The secret of this delicious tomato couscous soup lies in the use of fresh, wholesome, local ingredients, and the simplest cooking method.
Inspired by Harira
This vegetarian tomato couscous soup is inspired by the traditional Moroccan dish called Harira, a culinary masterpiece that captures the essence of Moroccan cuisine.
Harira is more than just a soup; it’s a cultural emblem. In Morocco, it’s customary to break the fast during Ramadan with a bowl of Harira, accompanied by dates and chebakia (a honey-sesame cookie). This tradition underscores the soup’s role in nourishing the body and spirit after a day of fasting.
Recipe Highlights
- vegan
- easy to cook
- one pot meal
- wholesome and fulfilling
- rich in dietary fibre and protein
- does not require special equipments
Ingredients You’ll Need
- Legumes: Chickpeas add a hearty texture and boosting the couscous soup’s nutritional profile. If you are using canned chickpeas, rinse them before adding to the soup.
- Couscous: The star ingredient, pearl couscous, is a type of semolina pasta that soaks up the soup’s flavours beautifully. Pearl Couscous is very similar to pearl barley (off white, same size but round in shape). Do not use regular couscous for this soup recipe.
- Tomatoes: Fresh tomatoes and a good quality tomato paste form the soup’s base, imparting a tangy and slightly sweet flavour. Hence, making this couscous soup a perfect dish for tomato season like easy cherry tomato pasta or pasta caprese.
- Seasoning is simple consisting of salt, bay leaf, and pepper.
- Fresh Herbs like cilantro and basil are essential for aroma and subtle flavour.
- Vegetables: Onions, celery (I was out of it), garlic, and sometimes carrots, green peas, and zucchini add body and nutrition to the soup.
- Vegetable Stock instead of water gives lot of flavour and depth to the soup. If not available, add a stock cube along with water.
- Olive Oil to cook the soup.
How To Make Couscous Soup
Step 1: Preparing the Base
- Begin by heating a large stockpot over medium heat.
- Add olive oil, followed by finely chopped garlic, celery, bay leaf, and onion. Sauté until they are soft and translucent. No need to brown them.
Step 2: Adding Tomatoes
- Add diced tomatoes and tomato paste, vegetables, stock cube and cook for a 1 – 2 minutes, ensuring tomatoes start releasing their juices.
- At this stage, add the seasoning, and water/stock also.
Step 3: Simmering the Soup
- Add, boiled chickpeas, and couscous then reduce the heat to low.
- Cover the pot and let the soup simmer for 15 minutes, or until the couscous is cooked and absorbs all the flavour of soup.
Step 4: Adding Herbs
- Add chopped fresh herbs. Taste, the soup and if required add more seasoning.
Serving Suggestion
Tomato Couscous Soup is a gratifying meal in itself. All it needs is toasted artisanal bread slices to soak up all the flavours of the soup. You can serve it with a light summer salad or a quick vegetable stir fry for a balanced summer meal.
Store the leftovers in the refrigerator for 2 – 3 days and reheat on a stovetop or microwave. While reheating, add little bit of more stock or water if the soup seems thick.
More Soup Recipes
- Oats Soup
- Broccoli Soup
- Green Peas Soup
- Cauliflower Soup
- Minestrone Soup
- Creamy Corn Soup
- Vegetable Barley Soup
- Roasted Pumpkin Soup
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Tomato Couscous Soup Recipe
The secret of this delicious tomato couscous soup lies in the use of fresh, wholesome, local ingredients, and the simplest cooking method.
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Servings: 4
Calories: 228kcal
- stockpot or saucepan
Ingredients
- ½ Cup pearl couscous
- ½ Cup chickpeas (canned or pre cooked)
- 1 ½ tablespoon olive oil
- 1 bay leaf
- 1 teaspoon minced garlic
- 1 small size celery stalk, finely chopped
- 1 medium size onion, finely chopped
- 2 tablespoon tomato paste
- 8 – 10 cherry tomato cut into halves
- 1 Cup mixed vegetables (carrot, peas, zucchini)
- 1 litre vegetable stock or water combined with stock cube (get stock recipe)
- 1 teaspoon cooking salt or to taste
- ¼ teaspoon crushed black pepper or to taste
- Handful of fresh cilantro, chopped
- Handful of Italian basil leaves, roughly chopped
Instructions
- Begin by heating a large stockpot over medium heat.
- Add olive oil, followed by finely chopped garlic, celery, bay leaf, and onion. Sauté until they are soft and translucent approximately 30 – 40 seconds. No need to brown them.
- Add diced tomatoes and tomato paste, vegetables, and cook for a 1 – 2 minutes, ensuring tomatoes start releasing their juices.
- At this stage, add the seasoning, stock cube and water/stock also.
- Add the chickpeas, and couscous then reduce the heat to low.
- Cover the pot and let the soup simmer for 15 minutes, or until the couscous is cooked and absorbs all the flavour of soup.
- Add chopped fresh herbs. Taste, the soup and if required add more seasoning.
- Serve tomato couscous soup warm with a toasted bread slice.
Recipe Notes:
Chickpeas: Canned or pre-boiled chickpeas (chana) works best for this soup recipe. However, if you have some soaked raw chickpeas, add them to the soup before adding couscous. Cover and simmer the soup over low heat till chickpeas are fully cooked. Once chickpeas are cooked, add couscous and cook till done.
Drain and rinse the canned chickpeas before adding to the soup.
Couscous: Do not use regular granular couscous for this soup recipe. Use pearl couscous only. If not available you can substitute it with pearl barley also.
Pearl Couscous cooks very quickly. Hence, after adding it to the soup, do not cook for too long, else they will become mushy.
Liquid Ratio: Pearl Couscous absorbs liquid like anything especially after a few hours in the soup. Hence, make sure you add enough stock/water to the soup. While storing the leftover soup, add extra stock or broth. So that while reheating, you have enough liquid in the soup.
Vegetables: If you are using frozen vegetables, thaw them as per packet instructions before adding to the soup. But I highly recommend using fresh vegetables for better taste and nutrition.
From a variety of mushrooms, green beans, potato, squash, cabbage, or spinach, you can add easy-to-cook vegetables in this soup.
Nutrition
Calories: 228kcal | Carbohydrates: 37g | Protein: 7g | Fat: 6g | Saturated Fat: 1g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 4g | Sodium: 1669mg | Potassium: 397mg | Fiber: 6g | Sugar: 6g | Vitamin A: 3141IU | Vitamin C: 17mg | Calcium: 43mg | Iron: 2mg
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