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- Prep
- 15 min
- Cook
- 50 min
- Serves
- 4
Moroccan lentil soup, l'adas (also written addis), is brown or green lentils simmered with onion, garlic, tomato, cumin, paprika, ginger and olive oil until soft and spoonable, then finished with fresh herbs and lemon. It is naturally vegan, uses pantry staples, and takes about 15 minutes of prep and 50 minutes on the stove, mostly unattended. It is not harira: no chickpeas, no meat, no flour slurry, just lentils in a well-spiced tomato broth with bread on the side.
In Morocco l'adas is everyday home food, often cooked thick enough to scoop up with bread. The version below is a little looser, so it eats like a soup on a cold weeknight. Cook it less or blend part of it if you want the thicker style.
At a glance
| Serves | 4 (about 1.8 L / 7½ cups) |
| Prep | 15 minutes, no soaking |
| Cook | 50 minutes |
| Lentils | Brown or green (whole), not split red |
| Diet | Vegan, gluten-free (serve with gluten-free bread if needed) |
| Difficulty | Easy |
Ingredients
| Ingredient | Metric | US |
|---|---|---|
| Brown or green lentils | 250 g | 1¼ cups |
| Olive oil | 45 ml, plus extra to serve | 3 tbsp, plus extra to serve |
| Onion, grated or finely chopped | 1 large (about 200 g) | 1 large (7 oz) |
| Garlic, grated | 4 cloves | 4 cloves |
| Carrot, finely diced (optional) | 1 medium (about 100 g) | 1 medium (3.5 oz) |
| Ripe tomatoes, grated | 2 (about 300 g), or 400 g canned crushed | 2 (10.5 oz), or 14 oz can crushed |
| Tomato paste | 15 g | 1 tbsp |
| Ground cumin | 2 tsp, plus a pinch to serve | 2 tsp, plus a pinch to serve |
| Sweet paprika | 2 tsp | 2 tsp |
| Ground ginger | 1 tsp | 1 tsp |
| Ground turmeric | ½ tsp | ½ tsp |
| Black pepper | ¼ tsp | ¼ tsp |
| Cayenne or chili flakes (optional) | ¼–½ tsp | ¼–½ tsp |
| Water | 1.5 L, plus more as needed | 6 cups, plus more as needed |
| Salt | 1½ tsp, plus more to taste | 1½ tsp, plus more to taste |
| Fresh cilantro, chopped | 15 g | ¼ cup |
| Fresh flat-leaf parsley, chopped | 15 g | ¼ cup |
| Lemon wedges, to serve | 1 lemon | 1 lemon |
Instructions
- Rinse the lentils. Pick them over for small stones, then rinse in a sieve until the water runs clear.
- Soften the onion. Heat the olive oil in a large pot (at least 3 L / 3 qt) over medium heat. Cook the onion for 5 minutes, stirring, until soft and translucent. Grating the onion makes it melt into the broth.
- Bloom the spices. Add the garlic and carrot and cook 1 minute. Add the cumin, paprika, ginger, turmeric, black pepper and cayenne and stir for 30 seconds, just until fragrant. Paprika burns quickly, so don't leave it longer.
- Cook the tomato. Add the tomatoes and tomato paste. Cook for 4 minutes, stirring, until the tomato darkens slightly and the oil starts to separate at the edges.
- Simmer. Add the lentils, the water and half the herbs. Bring to a boil, then lower the heat and simmer, partly covered, for 30 to 40 minutes, stirring now and then, until the lentils are completely tender and creamy inside. Older lentils take longer. If the pot gets too thick, add a splash of hot water.
- Salt and thicken. Stir in the salt for the last 10 minutes. For a thicker, creamier body without flour, blend about a third of the soup (a stick blender straight in the pot is easiest) and stir it back in.
- Finish. Taste for salt, add the rest of the herbs, and serve hot with a drizzle of olive oil, a pinch of cumin, lemon wedges and bread.
Bread is part of the dish: crusty bread, khobz or msemen all work for scooping.
Moroccan lentil soup vs harira
People searching for "Moroccan lentil soup" often land on harira recipes, and harira does contain lentils. But it is a different, bigger dish. Harira is built on lentils and chickpeas, a large amount of cilantro, parsley and celery, usually a little lamb, beef or chicken, rice or broken vermicelli, and tadouira, a flour-and-water slurry stirred in at the end for a silky body. It is closely tied to breaking the fast in Ramadan.
| L'adas (this recipe) | Harira | |
|---|---|---|
| Legumes | Lentils only | Lentils and chickpeas (sometimes fava beans) |
| Meat | None | Usually a little lamb, beef or chicken (optional) |
| Herbs | A handful, to finish | Two big bunches plus celery |
| Thickening | The lentils themselves (blend a third if you like) | Tadouira flour slurry, plus rice or vermicelli |
| Time | About 1 hour | About 2 hours, plus soaking for dried chickpeas |
| When | Any weeknight | Ramadan iftar and winter |
If you want the full Ramadan soup, follow our harira recipe. If you want something on the table tonight from a bag of lentils and a can of tomatoes, make this.
