This easy Moroccan spiced lamb chili is a classic comforting all-in-one meal elevated with fragrant Moroccan spices, tender ground lamb, and seasonal veggies! You only need one pot and about 30 minutes to make it.
And if you enjoy this recipe, you'll love my satisfying Texas chili mac, too!
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Featured Reader Review
★★★★★
"This recipe won me a local chili cook-off. The only significant change was instead of the chili powder and red pepper flakes I used 1 tablespoon of Harissa paste from a local middle-eastern market."
-Avi
❤️ Why You'll Love this Recipe
One Pot - This Moroccan spiced chili is a simple one-pot recipe that you'll want to make again and again! Everything cooks together for simplicity and easy cleanup.
Nourishing, Flavorful Ingredients mean this chili not only tastes good but is also good for you. No funny business, just whole foods that will satisfy you and feed your soul!
Well Seasoned - Anyone talking about how to make good chili would likely tell you there's some unthinkable secret ingredient to make their chili, but I'm not stingy with details. I'm here to help you! So what's the secret to making good chili from scratch? It's the seasoning!
What You'll Need for this Recipe
Ground Lamb takes the place of ground beef or venison in this chili.
Crushed Tomatoes create the thick texture we expect from chili. You could also use fresh tomatoes but they will take longer to cook to achieve the same texture and flavor.
Moroccan Spices transform this chili from basic to full of smoky, spicy, and warm flavors.
Check out the recipe card below for full ingredients list, measurements, nutrition facts, and step-by-step instructions!
What are Moroccan spices?
Moroccan cuisine is known for well-rounded spice blends. Ras el hanout is a famous Moroccan spice mixture that's made up of 27 different spices. There's also Harissa, which is made with dried chiles, garlic, cumin, caraway, and coriander.
Here's my Moroccan spice blend for chili:
- Black Pepper
- Chili Powder
- Cinnamon
- Coriander
- Cumin
- Ginger
- Smoked Paprika
- Turmeric
👉🏾 We love Moroccan spices around here, so I use them on harissa lamb meatballs, grilled chicken skewers, roasted Moroccan chicken and veggies, and my super popular slow cooker tagine with preserved citrus!
Substitutions & Variations
Chickpeas are an excellent addition to Moroccan chili for extra fiber, texture, and nutrients.
Greens - Chop up collard greens or kale, or another hardy green like chard for this recipe.
Sweetener - I add a tablespoon or two of brown sugar to this chili to balance any bitterness from the greens and tomatoes, and love the subtle touch of molasses sweetness it provides. But you can use honey, maple syrup, or whatever sweetener you like.
Vegan or Vegetarian - Use vegetable broth and your favorite plant-based meat crumbles to make vegetarian or vegan Moroccan chili.
How to Make Moroccan Spiced Chili
- Step One: Cook the lamb, onions, and garlic with spices.
- Step Two: Remove the cooked meat, then cook the sweet potato and collards.
Pro Tip #1
I like to use a meat-mashing spatula to quickly and easily break up ground meat.
- Step Three: Add back the lamb meat plus mushrooms, broth, and crushed tomatoes, then bring to a boil.
- Step Four: Cover and simmer for about 25 minutes.
Pro Tip #2
This recipe makes a very thick chili, so if you prefer yours thinner, add more beef broth or water during step three.
- Step Five: Remove from heat and give the chili a final stir before serving.
Frequently Asked Questions
No, traditional chili does not have beans in it. But for a vegetable chili, swapping in beans for the meat is a great way to include enough protein. Just know that chili purists would say it's now technically a stew and not a chili.
Chili is one of those dishes that gets better with time. You can make your chili up to four days ahead of time and store in the fridge.
Store warm (not piping hot) chili in an airtight container and refrigerate. Chili will keep for up to five days.
To freeze, transfer the chili to an airtight container with at least two inches of space between the top of the chili and the lid to allow for any expansion. Keeps for up to six months.
How to Serve
A bowl of this lamb chili with Moroccan spices simply must be accompanied by a piece of homemade cornbread (a corner piece, if you're like me), so make sure to have that on deck! Even better if you slather some honey and harissa over top.
You can also garnish your chili with a squeeze of lemon and a bit of fresh mint, which are both mainstay flavors of Moroccan cooking.
Why this Chili is PCOS Friendly
Spices like cinnamon, coriander, and turmeric provide folate, antioxidants, and other boosts that support improved insulin sensitivity and reduced inflammation (Health Shots). And dark leafy greens like collard greens are great for liver detoxification, and provide vitamins, minerals, and fiber, which support digestion (Healthline).
Pulses or legumes like chickpeas contain d-chiro-inositol and are a fiber and protein rich lower GI carbohydrate (pcos.com) so they make a great substitute or complement to the sweet potatoes in this recipe. If you don't have sweet potato on hand, try making this a Moroccan chickpea chili recipe!
Using organic ingredients and quality grass-fed beef or lamb in your chili is best as they have fewer excess hormones and hormone-disrupting agents, as well as a better ratio of omega-6 to omega-3 fatty acids.
