Moroccan Mixed Bean Soup with Pasta

The calendar says that Spring officially arrived last evening. However, if you looked outside today, you might have seen a bunch of stuff coming out of the sky that my mother usually refers to as “That white sh!t”. I’m eager for the good weather but in the meantime, I have yummy, spicy soup to keep me warm. This recipe was sent in by iRun reader Isabelle. Mr. Shuffler whipped up a batch on Sunday and it was, as promised, easy to make and left us with lots of lunch-friendly leftovers. 

Moroccan Mixed Bean Soup with Pasta

Ingredients

• 1 tbsp olive oil
• 2 onions, chopped
• 2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
• 1 tbsp finely chopped fresh ginger root
• 1 tsp garam masala
• ½ tsp ground turmeric
• ¼ tsp cayenne
• ¾ cup dried red lentils, rinsed
• 1 28-oz can plum tomatoes, with juices
• 8 cups vegetable or chicken stock or water
• 1 can chickpeas
• 1 can white kidney beans
• ½ cup broken whole wheat or regular spaghetti
• 3 tbsp lemon juice
• ¼ tsp pepper
• Salt to taste
• 1/3 cup chopped fresh cilantro
• Pecorino or other cheese to garnish

Directions
• Heat oil in a large saucepan on medium heat. Add onions, garlic and ginger and cook gently
for a few minutes, or just until onions wilt.
• Add garam masala, turmeric and cayenne. Cook for 3 minutes. If mixture begins to stick or
burn, add ½ cup water.
• Stir in lentils, tomatoes and stock. Bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer gently for 20
minutes.
• Add chickpeas and beans and simmer for 20 minutes.
• Add spaghetti and cook for 15 minutes, or until pasta is very tender. Stir in lemon juice and
pepper. Taste and adjust seasonings, adding salt if necessary. Serve sprinkled with cilantro
and cheese.

Suggested wine pairings: any light, acidic red should do the trick. We had it with a French Beaujolais (made with the Gamay grape). I’d recommend Gamay, Pinot Noir or Merlot.