Gifts in a Jar: Moroccan Lentil and Tomato Soup

Oh, do I have a treat for you! This Moroccan Lentil and Tomato Soup is flavorful, vegetarian, gluten free and “guaranteed” to bring you good fortune in the new year if you eat a big bowl on New Year’s Day.

Well, the last part is folklore, but these lentils were fabulous! The spice combination in this is amazing. It isn’t spicy hot, just incredibly flavorful.

I had planned to make my mom and in-laws jars of Lentil Soup Mix for Christmas so they would have an easy homemade meal for when they didn’t fee like cooking. But, I forgot to buy the barley. So, I had to decide: go back to the store or come up with another recipe with what I had on hand. I made the right choice.

The instructions below are to make it with fresh ingredients, but I also added the details for how I made them into a mix in a jar. I had to get a little creative because I didn’t want to force them to buy a jar of tomatoes or broth. Luckily, I had some sun dried tomatoes on hand and just pulverized those to a fine powder in my coffee grinder. You can buy dried tomato powder online, which is handy to have in the cupboard (affiliate link!).

Turmeric can be a bit expensive, but it absolutely makes this dish! Plus, it is reputed to be quite good for you.

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Moroccan Lentil and Tomato Soup

Moroccan Lentil and Tomato Soup is a healthy lentil soup loaded with flavorful spices. Includes instructions to pack it into a mason jar as a gift.

Ingredients

• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1 cup onion diced
• 1/2 cup celery diced
• 4 cloves garlic minced
• 1 teaspoon ground cumin
• 1 teaspoon coriander
• 1 teaspoon turmeric
• 1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
• 1 can diced tomatoes 28 ounce size
• 1 quart broth chicken or vegetable
• water or additional broth as desired for thickness of soup

Instructions

1. In a large soup pot, heat olive oil over medium heat. Saute onions, celery and garlic until onions begin to turn translucent. Add spices and heat for 1 minute.
2. Add remaining ingredients and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer until lentils are soft, about 20 – 25 minutes.
3. Add more water or broth if you want it soupier.

Recipe Notes

To make a jar of soup mix for gift giving, add the following to a clean and dry pint jar:

1 bag lentils
2 tablespoons dehydrated onions
1 tablespoon dehydrated celery

Combine the following in a small bag and attach to jar:

2 bullion cubes and 3 tablespoons dehydrated tomato powder (or 1 package dry tomato soup mix)
2 teaspoon garlic powder
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1 teaspoon coriander
1 teaspoon turmeric
1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon pepper

Add instructions: Combine contents of jar with 4-6 cups of water, bring to a boil and simmer until lentils are tender, about 20 -25 minutes. Add additional water if desired.

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Until next time, happy eating.
~Audrey