After more than a week of eating healthy, this soup tasted so great with just a little ground lamb. I’ve started craving carbs, but not meat– until I started smelling this meat cooking. Because it had been a while, the soup was even more satisfying. I don’t cook a lot with all these spices, so it was nice to have an excuse to try them out. They make it a warm and hearty soup, almost a stew. It definitely inspired me to cook more Moroccan food, especially with some Israeli couscous once I’m back on carbs! If you don’t like cilantro, you could definitely substitute parsley.
Moroccan Lamb Soup
1/2 pound ground lamb
1/2 teaspoon chili flakes
1 cinnamon stick
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1 large onion, chopped
3-4 slices ginger
3 tablespoons tomato paste
1 cup French lentils
1/2 cup chopped cilantro, plus extra for garnish
1 cup cherry tomatoes
1 can chickpeas, drained well
5 cups water
1 lemon, zested and juiced
Roast the cherry tomatoes at 350 degrees for 1/2 hour with a little olive oil and salt and pepper. Meanwhile, start browning the meat in a large pot or dutch oven. Once browned, stir in the cinnamon stick, red pepper flakes, and cumin. Add the onion and ginger and stir through. Add in the tomato paste and season with salt. Add the lentils and the cilantro. Add the water and deglaze the pan by scraping up all the bits on the bottom. Cook for 20 minutes. Add the roasted tomatoes and chickpeas and simmer for another 10 minutes. Add the lemon juice and zest and season to taste. Serve with some cilantro on top if you wish.
Dee-licious!