Harira is a traditional Moroccan recipe – a hearty nourishing soup packed with lentils, chickpeas and lots of vegetables. Delicious, satisfying and quick to make in your Instant Pot.
January is National Soup Month and I am delighted to finally share my recipe for vegan Harira soup. This incredible soup is a meal in itself, and I first came across it in a library book simply titled “Soups” way back in my college days.
I think I lived on soup for a large part of my college years – and anything filling and cheap went straight to the top of my favourites!
What is Harira soup?
Harira is a authentic Moroccan soup that is usually made with lamb, vegetables and pulses. It is popular year-round, but traditionally served to break the fast of Ramadan.
Harira is sometimes thickened with Tadouira – a mixture made from flour and water that is added to the soup near the end of the cooking process. Since the soup is naturally thick and packed with plant-based goodness, I have left this out.
What are the ingredients in vegetable Harira soup
What I love about Harira soup is that it uses cheap pantry-staple ingredients. There’s plenty of variations to the recipe, some contain lamb or chicken while others are vegetarian. My version is naturally vegan – here’s what you will need:
- Lentils: dried (French) green or brown lentils. Always rinse dried lentils before using!
- Chickpeas: I used tinned chickpeas but you could also use dry ones. These will have to be soaked overnight and will add to the cooking time however so I usually choose the convenient option.
- Onion, celery, carrots – didn’t I say this soup is vegetable-packed?
- Passata or plum tomatoes liquidised in a food processor / blender
- Plenty of fresh herbs: parsley and coriander (cilantro)
- Mini pasta shapes: vermicelli is more traditional but since I made this soup in a pressure cooker I needed something that wouldn’t overcook. Broken up spaghetti would work well if you can’t find anything else. The pasta is optional, leave out for a gluten free version (or use gluten free pasta).
- Spices: I used cinnamon, ground ginger, paprika and chilli flakes. A little Harissa paste can be used instead or in addition to the ground spices.
- Vegetable stock: I use Kallo vegetable bouillon powder. You might find the soup gets very thick, especially after pasta is added. You could thin it out with a little hot water.
- Lemon wedges to serve – a little apple cider vinegar is also delicious stirred in at the end!
How to make Harira in the Instant Pot
Check out the step photos or watch the recipe video to see how its done!
Step 1. Heat the oil using the ‘sauté’ function and cook the onion over medium heat for about five minutes. Add the spices and stir to combine.
Step 2. Add the celery, carrot, lentils, chickpeas, passata and stock. Stir in half the herbs, cover, set vent to ‘sealing’ and cook for 13 minutes at high pressure. Release the pressure manually.
Step 3. Add the pasta, cover and cook for zero minutes at high pressure. This should be sufficient time to cook small pasta shapes. Release the pressure manually.
Step 4. Stir in the remaining herbs just before serving. Taste and adjust the seasoning.
Step 5. Serve with lemon wedges on the side or a little apple cider vinegar stirred in.
How to cook Harira in the slow cooker
Step 1. Add all the ingredients apart from herbs and pasta and cook on low for 4 hours.
Step 2. Add the pasta and half the herbs and cook for another 20-30 minutes on low until the pasta is cooked through. Serve as above.
How to cook Harira on the stove
Step 1. Heat the oil in a large saucepan and cook the onion over medium heat for about five minutes. Add the spices and stir to combine.
Step 2. Add the celery, carrot, lentils, chickpeas, passata and stock. Stir in half the herbs, bring to a simmer and cook over low heat for 20 minutes.
Step 3. Stir in the pasta and cook for however long the recommended cooking time is. Serve as above.
Is Harira Slimming World friendly?
A big resounding yes! Everything in this soup comes under the SW ‘free foods’ other than the olive oil. You could leave the olive oil out and use some Fry Light instead. One tablespoon of olive oil is 6 syns, which works out at 1 syn per serving.
I made a big batch this week and this kept me going for a few days. Even my soup phobic husband LOVED this recipe because it is so filling.
Can you freeze Harira?
If you want to freeze the soup then leave out the pasta. Cool completely and freeze in portions – I use a large silicone muffin tin to freeze the soup then pop out the frozen soup cubes and pack them in portions of three. Eat within a month, heating until piping hot before serving.
Have you made my Harira soup?
Post a photo on my Facebook page, share it on Instagram, or save it to Pinterest with the tag #supergoldenbakes. I can’t wait to see your take on it!
MORE VEGAN SOUPS TO TRY!
- Vegan corn chowder
- Vegan spiced carrot, parsnip and chickpea soup
- Spinach, Coconut and Zucchini Soup
- Lentil, sweet potato and kale soup
Harira soup (vegetarian, vegan)
Ingredients
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 1 large onion , finely diced
- 1 tsp salt
- 1 tsp ground cinnamon
- 1 tsp ground ginger
- 1/2 tsp smoked paprika
- 1/4 tsp chilli flakes
- 3 celery stalks , finely diced
- 2 carrots , finely diced
- 200 g | 1 cup green lentils , rinsed
- 400 g | 14oz tin chickpeas , drained
- 400 g | 14oz tin plum tomatoes , liquidised or passata
- 1.7 litres / quarts vegetable stock
- Small bunch parsley , chopped and divided
- Small bunch coriander (cilantro), chopped and divided
- 80 g | 1/2 cup small pasta shapes
- Salt and pepper to season
- Lemon wedges to serve
Instructions
Instant Pot method
- Heat the oil using the ‘sauté’ function and cook the onion over medium heat for about five minutes. Add the spices and stir to combine.
- Add the celery, carrot, lentils, chickpeas, passata and stock. Stir in half the herbs, cover, set vent to ‘sealing’ and cook for 13 minutes at high pressure. Release the pressure manually.
- Add the pasta, cover and cook for zero minutes at high pressure. This should be sufficient time to cook small pasta shapes. Release the pressure manually.
- Stir in the remaining herbs just before serving. Taste and adjust the seasoning.
- Serve with lemon wedges on the side or a little apple cider vinegar stirred in.
Stovetop method
- Heat the oil in a large saucepan and cook the onion over medium heat for about five minutes.
- Add the spices and stir to combine.
- Add the celery, carrot, lentils, chickpeas, passata and stock.
- Stir in half the herbs, bring to a simmer and cook over low heat for 20 minutes.
- Stir in the pasta and cook for however long the recommended cooking time is. Serve as above.
Slow cooker method
- Add all the ingredients apart from herbs and pasta and cook on low for 4 hours.
- Add the pasta and half the herbs and cook for another 20-30 minutes on low until the pasta is cooked through. Serve as above.
Video
Notes
Nutritional Info
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