Mini Moroccan meatball couscous soup. Coziness simmered in broth. It’s that time of the year when I want mini baby meatballs that are spiced to perfection and floating around in the spice-simmered broth. The flavors in the meatballs kind of mellow out in the chicken broth, and together they make the most warm-your-soul kind of soup. It’s that time of the year when I want mini baby meatballs that are spiced to perfection and floating around in the spice-simmered broth. The flavors in the meatballs kind of mellow out in the chicken broth, and together they make the most warm-your-soul kind of soup. It’s I’m-feeling-under-the-weather soup but want something that’s both nourishing and flavorful. I, for one, refuse to sip soup that tastes like melted cardboard. If I had to describe it briefly, I’d say it’s really just sunshine in a bowl. The curry powder, turmeric, and thyme make the broth so warm and comforting. It feels like a little ball of sunshine just touched your heart and warmed it up. Topped with fresh chopped mint to brighten it up further and served with homemade crusty bread to soak up all that lovely broth. This is giving Italian wedding soup meets beef and barley meets chicken noodle. And I’m totally here for it.
Ingredients for Moroccan meatball soup
Ground lamb: I love using lean ground lamb for this meatball couscous soup recipe. The spices pair beautifully with it and the delicate mint flavor elevates all the other ingredients in the soup. Feel free to swap for ground beef if you can’t find ground lamb in your area.Seasonings: This soup is heavy on seasonings, and it works! You’ll need ground coriander, ground cumin, dried thyme, curry powder, turmeric, chili powder, cinnamon, nutmeg, kosher salt, and black pepper. We’ll load all of these into the meatballs and then make them up. When they simmer in that chicken broth, they’ll release all that aroma and goodness into the broth as it simmers. One on the curry powder – be sure to salt-free seasoning so that the Moroccan meatball soup doesn’t become overly salty!Tomato Paste: the tomato paste helps brighten all the seasonings and gives the meatballs a lovely color.Pearl Couscous: Pearl couscous is so readily available in most grocery stores these days. My grocery store keeps it in the same aisle as the rice. Sometimes pearl couscous is labeled as ‘Israeli couscous’. If you can’t find it, feel free to use acini de pepe or orzo. though, if you swap it for orzo or acini de pepe, you might want to boil it directly in the soup with an additional cup of water instead of boiling it separately.Olive Oil: You’ll need a couple of tablespoons of olive oil to start the soup. We’ll saute the shallots in the oil before adding the garlic and simmering the stock.Shallots: I use shallots in the recipe for their delicate flavor. You can also use onions if that’s what you have on hand. Garlic: Lots of minced garlic flavor in this soup! Mince it up finely, or use a garlic press to make things easier!Chicken Stock: Feel free to swap the chicken stock with beef stock, veil stock, or even vegetable broth. Whatever you prefer!Mint or parsley: You’ll need just a tablespoon or so to top the soup with! Don’t skip this, it adds tons of freshness and color!
How to make Moroccan couscous soup
If you like this recipe, you might also like:
Creamy Chicken Wild Rice SoupWinter Detox Sweet Potato SoupComforting One-Pot Lasagna SoupSecret Ingredient Tomato Basil SoupCajun Butternut Squash Soup
Original recipe shared March 2015, updated with new images and post Jan 2023. IB: Williams Sonoma
