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Delicious, healthy, and filling Moroccan lentil stew packed with veggies and spices! It’s lightly sweetened with Medjool dates for an amazing combination of flavors that comes together quickly. It’s gluten free, dairy free, and vegan-friendly!
I’m a huge fan of lentil stew, because it’s filling, loaded with protein, and just so comforting. As the weather gets cooler, I’m always looking for warm and cozy soup dishes to make, and this recipe is all done in one pot, so easy, and just extremely flavorful.
Moroccan Lentil Stew Recipe
I love how this Moroccan lentil stew comes together quickly with healthy and delicious ingredients that taste fantastic. A wonderful combination of spices really pulls the flavors together, and the hint of cinnamon really adds a warming touch to the dish. There’s nothing better on the coldest day, and this stew is gluten free, dairy free, and vegan-friendly as well!
Ingredient Notes
For a full list of ingredients, jump to the recipe card below.
Dry Lentils: I used green lentils but you can use any type of lentils for this Moroccan lentil stew.
Veggies: Chopped onion, carrot, celery, and garlic.
Spices: The warm combination of spices is what gives this stew that distinct earthy Moroccan flavor. You’ll need cinnamon, cumin, coriander, and red pepper flakes.
Vegetable Broth: If you aren’t vegetarian or vegan, you can even use chicken broth or bone broth.
Crushed Tomatoes: You’ll just need a can of 28 oz crushed tomatoes.
Natural Delights® Organic Pitted Medjool Dates: I just love the natural sweetness that these Medjool dates add to the stew, and they are healthy as well rich in nutrients like selenium, magnesium, calcium, and potassium. Natural Delights is the only brand I purchase if available, because they are always high quality with the most amazing flavor. I love that their Medjool dates are glyphosate-free and I so appreciate their commitment to sustainability in every step of their manufacturing process.
Lemon Juice: The lemon juice adds a hint of brightness to the stew so make sure not to skip out on it.
Recipe Step by Step
- Heat olive oil in a large Dutch oven or stock pot over medium heat. Add onion, celery, and carrot, and sauté for 3 minutes.
- Add the spices, and stir for 1 minute until fragrant.
- Pour in dry lentils with crushed tomatoes, vegetable stock, and water. Increase the heat to medium high heat to bring to a boil, then turn down the heat to medium low to simmer for 30 minutes until the lentils are tender and the stew is thickened to your liking. Add more vegetable stock if you want a thinner consistency.
- Add Medjool dates and simmer for 1 more minute until softened.
- Remove from heat and squeeze in lemon juice. Taste to add more salt, if needed.
- Serve garnished with coconut milk or yogurt, and/or fresh cilantro.
Tips & Tricks
Storage: This Moroccan lentil soup is delicious to serve as leftovers, and the flavors actually improve while they sit. Store in the refrigerator for up to 4 days in an airtight container.
Freezing: This stew freezes beautifully. You can freeze in freezer-safe airtight containers for up to 4 months.
Swaps: If you can’t find Medjool dates, you can substitute with raisins instead. Also, feel free to experiment by adding whatever vegetables you have on hand like sweet potatoes, butternut squash, spinach, or even kale.
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Moroccan Lentil Stew with Dates
Ingredients
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 1 onion, chopped
- 1 stalk celery, chopped
- 1 carrot, chopped
- 4 garlic cloves, minced
- 2 tsp ground cinnamon
- 1 tsp sea salt
- 1 tsp cumin
- 1 tsp coriander
- 1/4 tsp red pepper flakes
- 1 cup dry lentils
- 28 oz can of crushed tomatoes
- 2 cups vegetable stock
- 1 cup water
- 1/2 cup Natural Delights Medjool Dates, chopped
- 1/2 lemon
- Coconut milk or dairy free yogurt, for garnish
- Chopped cilantro, for garnish
Instructions
- Heat olive oil in a large Dutch oven or stock pot over medium heat. Add onion, celery, and carrot, and cook stirring for 3 minutes.
- Add garlic, cinnamon, salt, cumin, coriander, and red pepper flakes, and stir for 1 minute until fragrant.
- Pour in dry lentils with crushed tomatoes, vegetable stock, and water. Increase the heat to bring to a boil, then turn down the heat to medium low to simmer for 30 minutes until the lentils are cooked and the stew is thickened to your liking. Add more vegetable stock if you want a thinner consistency.
- Add Medjool dates and simmer for 1 more minute until softened.
- Remove from heat and squeeze in half of a lemon. Taste to add more salt, if needed.
- Serve garnished with coconut milk or yogurt, and/or cilantro.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
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This was phenomenal! I added 1/2 tsp more of each spice and used whole tomatoes, crushed with my hands instead. But I literally cannot get enough of this stew!! Then paired with a slice of crusty GF bread—outstanding!
So glad you enjoyed it!! Love the adjustments you made as well.
This great! The only thing that I changed was that I had some date paste (instead of whole dates) so I used a half a cup of that instead. This was good even without any garnishes and I like the unexpected mild sweetness.