rice. It’s prepared stovetop, and takes just 45 minutes to prepare.
The combination of the warm, tomato based soup with Moroccan mint tea, sweet dates, hearty eggs and decadent cookies (usually halwa chebakia) is the perfect meal after a long day of fasting.
This Moroccan chickpea soup isn’t just any ordinary recipe. It’s a traditional soup packed with hearty ingredients that’s prepared annually during Ramadan to break the fast (Iftar) each night.
Like many Moroccan recipes, this one uses fresh herbs like cilantro and parsley, and dried spices like ginger to develop rich flavor.
If you enjoy this Iftar soup, be sure to try it with a loaf of Moroccan bread (Khobz), Moroccan mint tea, dates, hard boiled eggs, and halwa chebakia for the full experience.
Ingredients
How to Make It
Optional: In a small bowl mix together cornstarch and cold water until no clumps remain. Uncover the soup and mix in the cornstarch water slurry to thicken.
Iftar & What to eat with Harira
Every family in Morocco has nuances and differences in how they break the fast with this Moroccan lentil soup, or what we call Iftar.
In my family, the focus of Iftar is harira, usually accompanied by mint tea, dates, hard boiled eggs and traditional sesame honey cookies.
A Thank You to My Dad
If there was ever a difficult post for me to write, it’s this one. This soup was the last meal my dad made for my husband and I. It was the last time we saw him before he passed in November of 2020.
It was one of his favorite recipes and one I grew up enjoying with him often, especially as a Ramadan tradition to break the fast.
My dad was always taking care of me. Whether it was making me delicious Moroccan recipes, teaching me how to cook them, or pushing me to buy that new camera I’d been dreaming about (the one I used to take these photos).
Learning from him is what I continue to miss the most; being his daughter was the greatest privilege.
Even as he cooked that last time for me, so full of life in our kitchen, he encouraged me to write down the recipe, take pictures and make notes about his technique and recipe.
This recipe wouldn’t be what it is without him, so a very special thanks to my Baba (my dad), for teaching me how to explore. I love you endlessly.
Bismillah,
Traditional Moroccan Harira (Lentil & Chickpea Soup)
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 30 minutes
- Total Time: 45 minutes
- Yield: 6 servings 1x
- Category: Soup, Dinner
- Method: Stovetop
- Cuisine: Moroccan, North African, Mediterannean, African
- Diet: Gluten Free
Description
Follow these simple steps at home to make my Dad’s traditional Moroccan Harira, a warming soup made to break fast during Ramadan in Morocco (Iftar). This homemade soup combines chickpeas, beef, or lamb stew meat, and rice. It’s prepared stovetop, and takes just 45 minutes to prepare.
Ingredients
- 1 cup garbanzo beans (soak overnight if using dried)
- 1 lb lamb or beef (stew meat cut into 2 inch cubes)
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 1 yellow onion, diced
- 1/2 cup cilantro, minced
- 1/2 cup parsley, minced
- 1 tbsp pepper
- 1 tbsp salt
- 2 tsp ginger (ground)
- 28 oz tomato puree
- 8–10 cups water
- 1 cup green lentils
- 1 cup fideo noodles, broken vermicelli noodles, or white rice
- Optional: 2 tsp cornstarch + 2 tsp water
Instructions
- If using dried garbanzo beans, soak in a bowl of water overnight.
- In a heavy bottomed soup pot, add the oil, chopped onion, diced meat, half of the cilantro & parsley, salt, pepper, and ginger.
- Sauté on medium high heat for 5-10 minutes or until the meat is browned and the onion translucent.
- Drain the garbanzo beans and add to the pot with the tomato puree and water. Bring the liquid to a boil then cover, lower and simmer for 25-30 minutes or until the garbanzos and meat are cooked through.
- In a small pot add lentils and cover with water. Bring to a boil, then cover and lower to a simmer for 15 minutes. Turn off the heat and set aside while you wait for the soup to be done.
- Optional: In a small bowl mix together cornstarch and cold water until no clumps remain. Uncover the soup and mix in the cornstarch water slurry to thicken.
- Finally, add noodles (or rice), strained lentils and remaining cilantro & parsley. Cook until the noodles (or rice) are done. Serve with a sprinkle of fresh cilantro and enjoy!
Notes
To make this soup vegan/vegetarian, simply leave out the meat!
Salima,
What a beautiful homage to your father.
Thank you for posting this delicious recipe and sharing your family legacy.
Your photos show the care and attention you devoted to this Moroccan Queen of soups.
Your father must be so proud.
Salima, there’s no need to kick yourself. I, too, missed opportunities to master this dish with him.
This meal tastes as wonderful as your photos look. I’m proud that you demonstrate how to do a vegetarian version too. But my goodness, that meat is mouth watering.
Thank you Ahmed!
I’m going to make this soup this week, in honor of your wonderful Dad. He was such a great friend, a marvelous cook, and I will so miss seeing him the next time I’m in Olympia. Thank you for posting this recipe, Salima — this soup will bring a little bit of Rachid into my home.
Maryrose, thank you so much for reading the blog and honoring my Father ❤️. I hope the soup warms your kitchen!
I made this soup to break the fast during my first Ramadan. It was delicious and so filling that I didn’t each much else. It was pretty thick with the rice added, next time I will try without rice. Thank you for the recipe.
This is beautiful. I cant wait to make it this weekend. My daughter went on a trip and discovered a love for Moroccan food. I will make it for her. I do not have family heritage food recipes or stories so I find them and share others stories with my family over the recipes pthey have shared and I prepare. This is such a wonderful one. Thank you for sharing a piece of yourself with us.
Thank you for sharing that Joyce, I love that your family has discovered Moroccan food!
Awesome just awesome.
I’m so glad you enjoyed it Sherry!
This was such a hearty soup! Loved making it and then devouring it for Iftar!
Hi Noon, thank you so much for your comment! It means the world to me that you used my recipe for Iftar ❤️ Ramadan Mubarak
Love this! Made it for the frist time with Ramadan last year and has been my favorite since then. Definitely on the menu this Ramadan also. Thank you and your dad
I love this recipe and your story. Keep telling it and feeding our stomachs and our souls. I have broken the fast with harira with many good friends in Morocco, although I am not a Muslim. Thanks for this beautiful reminder.
Thank you so much Audrey. Your support means a lot!
I made this with stewing beef. The only change I made was to cook the initial mixture (with the stewing beef/tomato/etc.) for 90 minutes before adding the lentils and chick peas. It was SO good. My whole family loved it and want me to add it to our meal rotation. Thank you for such a great recipe!
While we don’t celebrate Ramadan, we were able to enjoy this great meal thanks to you and your Dad’s recipe. Thank you for sharing (it got my Mediterranean parents’ approval if that’s anything to go by)
I’m so glad you and your parents enjoyed my dad’s Harira, Leo. Thank you so much for making and sharing it!
This harira tasted like home. It reminded me of all the evenings in Ramadan when the family would gather together to break fast by eating dates and sipping delicious harira.
This is the best compliment, thanks for your review Rita!
I just made this! Accompanied with Focaccia bread. The saltiness of the bread and the peppery soup complimented each other.
Curious though, why didn’t you put the lentils in with the soup? Why did you do it separately?
Hi Sarah, thanks for your review! So glad you enjoyed the soup. This is a recipe my dad taught me, based on his mother’s recipe. Cooking the lentils separately allows more control and helps prevent them from overcooking. That said, you can definitely cook them in the soup with everything else! Just note you may need to add extra water, as the lentils will absorb some of the broth.