Winter Detox Moroccan Sweet Potato Lentil Soup (Slow Cooker)
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A soul-warming Moroccan sweet potato lentil soup recipe. This soup is made in the slow cooker and requires hardly any work at all. Plus, it makes the whole house smell warm and cozy!
It about that time again!
SOUP TIME. Which, in my very humble opinion is the best kind of time there is. Unless it’s chocolate chip cookie time, which, goes without saying, is obviously better. And which obviously this is NOT. Ahem, what? Where were we? Detoxing. That’s right. Bringing you this moroccan-style detox lentil soup loaded with all the goodness straight from your refrigerator plus pantry with tons of soul-warming spices to brighten up these cold, cold winter days.
Now that’s what i’m talkin’ about.
So January. We’re already half a week into 2017 guys. How? But also – I don’t know if it’s just me – but is anyone else just now officially starting the detox from all the holiday eats and treats? Anees’ birthday is the day after New Years Day so we tend to get a slow start with the whole January cleanse thing.
But with all of the birthdays and parties finally out of the way, i’m just itching to get another pot of this warm lentil soup on and am ready to hit the clean-eating reset button now.
Of course, lentil soup isn’t just limited to those of us that are desperate for a reset either. In fact, it’s even more delicious if you decide to serve it with pan-fried pita wedges and a healthy dollop of whipped greek yogurt or sour cream to just mellow out all those glorious spices.
I kept this lentil soup completely vegan/vegetarian friendly so everyone can enjoy this. Know that it’s easy to make this a more protein packed meal though. Just sauté ground turkey, chicken, beef or lamb or any other kind of ground protein you like and add it straight into the crockpot with all the other ingredients. You’ve instantly got the perfect bagged lunch for the week. This lentil soup would also work well over a mound of fragrant basmati rice incase you like the whole Indian ‘daal’ scene. Lentil-anything was made to be paired with rice.
One of the best things about having a blog is getting to name all the recipes. I say that now. If you rewind back to a few years ago, you’d see this definitely was not the case. I realize it’s important to be clear and precise when naming a recipe. With that said, this is a detox lentil soup recipe that comes loaded with all those wonderful cleansing ingredients that are like a toothbrush for our insides. And, yeah that’s totally weird, but go with it, will ya?
Added bonus : under 250 calories per serving.
It all starts with the trinity – onions, carrots, celery. Then of course, tons of pressed garlic, which is a completely normal thing around here and it totally caught me by surprise that garlic has all these detoxing properties which NO BIG DEAL – but only it is. It’s HUGE. Love these kinds of happy coincidences. But, HOLD THE PHONE there’s more, turmeric, cumin, and cinnamon. We all know about that turmeric trend of 2016 right? Let’s carry all the good things into ’17 with us now. Loaded with anti-inflammatory properties and perfect for when you’re a leeetle under-the-weather to boost your immune system.
Now here’s how simple this lentil soup recipe is. Grab all your ingredients, add them to a slow cooker and let them hang out of low for 6-8 hours or on high for 4-6 hours. One the lentils has softened all the way through, puree ½ of the soup in your blender and pop it back into the slow cooker along with tons of chopped baby spinach and just let it wilt. Pro tip: make this one day ahead for even more flavor. So pop it into the slow cooker when you get home from work tonight and into the fridge before you head to bed. Puree it when you get home from work tomorrow, add the spinach and just heat it through. Squeeze ¼ cup of lemon juice right into the slow cooker or serve lemon wedges on the side. It’s seriously the perfect spicy, tangy, veggieful soup ever.
The hardest part about the whole thing is that it requires a bit of prepping, but if you buy store-bought mirepoix mix (ze onions, carrots, and ze celery) then all that really requires your attention is the sweet potatoes. And let me just say when it comes to customizing this lentil soup, you can easily swap the sweet potatoes for pre-diced butternut squash chunks and swap the brown lentils for greens or even use chickpeas along with all the other good stuff in this soup.
But here’s the thing – even with all it’s simplicity, it’s a warm, FEEL GOOD food. Kinda perfect for those of us that have decided to pack more lunches this year and make smarter choices.
It’s quick to throw together, completely straightforward, and easily adaptable to your dietary preferences.
It’s gotta go with you to lunch this week!
Winter Detox Moroccan Sweet Potato Lentil Soup (Slow Cooker)
A soul-warming Moroccan sweet potato lentil soup recipe. This soup is made in the slow cooker and requires hardly any work at all. Plus, it makes the whole house smell warm and cozy!
