Slow-Cooker Moroccan Lentil Soup Recipe

Recipe By: Joyce Hendley

“Like most soups, this Moroccan lentil soup recipe gets better with time as the complex seasonings have time to develop. Make it a day ahead if you can—this easy slow cooker/crock pot recipe variation makes it a cinch to get the soup cooking while you do other things.”

Ingredients

• • 2 cups chopped onions
  • 2 cups chopped carrots
  • 4 cloves garlic, minced
  • 2 teaspoons extra-virgin olive oil
  • 1 teaspoon ground cumin
  • 1 teaspoon ground coriander
  • 1 teaspoon ground turmeric
  • ¼ teaspoon ground cinnamon
  • ¼ teaspoon ground pepper
• • 6 cups vegetable broth or reduced-sodium chicken broth
  • 2 cups water
  • 3 cups chopped cauliflower
  • 1¾ cups lentils
  • 1 28-ounce can diced tomatoes
  • 2 tablespoons tomato paste
  • 4 cups chopped fresh spinach or one 10-ounce package frozen chopped spinach, thawed
  • ½ cup chopped fresh cilantro
  • 2 tablespoons lemon juice

Directions

• 1 Combine onions, carrots, garlic, oil, cumin, coriander, turmeric, cinnamon and pepper in a 5- to 6-quart slow cooker. Add broth, water, cauliflower, lentils, tomatoes and tomato paste and stir until well combined.
• 2 Cover and cook until the lentils are tender, 4 to 5 hours on High or 8 to 10 hours on Low.
• 3 During the last 30 minutes of cooking, stir in spinach. Just before serving, stir in cilantro and lemon juice.