If I had to pick one type of food that I would eat for all eternity I would pick soup. It drives the husband insane that I find soup a wonderful meal. This recipe I got from Cooking Light a few years ago in an article about North African cuisine. It calls for lamb but I just left that out and upped the amount of pasta.

Harira

1 T olive oil
1 cup chopped onion
1 T tomato paste
4 cups water
1 cup canned chickpeas
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon ground red pepper
2 cups chopped tomato
1/2 cup dried small red or brown lentils
1 chopped red bell pepper
1 tablespoon minched fresh cilantro
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice

Saute onion in oil. Stir in tomato paste, cook one minute, stirring frequently. Stir in water, chickpeas, cinnamon, and ground red pepper. Boil, reduce heat, and simmer 30 minutes. (I substituted canned white beans because I didn’t have chickpeas. I skipped this simmering because I figured the beans would get mushy.)

Stir in tomato, lentils, and bell pepper. Boil, reduce heat, and simmer 30 minutes or until lentils are tender.

Serve over cooked angel hair pasta. Garnish with cilantro and lemon juice if desired.