Ingredients
- 1 lb. sweet potatoes, peeled and cubed into small pieces
- 1 cup carrots, chopped
- 1 cup onions, chopped
- 1 cup celery, chopped
- 1 red bell pepper, diced
- 6 cloves garlic, minced or pressed
- 1 ½ cups green or brown lentils, rinsed and picked over
- 1 ½ teaspoon EACH coriander AND cumin powder
- 1 teaspoon curry powder (or more to taste)
- ½ teaspoon EACH smoked paprika, ground cinnamon, AND turmeric
- ⅛ teaspoon ground nutmeg
- 6-7 cups low sodium broth (vegetable or chicken)
- 2 ½ cups baby spinach, roughly chopped
- ¼ cup lemon juice or lemon wedges for serving
Instructions
- Place the sweet potatoes, carrots, onions, celery, red bell pepper, garlic, lentils, spices, and 6 cups of broth into a slow cooker. Cover and cook on the low setting for 6-8 hours or on high for 4-6 hours. Check the lentils for doneness. If you're lentils have been in the pantry for a while, note that they'll take a bit longer to cook through.
- Place half the soup into a blender along with a little additional broth (½ cup or so) and blend till smoothish. Alternately, you can use an immersion blender directly in the slow cooker but be sure to not blend all of the soup if you want it to have a chunkier texture. Add the puree back into the slow cooker. Stir in the baby spinach and lemon juice. Cover the slow cooker, unplug it, and allow the ingredients to just hang out for 30 minutes or so until the spinach wilts down.
- Season with salt, pepper and curry powder to taste as desired. Thin with additional broth to desired consistency. Serve warm with whipped greek yogurt, fried pita bread, and tons of fresh herbs (parsley or cilantro) on top!
Notes
- MORE PROTEIN: You can sauté 1 pound of ground lamb, beef, chicken, or turkey and add it in with all the other ingredients to the slow cooker for a more protein-filled meal - note that you may need a little bit more of each of the seasonings to balance flavors when adding protein.
Is this a good choice for you?
Based on 8 servings.
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125 Comments on “Winter Detox Moroccan Sweet Potato Lentil Soup (Slow Cooker)”
Sounds yummy. Can it be made in a instant pot/pressure cooker?
We really enjoyed this soup and am sharing this site with my daughter.
Thank you for a great recipe.
This is my go to when ever I want something savory, hearty and satisfying! Especially in the fall and winter, but I’ll make it in the summer as well. Love it and it makes my apartment smell like a high end restaurant, my neighbors always comment on the fact that it makes them salivate and stimulates their appetites whenever they smell it cooking from my apartment.
I have to agree, the smell is so so good!
I made it this tonight, my partner love it xx this is delicious recipe… ! Thank you for share the recipe !! I can’t wait for next cooking
This is one of my favorite soup recipes and I’ve made it half a dozen times, it always comes great! The blend of spices is what does it for me I think 🙂
I make it stovetop, sauteeing the veggies (minus potato) until tender, then adding garlic and spices, sautee another minute or so, then add everything else (except spinach). I usually cook about 40 minutes.
I also like to add a generous dash of sriracha for heat! If I don’t have a red pepper available I have made without and it’s still great. Butternut squash works well in place of sweet potato.
Thanks for this gem!!
So glad! Appreciate you sharing your stovetop process, Emily 🙂
This looks so rich and wholesome, you’ve totally inspired me for today’s dinner!
Hi there…sorry if this is a silly question, but are you starting with dried lentils or are they already cooked? I’m assuming dried since they will be in the crockpot. Looking forward to trying this recipe!
Yup, you’re right, they’re dried lentils!
Delish! Made it for a church soup supper and it was a big hit. Made it on the stove. Sautéed the veggies and seasoning til crisp tender. Cooked lentils in broth and added to the sautéed veggies. Cooked a few minutes til veggies were tender. Used immersion blender but left a fair amount chunky. Forgot to add the spinach! Oh well. Next time. It was really tasty the following day.
This was an excellent recipe! I love how it is so flexible to meet your mood, guest preferences or what you have on hand. I added ground turkey, doubled the spices (we like strong flavors) and used my Instant Pot. We added dollops of greek yogurt, jalapeno and cilantro on top. Next time I think I’ll add some garbanzo beans as well. This is definitely going into our cold-weather rotation. Thank you!
So glad to hear you enjoyed it, Cassandra! Garbanzo beans sound like a great addition! Thank you for letting me know that the recipe works in the instant pot too 🙂
How long did you put it in the instant pot for? Thanks!
I made this pretty much verbatim, but left the spinach out, added more parsley, some cayenne pepper, and lots of sliced okra. Lovely, interesting!
This is a great recipe but I think next time I would leave out the lemon juice. Just a personal preference.
Awesome I cooked it on the stove top and used red lentils came out delicious
What should I do if I have canned lentils? Should I not use as much broth?
I LOVE this recipe. I have made it dozens of times. It is so satisfying and delicious.
I just made this soup on the stove and it’s delicious! I sauteed.the onion, celery and carrots first for about 10min the added garlic for a min and then everything else except the spinach and lemon juice. About 30min later i used my immersion blender to puree and then added the spinach and lemon juice. Amazing soup!!
