Vegetarian Couscous Soup
This Couscous Soup is a hearty and healthy vegetarian soup that features four different kinds of vegetables and pearl couscous. It's easy to make in one pot and filled with rich and warming flavors from harissa, cumin, and ginger.
Servings: 5 servings
Calories: 308kcal
Equipment
- microplane optional
- Dutch Oven 4-quart or larger
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil or another neutral oil
- 1 medium red bell pepper diced
- 1 small sweet yellow onion finely diced
- 2 whole carrots roughly chopped
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt adjust to taste
- 4 ounces finely shredded kale about 4 cups
- 3 tablespoons harissa see note #1
- 3 cloves garlic grated into a paste
- 1 inch ginger grated into a paste
- 1 ½ teaspoons ground cumin
- 1 teaspoon paprika
- 5 cups vegetable broth see note #3
- 1 (14.5) ounce can diced tomatoes
- 1 (15) ounce can chickpeas drained and rinsed
- ⅛ teaspoon cinnamon
- 1 cup pearl couscous see note #4
- 2 tablespoons lemon juice from ~1 small lemon
- freshly ground black pepper to taste
Instructions
- Start by heating a 4-quart Dutch oven or soup pot over medium heat. Drizzle with olive oil. Once hot, add in the diced pepper, onion, carrot, and salt. Cook until the onion is softened and turning golden at the edges, about 6 to 8 minutes.
- Stir in the finely shredded kale, harissa, garlic, ginger, cumin, and paprika. Saute for 2 to 3 minutes, until the kale is wilted and vivid green and the ginger and garlic are aromatic. Stir frequently to avoid burning.
- Pour in the vegetable broth, can of tomatoes, chickpeas, and cinnamon. Bring to a rapid simmer over medium-high heat.
- Once simmering, stir in the pearl couscous. Cook at medium-high heat until the couscous is tender, just about 6 to 8 minutes.
- Reduce heat to low. Stir in lemon juice and freshly ground black pepper. Taste for seasonings and salt. Enjoy!
Notes
- Harissa: Available at most large grocery stores in the International aisle. Choose mild or spicy based on personal preference. If unable to find harissa, an equal amount of chili garlic sauce is a good substitute; note that chili garlic sauce spiciness varies widely by brand.
- Ginger and garlic: I recommend using fresh ginger and garlic. I use a microplane or the smallest holes on a box grater to grate ginger and garlic to a paste, which allows it to distribute in the soup more evenly.
- Pearl couscous is not the same as couscous. I do not recommend using regular couscous in this recipe as it requires a different cook time and has a very different texture.
- Vegetable broth: For the most flavorful and cost-effective vegetable broth, I recommend vegetable bouillon dissolved in water. Better than Bouillon vegetable base is my favorite.
- Kale cook time: Kale is added to the soup at the beginning so that it is tender instead of chewy. For vivid and chewy kale, add it to the soup at the same time as the lemon juice.
- Leftovers: Best within 3 to 4 days. Let the soup cool to room temperature before transferring to an airtight container in the fridge.
Nutrition
Calories: 308kcal | Carbohydrates: 55g | Protein: 12g | Fat: 6g | Saturated Fat: 1g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 3g | Sodium: 642mg | Potassium: 603mg | Fiber: 10g | Sugar: 8g | Vitamin A: 3404IU | Vitamin C: 66mg | Calcium: 151mg | Iron: 4mg
