Morocco | Soup

Bessara

Name: Bessara
Prep time: 10 min
Cook time: 70 min
Total time: 80 min
Yield: 6 bowls
Cuisine: Morocco, North Africa
Ingredients: 2 cups dried split peas or peeled fava beans, rinsed; 5 cloves garlic; 2 tsp ground cumin; 1 tsp paprika; ¼ cup olive oil, plus more to serve; 7 cups water; salt and pepper, to taste

Moroccan fava bean or split pea soup pureed smooth and finished with olive oil, cumin, paprika, and bread.

Country

Morocco

Region

North Africa

Time

80 min

Serves

Level

easy

Start cooking Explore Morocco recipes

01 / Get ready

Everything you need

Tap each ingredient as you gather it. Illustrations are visual guides; follow the ingredient names and quantities.

Servings 6

Scale the dish before you shop, then use the checklist while you cook.

Jump to method My cookbook

Ingredients

For 6 bowls

Soup

2 cups dried split peas or peeled fava beans, rinsed 5 cloves garlic

Spices

2 tsp ground cumin 1 tsp paprika

Fat

¼ cup olive oil, plus more to serve

Liquid

7 cups water

Pantry

salt and pepper, to taste

A few kitchen essentials

Suggested from the recipe method. Use equivalent equipment you have.

Lidded pot

Blender

02 / Let’s cook

One step at a time

Keep the rhythm calm, watch the texture, and adjust seasoning at the end.

Back to Morocco

4 steps 10 min prep 70 min cook (check method) 80 min total easy

Cook legumes

Simmer split peas or fava beans with garlic and water until completely soft.

legumes 50:00

Blend smooth

Blend the soup until velvety, adding hot water if needed.

blend 05:00

Season

Return to the pot with cumin, paprika, olive oil, salt, and pepper. Simmer briefly.

season 10:00

Serve

Serve hot with more olive oil, cumin, and bread.

serve 02:00

Some versions use dried fava beans, others use split peas, and thickness ranges from soup to dip.

Cooking notes, photos & serving ideas

Recipe context

More about this dish

Serving ideas, regional context, and cooking cues for when you want more detail.

When to cook it

Best for breakfast, cold mornings, and simple vegetarian meals.. Plan on a easy cook. Allow about 80 minutes total.

What to serve alongside it

Khobz, olive oil, cumin, paprika, and olives.

Regional lane

Soups, salads, and dips. Harira, fava bean soup, cooked salads, and vegetable sides for bread-led meals.

Chef watch-outs

Stopping the base before the pepper, onion, or spice edge has mellowed.
Thinning the pot before the body of the soup or stew has developed.
Rushing the rest or fermentation period.

How you know it is ready

The sauce should coat the spoon and taste rounded, not watery or raw.
The bread or batter should smell pleasantly fermented, toasted, or nutty rather than floury.
The aroma should smell rounded rather than raw or sharp.

Pantry lane

preserved lemon, green olives, saffron, ras el hanout, semolina

Recipe photos

See the dish before you cook

Take a closer look at the dish and its serving ideas.

Bessara recipe from Morocco — Bessara finished dish

Chef board

Build the table around Bessara

Khobz, olive oil, cumin, paprika, and olives.

Best route from here

Soups, salads, and dips

Collections to keep cooking

Moroccan Salads, Soups, and Breads

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