Which lentils to use
Whole brown and green lentils keep their skins, so they hold their shape while the broth around them thickens. Split red lentils have their husks removed and break down into a purée, and they cook much faster.
| Lentil | Approximate simmer time | Result |
|---|---|---|
| Brown or green (whole) | 30–40 minutes | Lentils hold their shape in a thick broth. The classic choice. |
| Pardina or small Spanish brown | 25–35 minutes | Same style, slightly firmer |
| French green (Puy type) | 35–45 minutes | Stay very distinct; a thinner soup |
| Split red | 15–20 minutes | Smooth, orange purée. Use 1.25 L (5 cups) water. Good, but closer to a Turkish-style lentil soup than to l'adas |
Pressure cooker: after step 4, add the lentils and only 1.2 L (5 cups) water, cook 20 minutes at high pressure and let the pressure drop naturally for 5 minutes. Then salt, finish and adjust the thickness with water.
Substitutions for cooks abroad
| If you don't have | Use | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Fresh ripe tomatoes | 400 g (14 oz) canned crushed tomatoes | Out of season, canned tastes better |
| Sweet paprika | 1 extra tsp cumin + 1 tsp tomato paste | Less red colour, still good |
| Cilantro | All parsley | Fine for anyone who dislikes cilantro |
| Ground ginger | 1 tsp grated fresh ginger | Add it with the garlic |
| Ras el hanout fans | ½ tsp ras el hanout instead of the ginger | Not traditional in everyday l'adas, but warming |
| Brown lentils | Green lentils or pardina | Avoid split red unless you want a purée |
In Japan, look for lentils (レンズ豆) at import food shops or online if your supermarket doesn't carry them. Choose whole green or brown ones rather than split red.
Mistakes to avoid
| Mistake | What happens | Fix |
|---|---|---|
| Frying the spices too long | Bitter, burnt paprika | 30 seconds, then add the tomatoes |
| Boiling hard | Lentils burst and stick to the bottom | Gentle simmer, lid partly on, stir now and then |
| Stopping when the lentils are just "done" | Chalky centres, thin broth | Cook until they are creamy inside |
| Skipping the finish | Flat, heavy taste | Olive oil, a pinch of cumin, herbs and lemon at the table |
| Not tasting after reheating | Bland, thick leftovers | Thin with water, then re-salt |
Make ahead and storage
The soup tastes even better the next day, once the spices settle. Keep it covered in the fridge for up to 4 days or freeze it in portions for up to 3 months. It thickens a lot as it cools; add hot water when reheating, bring it back to a simmer and check the salt and lemon. A thick leftover pot is also good the Moroccan way: warmed as a stew and eaten with bread.
Recipe card
Moroccan Lentil Soup (L'adas): Vegan Weeknight Recipe
- Prep
- 15 min
- Cook
- 50 min
- Serves
- 4
Ingredients
- 250 g (1 1/4 cups) brown or green lentils
- 3 tbsp (45 ml) olive oil, plus extra to serve
- 1 large onion (about 200 g / 7 oz), grated or finely chopped
- 4 garlic cloves, grated
- 1 medium carrot (about 100 g / 3.5 oz), finely diced (optional)
- 2 ripe tomatoes (about 300 g / 10.5 oz), grated, or 1 can (400 g / 14 oz) crushed tomatoes
- 1 tbsp (15 g) tomato paste
- 2 tsp ground cumin, plus a pinch to serve
- 2 tsp sweet paprika
- 1 tsp ground ginger
- 1/2 tsp ground turmeric
- 1/4 tsp ground black pepper
- 1/4–1/2 tsp cayenne or chili flakes (optional)
- 1.5 L (6 cups) water, plus more as needed
- 1 1/2 tsp salt, plus more to taste
- 15 g (1/4 cup) chopped fresh cilantro
- 15 g (1/4 cup) chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
- 1 lemon, cut into wedges, to serve
Method
- 1Pick over the lentils for small stones, then rinse them in a sieve until the water runs clear.
- 2Heat the olive oil in a large pot (at least 3 L / 3 qt) over medium heat. Cook the onion for 5 minutes, stirring, until soft and translucent.
- 3Add the garlic and carrot and cook 1 minute. Add the cumin, paprika, ginger, turmeric, black pepper and cayenne and stir for 30 seconds, until fragrant.
- 4Add the tomatoes and tomato paste. Cook 4 minutes, stirring, until the tomato darkens slightly and the oil starts to separate.
- 5Add the lentils, the water and half the herbs. Bring to a boil, then lower the heat and simmer, partly covered, for 30 to 40 minutes, stirring now and then, until the lentils are completely tender. Add a splash of water if it gets too thick.
- 6Stir in the salt for the last 10 minutes. For a thicker, creamier body, blend about a third of the soup and stir it back in.
- 7Taste for salt, add the rest of the herbs and serve hot with a drizzle of olive oil, a pinch of cumin, lemon wedges and bread.
FAQ
Is Moroccan lentil soup the same as harira?
No. Harira contains lentils, but it also has chickpeas, lots of cilantro, parsley and celery, often a little meat, rice or vermicelli, and a flour slurry (tadouira) that thickens it. L'adas is just lentils in a spiced tomato broth.
Do I need to soak the lentils?
No. Brown and green lentils cook in 30 to 40 minutes without soaking. Soaking for a couple of hours shortens the time a little but is not needed on a weeknight.
Can I use red lentils?
Yes, but you get a different soup. Split red lentils break down into a smooth purée in 15 to 20 minutes. Use 1.25 L (5 cups) water and blend it if you like it very smooth.
Can I freeze Moroccan lentil soup?
Yes, for up to 3 months. It keeps 4 days in the fridge. It thickens as it cools, so add water when reheating and check the salt.
