Harira
Moroccan tomato, lentil, and chickpea soup with herbs.
Ingredients
- 150 g Puy lentils
- 1 tin Chickpeas
- 400 g Canned tomatoes
- 1 Onion
- 2 Celery
- 4 tbsp Cilantro
- 1 tbsp Ras el hanout
- 1200 ml Vegetable stock
- 3 tbsp Extra-virgin olive oil
- 1 tsp Salt
- 4 tbsp Parsley (optional)
Method
- Chop the onion and celery.
- Soften the onion and celery in the olive oil, then stir in the ras el hanout and cook about a minute until fragrant.
- Add the canned tomatoes, lentils, chickpeas, stock, and salt and simmer until the lentils are soft, about 30 minutes.
- Stir in the chopped cilantro and parsley off the heat.
- Ladle into bowls and serve with lemon and bread.
Tap “Start cooking” for live timers that flag what to get ahead on while something simmers.
About Harira
Harira is Morocco's signature soup, a hearty pottage of tomato, lentils, and chickpeas famously eaten to break the fast during Ramadan, though it's beloved year-round. This version keeps it fully plant-based, building body from Puy lentils and chickpeas simmered in a tomato base and stock, with a generous finish of fresh cilantro and parsley stirred in off the heat. The spice comes from ras el hanout, the layered North African blend that gives harira its warm, aromatic complexity in a single stroke.
Blooming the ras el hanout in oil with the softened onion and celery before the tomatoes go in is what wakes up its fragrance and threads the spice through the whole pot. What results is thick, tangy, and deeply savory, the lentils breaking down to lend the soup its characteristic near-creamy body while the chickpeas hold their shape. Herbs added at the end keep everything bright against the richness. Served with a squeeze of lemon and bread for dunking, it's a filling, high-fiber meal that scales easily to feed a crowd and tastes even better the next day.
Harira: frequently asked questions
How many calories are in Harira?
A serving has about 275 calories — 12.4g protein, 37.7g carbs, 9.3g fat, 8.2g fiber. Figures are estimated from the ingredient amounts and will shift with your portions and brands.
Is Harira gluten-free?
Based on its ingredients, Harira has no gluten-containing components, so it's naturally gluten-free — as always, check that any packaged ingredients you use are certified gluten-free to be safe.
How long does Harira take to make?
About 50 minutes start to finish, but only around 14 of those are hands-on — the rest is largely unattended cooking time you can step away from. In the Homecooked app the timers and parallel steps are sequenced for you so the hands-on part feels even shorter.
Do I need every ingredient to make Harira?
The core ingredients are essential, but you can leave out parsley — it's optional and mainly there for extra flavor or finish.
How many servings does Harira make?
This recipe makes 6 servings. In the app you can scale it up or down and the ingredient amounts adjust automatically.