MOROCCAN LAMB, LENTIL, AND CHICKPEA SOUP

Moroccan Lamb, Lentil, and Chickpea Soup image

I made this for my make-ahead cooking group "The Make-Ahead Mamas'" holiday soup swap. The wonderful traditional Moroccan cinnamon-spice combination is lovely with the ground lamb and sweet potatoes, and the chopped apricots or cranberries add a surprising tart sweetness with every few bites. Whenever I make this recipe, I make a double (or triple!) batch and freeze a few portions.

Provided by BusySpoons

Categories Soups, Stews and Chili Recipes Soup Recipes

Time 3h

Yield 8

Number Of Ingredients 23

Ingredients

1 pound ground lamb
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1 teaspoon kosher salt
½ teaspoon ground ginger
¼ teaspoon ground cloves
¼ teaspoon ground nutmeg
¼ teaspoon ground turmeric
⅛ teaspoon curry powder
1 tablespoon butter
1 sweet onion, chopped
2 (10.5 ounce) cans beef consomme
1 (14.5 ounce) can diced tomatoes with juice
1 (14 ounce) can organic beef broth
1 (14 ounce) can organic chicken broth
1 tablespoon honey
3 large carrots, halved lengthwise and thinly sliced
2 sweet potatoes, peeled and diced
1 (15 ounce) can garbanzo beans, rinsed and drained
1 cup lentils, rinsed and drained
½ cup chopped dried apricots
⅛ teaspoon cayenne pepper, or to taste
1 pinch ground black pepper to taste

Steps:

Mix ground lamb, cinnamon, cumin, salt, ginger, cloves, nutmeg, turmeric, and curry powder together in a bowl. Cover and put in the refrigerator for 2 hours to overnight.
Melt butter in a soup pot over medium-high heat; stir in onion. Cook, stirring frequently, until the onion has softened and turned translucent, 5 to 10 minutes. Reduce heat to medium and add spiced lamb mixture. Cook and stir until browned and crumbly, 5 to 7 minutes.
Add consomme, diced tomatoes, beef broth, chicken broth, and honey. Stir in carrots, sweet potatoes, garbanzo beans, lentils, apricots, cayenne pepper, and black pepper.
Bring soup just to a boil over medium-high heat, then reduce heat to low, and simmer until lentils and vegetables are tender, 15 to 20 minutes.

Nutrition Facts : Calories 381.8 calories, Carbohydrate 48.6 g, Cholesterol 43 mg, Fat 10.3 g, Fiber 12.9 g, Protein 23.8 g, SaturatedFat 4.3 g, Sodium 1303.5 mg, Sugar 13.6 g