Description
Fragrant and delicious, this soul-warming, oil-free Moroccan Harira is ultra-comforting, easy to make, and a delightful nod to the Moroccan cuisine. Whole Food Plant Based, vegan, plant based, oil free, refined sugar free, gluten free, no highly processed ingredients.
Ingredients
- 1 medium yellow onion, finely diced
- 2 Tablespoons garlic, finely minced
- 1 – 14 oz. can petite diced tomatoes
- 1 ½ cups water (or broth)
- 1 ½ cups vegetable broth *
- 1 Tablespoon lemon juice
- 1/3 cup dry split red lentils, picked through and rinsed
- 1 – 15.5 oz. can chickpeas, drained and rinsed
- ½ cup to ¾ cup frozen pearl onions (optional) *
- 1 Tablespoon miso *
- 3 to 4 cups fresh baby spinach *
- 5 oz. GF thin spaghetti pasta, broken into pieces *
Seasonings/Spices:
- 1 teaspoon onion powder
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 2 Tablespoon dried minced onion flakes
- ¼ to ½ teaspoon turmeric
- ¼ teaspoon sweet paprika
- ½ + 1/8 teaspoon coriander
- ½ + 1/8 teaspoon cinnamon *
- 1 ¼ teaspoons sea salt (+/-) *
- ¼ teaspoon black pepper
Other Optional Ingredients:
- Chopped Cilantro or Parsley
- Lemon wedges
Instructions
- In a large ceramic/enamel-lined Dutch oven, skillet or similar stock pot, add the diced onions; sauté over medium heat until they begin to soften, approximately 5 to 7 minutes. Add a tablespoon or so of water if they start to stick and/or to prevent burning.
- Add the minced garlic and sauté for 30 seconds, then add the dry spices (turmeric, coriander, cinnamon, sweet paprika, onion powder, garlic powder, dried minced onion flakes, black pepper, and sea salt), sauté to release their fragrance, about 30 seconds to one minute.
- Then add the petite diced tomatoes, veggie broth, lemon juice, and water, bring to boil, then immediately lower to a simmer.
- Add the split red lentils, chickpeas, miso, and frozen pearl onions. Stir well to incorporate all the ingredients, then cover with a tight-fitting lid and simmer for 20 minutes.
- After 20 minutes, check the tenderness of the red lentils. Once the red lentils are tender, then add the pasta (see notes), put the lid back on and cook until the pasta is almost done (the thin pasta cooks quickly), then add the spinach. Taste test the flavors, add more spices, if necessary, to achieve the level of flavor you desire. Cook until the pasta is tender.
- Serve immediately with freshly chopped cilantro, parsley and lemon wedges, if desired.
Notes
*Vegetable Stock: We use Pacific Organic Low Sodium Vegetable Stock. We love this brand because it is Whole Food Plant Based compliant, as it does not contain MSG, has no oil, and does not contain any highly-processed ingredients. If using a brand other than Pacific that has a mild/mellow flavor, you may wish to use 2 ½ cups broth and ½ cup water.
*Pasta/Ramen Noodles: We used the 10 oz. package of Lotus Foods Millet & Brown Rice Ramen, but only cooked 1 of the 4 blocks of Ramen. (The 10 oz. package has 4 blocks of Ramen Noodles.) Additionally, we recommend cooking the pasta in a separate pot until al dente’ then draining and rinsing in cold water to remove the starch before adding to the dish. This pasta tends to release a lot of starch. It can be added directly to the dish while cooking, but it will release starch into the liquid and make this beautiful stew seem “goopy”.
*Cinnamon: If you enjoy cinnamon in savory dishes, use the full amount indicated in the recipe. If you are unsure, start out with a smaller amount, then taste test toward the end.
*Spinach: Spinach is a natural spice neutralizer/balancer. As it cooks it will naturally neutralize and tone down spices. Once you add the spinach, taste test after it cooks for a few minutes to determine if additional spices are needed.
*Miso: We used Miso Master Organic Mellow White Premium Lite Miso, Certified Gluten Free. Miso really lends itself to balancing flavors when you don’t use oil. You can also use chickpea miso for a soy free version.
*Frozen Pearl Onions: The frozen pearl onions are optional; however, they do add this delicious extra boost of flavor. We recommend keeping them in the recipe to experience the full-bodied flavor of this dish.
*Sea Salt: Please adjust the sea salt based upon your family’s sea salt preferences and/or based upon dietary needs.
*Makes: 4 servings
*Storage: Refrigerate, use within 7 days.