Chickpea and Spinach Harira

This Moroccan soup typically contains several cuts of meat but works equally well—and requires less time to prepare—in my vegetarian version, which becomes a main course with some crusty bread. Instead of the traditional method of thickening with flour, I use pastina, tiny pasta whose starch releases into the soup. I love tons of lemon here, but feel free to use less acid if you like.

Serves 8

Active Time: 30 minutes

Total Time: 1 hour 50 minutes (if using soaked chickpeas)

⅔ cup dried chickpeas,* or one 15-ounce can chickpeas, drained and rinsed

¼ cup extra-virgin olive oil

1 large onion, diced

2 medium carrots, diced

3 garlic cloves, finely minced

1 tablespoon finely minced fresh ginger

1½ teaspoons ground turmeric

1½ teaspoons ground cumin

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1 teaspoon Honey Harissa (or store-bought), plus more for serving

2 tablespoons tomato paste

7 cups vegetable broth

6 medium tomatoes, chopped, or two 14½-ounce cans diced tomatoes in juice

½ cup dried red lentils, picked over

2 tablespoons kosher salt, plus more to taste

1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper, plus more to taste

¼ teaspoon smoked paprika

⅓ cup pastina (tiny pasta), orzo, or broken vermicelli

6 cups baby spinach leaves

¼ cup freshly squeezed lemon juice

½ cup chopped fresh cilantro or parsley

In a large bowl, cover the chickpeas with at least 4 inches of water, cover the bowl, and soak for 10 to 12 hours at room temperature or for 24 hours in the refrigerator. Drain and rinse the chickpeas.

In a large (at least 5-quart) heavy pot, heat the olive oil over medium-high heat. Add the onions and carrots and cook, stirring occasionally, until the vegetables are tender and the onions are lightly golden, 9 to 10 minutes. Add the garlic, ginger, turmeric, cumin, cinnamon, and harissa and cook, stirring, until the spices are fragrant, 2 to 3 minutes. Add the tomato paste and cook, stirring, 2 more minutes. Add the broth, tomatoes, chickpeas, lentils, salt, pepper, and paprika; bring the liquid to a boil over medium-high heat, reduce the heat to low, and simmer, stirring once in a while, until the soup thickens as the lentils and chickpeas release their starch, 1 to 1½ hours. During the last 30 minutes of cooking, add the pastina to the soup, return to a boil, reduce the heat to low, and continue simmering, then add the spinach in handfuls until it wilts; 5 minutes before serving, add the lemon juice. Right before serving, stir in the cilantro and season with salt and pepper to taste.

*To quick-soak chickpeas, cover them with 3 inches cold water and bring the water to a boil over medium-high heat. Boil for 5 minutes, remove from the heat, and let the chickpeas sit in their hot water for 1 hour. Drain and proceed!