If you're looking for a hormone-healthy chili, this is it! Check out my full PCOS-friendly recipe collection for more good eats.
More Favorite Soup Recipes
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I hope you enjoy endless steaming bowls of Moroccan chili soon and very soon. And sharing is caring, so be sure to pin this ground lamb chili recipe for later and follow me over on Pinterest. Thanks for reading!
📖 Recipe
Moroccan Spiced Lamb Chili
Equipment
- 1 knife
- 1 deep pot or Dutch oven
Ingredients
- olive oil
- ½ yellow onion diced
- 3 cloves garlic minced
- 1 pound ground lamb
- 2-3 teaspoons kosher salt
- ½ teaspoon black pepper
- ½ tablespoon ground ginger
- ½ tablespoon cinnamon
- ½ tablespoon cumin
- ½ tablespoon smoked paprika
- ½ teaspoon coriander
- 1 teaspoon chili powder
- ½ teaspoon turmeric
- 1-2 tablespoons brown sugar
- crushed red pepper to taste
- 3-4 collard green leaves de-stemmed and chopped
- 1 sweet potato peeled and diced
- 28 ounces crushed tomatoes
- 2 cups beef broth
- 3 baby bella mushrooms chopped
Instructions
- Add about 1 tablespoon olive oil to a large saucepan or dutch oven over medium-high heat. Add in onion, garlic, ground lamb, and spices. Break up ground lamb with spoon and stir to evenly incorporate spices.olive oil, ½ yellow onion, 3 cloves garlic, 1 pound ground lamb, 2-3 teaspoons kosher salt, ½ teaspoon black pepper, ½ tablespoon ground ginger, ½ tablespoon cinnamon, ½ tablespoon cumin, ½ tablespoon smoked paprika, ½ teaspoon coriander, 1 teaspoon chili powder, ½ teaspoon turmeric, 1-2 tablespoons brown sugar, crushed red pepper
- Cook until ground lamb is browned through and onion and garlic are fragrant (about 8 minutes).
- Remove ground lamb from pot and add a bit more olive oil followed by chopped collard greens and diced sweet potato. Saute for about three minutes then add add back cooked ground lamb plus crushed tomato, broth, and mushrooms to pot.2 cups beef broth, 28 ounces crushed tomatoes, 3-4 collard green leaves, 1 sweet potato, 3 baby bella mushrooms
- Bring chili to a boil then reduce heat to low. Cover pot and simmer for about 25 minutes.
- Remove from heat and serve hot, preferably with cornbread!
Avi says
This recipe won me a local chili cook-off. The only significant change was instead of the chili powder and red pepper flakes I used 1 tablespoon of Harissa paste from a local middle-eastern market. I've made it twice and the first time I used ground lamb leg, which came out pretty well except it was a bit watery and I used some corn starch to thicken it back up. The 2nd time (the batch that won) I just used "regular" ground lamb which was fattier. It ended up being much cheaper and was thicker.
Jazzmine Woodard says
Hi, Avi! Thanks for your note, and congratulations on the cook-off win. So glad you enjoyed this chili recipe.
Anna G says
Could I replace the collard greens with kale (added later in the procès)? I have never cooked with collard greens before and I’m not familiar with their taste and texture. I’ll probably add some chickpeas and harissa when I make it soon for a cider press party.
Jazz says
Hi, Anna. I encourage you to try out the collards in this recipe, as the texture is nearly identical to kale but they aren't as bitter. Chickpeas and harissa would be a great addition!
Taneisha says
This recipe turned out amazing, so glad I found it! I loved the addition of Collard Greens, any chance I get to include them in a meal, I do...so this was great!
Chenée Lewis says
The veggies and spices in this chili were such a welcome treat, and so full of flavor! My new favorite chili recipe!!!
Capri says
I love that this chili is loaded with veggies! The flavors are absolutely perfect! I am definitely making this again! Thanks for the recipe
Barry J. says
There's so much that I love about this recipe. First off, I'm surprised that I had all of the spices on hand to whip this up. Second, I was hesitant about adding in both the mushrooms and the sweet potatoes, but they were a very pleasant surprise. Lastly, Jiffy is always my go to for cornbread because I'm too lazy to attempt to make it from scratch. Glad to hear that I'm not the only one. Thanks so much for this amazing recipe!
Samiah Nicole says
This chili is definitely a crowd pleaser. Soooo yummy!!!
Immaculate Ruému says
A really good spice mix made the chilli extra hearty. Delicious and perfect for the winter season
Britney says
This recipe took me back to 2013 when I visit Casablanca and Marrakech! The flavors came together so deliciously, I loved every spoon full!
Robin says
The Middle Eastern spices are what made this the best chili ever!
Uncle Bert says
You had me at coriander and cumin. I have a Moroccan co-worker that I'm about to surprise with this recipe! I agree that chili should be able to stand alone without beans!
Marta says
I've started using Pre meats recently and I'm floored by the quality! This Moroccan spiced beef chili was just what I needed last night as the temperatures dropped here! Perfectly spiced and warm.
Tamara says
As soon as the temperatures dropped, I knew it was time to make this chili! It is absolutely delicious, and has become one of my families favorites!