Why This Recipe Works

For our version of this classic Moroccan soup, we carefully reduced the ingredient list and altered the technique to deliver harira's warm flavors in less time. Using canned chickpeas rather than dried saved about 2 hours of cooking time, and we pared down the number of spices to a key five that are available in most supermarkets. Using large amounts of just two herbs made for quicker prep. Finishing the dish with fresh lemon juice helped focus all the flavors.

Before You Begin

For a vegetarian version, substitute vegetable broth for the chicken broth. We like to garnish this soup with a small amount of harissa, a North African chile paste, which you can find in some supermarkets or make using our recipe.

Instructions

Heat oil in large Dutch oven over medium-high heat until shimmering. Add onion and celery and cook, stirring frequently, until translucent and starting to brown, 7 to 8 minutes. Reduce heat to medium, add garlic and ginger, and cook until fragrant, 1 minute. Stir in coriander, paprika, cumin, cinnamon, and pepper flakes and cook for 1 minute. Stir in ½ cup cilantro and ¼ cup parsley and cook for 1 minute.

Stir in broth, water, chickpeas, and lentils; increase heat to high and bring to simmer. Reduce heat to medium-low, partially cover, and gently simmer until lentils are just tender, about 20 minutes.

Stir in tomatoes and pasta and simmer, partially covered, for 7 minutes, stirring occasionally. Stir in chard and continue to cook, partially covered, until pasta is tender, about 5 minutes longer. Off heat, stir in lemon juice, remaining ¼ cup cilantro, and remaining ¼ cup parsley. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Serve, passing lemon wedges separately.