If you’re a fan of North African cooking you’ll love this Moroccan spiced chickpea and noodle soup. It’s perfect for this time of year. Ginger, turmeric and cumin warm the belly and soul while the tomatoes, fresh parsley and lemon remind us warmer days are coming.
Cooking with Dorie Greenspan
It’s been a while since I cooked with the bloggers of I Heart Cooking Clubs. Today I’m pleased to join them in exploring Dorie Greenspan recipes and putting a flexitarian spin on them..
Dorie is a popular cookbook writer and former columnist for New York Times magazine and the Washington Post. Today’s recipe comes from her cookbook, Everyday Dorie: The Way I Cook. It’s based on harira, a traditional Moroccan dish often served at the iftar meal when breaking the day’s Ramadan fast.
I made my chickpea and noodle soup with little meatballs. You can use any type of ground you like, including plant based. There’s also the option to leave them out although I think they add some interest and serve as a focal point for the other flavors.
What I liked about this is the pantry meal potential. We regularly make curries so most of the ingredients were already in our pantry and spice cabinet. I bought fideos, the short thin noodles used in Spanish and Latin American cuisine, but broken angel hair pasta or any small pasta shape (for example ditalini) is a possibility.
For a simple Chickpea and Noodle Soup, there sure are a lot of ingredients!
TIP: While waiting for food to cook, start prepping for the next steps in the recipe.
For example, while the meatballs are browning, open all the cans and have the ingredients ready to dump into the pot.
While the vegetables are sautéing measure all the seasonings into a small bowl.
I’ll admit, at first glance the ingredient list seems very long, but as you can see most of them are spices.
Aside from browning the meatballs and sautéing the vegetables there’s very little cooking involved other than the occasional stir. The soup will happily simmer on the back of the stove for several hours although you can eat sooner, provided the meatballs are cooked through and the noodles are tender.
This recipe reminds me of some of the soups and stews I ate when we lived in Spain. The noodles, red lentils and chickpeas all thicken the flavorful broth as it sits, much like a Spanish potaje. It’s likely you’ll need to add water or broth to loosen the leftovers. Like many meals of this sort, it tastes even better the next day.
Don’t skip the lemon juice! It pulls together all the flavors of this delicious bowl.
Ingredients
For the meatballs
- 1 lb ground meat or vegan mix (any mix that will form small balls)
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- salt and pepper to taste
For the veggies
- 2 tbsp butter, oil or combination
- red pepper flakes
- 1 large onion, diced (1½ to 2 cups)
- 2 stalks celery plus leaves, diced (a cup or more)
Seasonings (adjust amounts to suit your tastes)
- 2 tbsp chopped garlic (4 cloves, depending on size)
- 2 large bay leaves
- 3 tbsp ground ginger
- 2 tsp salt (or to taste)
- 1½ tsp ground pepper
- 1½ tsp ground turmeric
- 1½ tsp ground cinnamon
- ¾ tsp ground cumin
- pinch saffron threads (optional)
The rest of the soup
- 28 oz can diced tomatoes
- ½ cup chopped parsley or cilantro
- 2 quarts chicken or vegetable broth, plus more as needed
- ¾ cup red lentils
- 15 oz can chickpeas or garbanzoes, drained and rinsed
- 2 cups fideos or broken angel hair or other small pasta (2 – 3 large handfuls)
- 2 large lemons
Instructions
For the meatballs
- Season the meat or vegan mix with salt and pepper then form into small balls (about an inch to inch and a half in diameter).Brown them in the same pot you plan to cook the soup. No need to cook them through. Remove the meatballs to a plate.
Make and season the soup base
- Wipe out any excess oil from the bottom of your soup pot. Add oil or butter and a pinch of red pepper flakes.Saute the onions and celery for 5 or 6 minutes or until softened and beginning to change color.
- Add the garlic and saute for another minute or so. Then season the mix, stirring well to distribute the spices.
The rest of the soup
- Next, add the tomatoes and a handful or parsley. Return the meatballs to the pot and cook on low heat for 10 minutes. Add the broth, stir to combine, then raise the heat to bring the pot to a boil.
- Once boiling, reduce the heat to a simmer and stir in the lentils. Partially cover the pot and let the whole thing simmer for about an hour, stirring occasionally. Add more liquid if necessary.
- After an hour, add the chickpeas can continue to cook, partially covered, for another 15 minutes or so.Taste and adjust the seasoning as desired.
- Before you're ready to serve, stir in the pasta. Allow to cook until tender.Add the juice of one lemon (about 3 tablespoons) and the rest of the chopped parsley. Serve with more lemon wedges at the table.
- The noodles and lentils will cause the soup to thicken when stored. Add more broth or water to loosen it before reheating the leftovers.
Be sure to drop by I Heart Cooking Clubs to see what the other members have made this week. Perhaps you’d like to join in? You’ll find instructions on the same page.
So happy to have you cook with us again! This soup looks so delicious. I love how it has a little bit of everything and is packed with so much flavor. I can see how the squeeze of lemon would bring all the flavors together. It certainly looks gorgeous1
I’ve made this soup and like how hearty it is with the chickpeas and noodle in it. There is nothing more comforting than a soup/stew with warm spices.