My whole family (three teen boys, one husband, and me) loved this! I swapped brown lentils for orange and added some Rasam Powder (an Indian spice blend). I am making it again tonight with Sweet Potato Tater tots and a nice salad topped with cinnamon apple chips. Autumn on our plates!
Have no broth… going to make stuffed grape leaves first & use the broth from that…
Love this! I switched the sweet potatoes for pre-cut butternut squash (to save time). As per the suggestion at the bottom for more protein, I sautéd ground chicken and added to the ingredients. Fantastic! For the topping, I whipped plain Greek yogurt with lemon juice, salt, pepper and garlic. Also used cilantro for topping as per recipe. Will make again for sure!
What size are the serving , only thing missing from the nutrition chart.
Unfortunately, the nutrition information doesn’t allow me to write the number of servings. However, the information is for 8 (roughly 2-cupish) servings.
Yes. I did .. was ??. Didn’t have celery so used leeks instead , added a tin of chickpeas , added more smoked paprika. Tasted good ?
This soup is delicious! I have made it a couple of times now, and absolutely love it. The best part is that I often have these ingredients on hand, and my whole family enjoyed it (score!)
I made this soup tonight. YUM! I didn’t have any red bell pepper or green bell pepper. I did have some poblano peppers, so I threw one of those in it. Also, I used a lentil blend (red/green/black) and they all cooked great. At the end of cooking, I did add another teaspoon of Maharajah Curry (Penzey’s) and maybe 1/4 teaspoon of smoked paprika when I added the spinach. Love the lemon in it. It really did brighten the flavor. Next time I make this, I’m going to pressure cook it in my Instant Pot. It’s a repeat recipe for me!
Can you let me know if you tried this recipe in them pressure cooker – if so info would be greatly appreciated
I tried really hard to make this soup taste right including adding chickpeas. The actual spice mixture just didn’t have a morrocan feel or taste. Maybe I will have another go at it! I really want to like this soup!
This was wonderful! Warming and delicious.
I want to make this recipe so badly but I don’t own a crockpot. What would my times be if I placed it on the stovetop? Would I still just add everything together like the recipe says and just let it stew?
Hi Rachel, if you’re doing this on the stove top, I suggest sauteing the onions, celery, carrots in a swish of oil for about 5-7 minutes then add the garlic and cook for 30 seconds before adding the remaining ingredients (except the spinach and lemon juice) and simmering! This should elevate the flavors even more!
Sooo delicious! This detox Moroccan soup is a keeper.
We love to cook, but over the last year we’ve found ourselves spending less and less time in the kitchen and more time absently shoving down takeout in front of the TV (usually watching something we’ve already seen a hundred times). I wanted to change that in 2019, and I’m so glad we picked this recipe to kick things off. We made a few minor modifications by increasing all of the spices and sauteeing them with the diced veggies and a little olive oil before adding to the pot. Between the two of us, the morning prep was light work, and after a long first day back at work it was so comforting to come home to a hearty bowl of flavorful goodness. We served with diced jalapeno, fresh cilantro, and a cucumber yogurt sauce we mixed up just before serving, and it was an instant favorite. Even better, the leftovers packed up nicely for lunch. Thanks so much for sharing!
This looks amazing!!! I’m buying ingredients tomorrow. I cook for someone who doesn’t like cinnamon in savory food 🙁 I know it’s a critical flavor in this soup but I’m curious if anyone has made it with the cinnamon left out?
Yes, for the same reason, no cinnamon in my version, but some ground clove instead, in the same quantity.
It worked great, and the soup was delicious.
I added a splash of coconut cream before serving to offset all the spices, we loved it.
This soup is definitely a keeper, thank you.
I started using your recipe over a year ago and have made it quite a few times now. I wouldn’t change a thing about it! Although I once completely spaced out the lemon and it still tasted really good. I do add sliced jalapeños to my own bowl because I like the heat they provide. I work a lot of overtime and come home exhausted every day. This recipe helps ensure that my daughter and I have something healthy and tasty to eat throughout the week (regardless of the time of year). Thank you very much for such an awesome recipe!
Sooo good. I loved this recipe, I will definitely be making it again. I made it just as described except I heated my spices in a dry frying pan first, prior to adding them to the crockpot. An Indian friend once told me it makes the dish more fragrant…
I am struggling to omit meat and dairy from my diet. This recipe made my day go so much easier! I did not miss either, and actually found this soup indulgent. I will be trying more of your recipes!
Ive been wanting to try this recipe out for ages, and today I finally did. I’m so glad, because it’s absolutely delicious! Thank you so much for the recipe. Only small variation I tried was I roasted the sweet potato and added it at the end with the spinach, and I cooked the lentil mixture for 20 minutes in the pressure cooker to save time.
Such a great vegan recipe perfect for batch cooking, I’ll definitely be doing this one again! Thank you!
I just made this tonight for dinner – SO GOOD. I was actually missing a couple ingredients and it was still great. A perfect first day of October soup. Thanks for the recipe