We’re in the thick of fall. I can feel it in my toes. No, really. Whenever I wake up in the morning, all I want to do is wrap myself in my purple knitted cardigan and slip on my purple fuzzy moccasins. Yes, the color of royalty is my favorite because I’m royyyyal . . .
Alright, maybe not. Though sometimes, I daydream about descending from a line of ancient Chinese royalty. We just don’t know about it yet. A girl can dream.
When the weather gets colder, what’s your go-to dish to keep you warm? For me, it’s soups and stews. I love the feeling of warmth that permeates the kitchen as a pot of soup simmers away on my stove. Of course, the same effect could be achieved by baking, but sometimes, even the oven needs a break.
There was a nice bottle of harissa that lurked within the depths of my pantry drawer for a long time. I have a thing with impulse purchases. I spy an intriguing sauce or spice blend at the supermarket, throw it into my cart, shove it into one of my kitchen drawers, and all is forgotten. Those newfangled sauces and spices never see the light of day until I orchestrate a major kitchen cleaning. Do you have same problem? Admit it, you do.
Well, it was high time to crack open that jar of harissa and make magic happen. (Side note: Not even Popeye could open that jar of harissa without some assistance! So I wrapped a rubber band around the lid of the jar, twisted, and tada . . . crisis averted. Try that trick the next time you are trying to pry open a stubborn jar.)
I’ve been eating this Moroccan beef chili for three days straight. If you’re looking to try a new chili recipe, look no further!
Moroccan Beef Chili
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 TBS olive oil
- 1/2 large yellow onion, diced
- 1 TBS minced fresh ginger, about a 1″ piece
- 4 garlic cloves, minced or pressed
- 1 lb/450g lean ground beef
- 2 large carrots, peeled and chopped
- 1 28-ounce can (800g) diced tomatoes
- 1 large pepper, diced
- 1 cup (240ml) chicken stock
- 5 TBS mild harissa, or 3 to 4 TBS spicy harissa
- 1 TBS cumin
- 1 TBS cinnamon
- 2 tsp paprika
- 1 15-ounce can (425g) garbanzo beans, drained and rinsed
- 3 cups chopped collard greens, about 4 leaves
- salt to taste, I used 1 TBS kosher salt
- 1/2 cup (10g) cilantro, chopped (optional)
Instructions
- Heat the olive oil in a medium pot over medium-high heat. Once the pan is hot, add the onions, ginger, and garlic.
- Stir everything for about a minute or two, and add the beef. Let it cook until it is no longer bright pink. Add the carrots, tomatoes (including the juice), and pepper, and let it cook for a few minutes. Pour in the chicken stock, and add the harissa, cumin, cinnamon, and paprika.
- Once the liquids start to boil, reduce the heat to medium-low and add the garbanzo beans, collard greens, and salt. Let everything simmer for about 15 to 20 minutes. The chili should look thicker than what you started out with.
- Turn off the heat and mix in most of the cilantro, saving some for garnish. Let it cool for a few minutes before serving. The flavors develop more if you let the chili sit for a bit!
Liz @ Floating Kitchen says
Your royalty in my eyes, Lisa! This soup looks perfect for chilly weather. I’ve been totally obsessed with harissa for the past year. So yeah I’m digging this!
Lisa says
Harissa has definitely been one of those things I see everywhere, but I never bothered to cook too much with it!
Maggie says
Great to learn the ingredients about harissa and the beef chili looks so hearty. Beijing is entering winter and I definitely need a bowl of this now! The ingredients list a bit long, but the steps are so simple. Will try out this soon 🙂
Lisa says
I think the coldest weather I’ve experienced was when I was in Beijing several years ago for New Years’ Eve! I just wanted to take the cab everywhere! I know, there are a lot of ingredients in this, but they go so well together! If you try this out/make some modifications to the recipe, let me know!
Rebecca @ Strength and Sunshine says
Harssia rocks! So spicy and flavorful! Nothing like adding it to a comforting chili!
Lisa says
I know, I love that it’s spicy and a tad sour at the same time!
Marissa | Pinch and Swirl says
We just discovered Harissa last year and I love it! We made an aioli to slather on lamb burgers, but I’ve never tried it in soup. I can’t get enough soup / stew this time of year and this one looks just right. Bookmarked. Thanks, Lisa!
Lisa says
YUM! Harissa in aioli sounds amazing! I need to give that a try soon!
[email protected]'s Recipes says
This is warming and soul-satisfyingly delicious!
Lisa says
Thanks, Angie!
Jessica @ Nutritioulicious says
I’m with you on soups and stews when the weather gets cold. Actually making veggie chili tonight!
Lisa says
Oh nice! I love how comforting chilis are during this time of the year!
Alice @ Hip Foodie Mom says
My go-to dishes to keep me warm are most certainly soups and stews!! I love this chili and LOVE the harissa!!
Lisa says
Yay, I’m not the only one who loves to eat soups and stews to stay warm!
Julia says
Harissa in chili is absolutely genius! I never would have thought of that and I’m jonesing to try it! I have harissa in my cupboard, so I’m game to make this over the weekend. UGH it looks so comforting and cozyyyyy!
Lisa says
YES! Do it! Let me know how it goes!
Sarah @ SnixyKitchen says
The way you describe the cooler weather and how you want a bowl of soup simmering on the stove…combined with the pictures of this hearty soup have made me text my husband to tell him “I want to make a stew-like soup for dinner tonight.” Before we’d talked about making pizza, but you’d wooed me into soup! I feel like I can smell the deliciousness of this soup already!
Lisa says
Hah! LOVE it! Instagram your stew if you haven’t done it already! (I’m just nosy and I want to know what my blogger friends are doing :P)
Juli says
What kind of pepper – bell pepper or something hotter?
Lisa Lin says
Thanks for catching that. I used a bell pepper for this.
D says
This was a fun alternative take on chili. I used hot harissa powder instead of paste. I used 2 tsp and that was plenty.
I also used my Instant Pot: Saute mode, followed by pressure cooking using the Stew mode (“short” timing), and then added the beans. Because I used the cooker, no liquid evaporated, so I thickened with a TBSP of cornstarch. Could have probably left out the stock for the same reason.
Everyone enjoyed the flavors.
Lisa Lin says
Thanks for the notes on cooking this in the Instant Pot!
Kelsey says
I made this tonight and it was such a hit! Will definitely be making this again and again! Delicious thanks.
Lisa Lin says
Thank you, Kelsey!
Merrian Bianculli says
This is delicious. I will try to make it subbing lentils for the beef next time just for a change of pace!
Lisa Lin says
Yes, it’s great with lentils, too!