Meatball Couscous Soup

This soup brings together some lovely Moroccan flavors in a delicious broth with scrumptious chicken meatballs. With so many bold flavors packed into this recipe, you do not actually have to do that much work. Meatball Couscous soup is going to be a big hit and makes for a perfect weeknight meal.

For this recipe you will want to use Pearl – sometimes called Israeli – Couscous. This is the larger version of this type of pasta. If you use the teeny tiny version, the soup is just not going to come out the same. You could alternatively use orzo if you cannot find pearl couscous. At my grocer the couscous is in the bulk section. I have also seen it closer to the rice than the pasta in some stores – though it is in fact pasta.

Meatball Couscous Soup is a perfect dinner for the colder months. The turmeric has great health benefits and can help to boost your immune system as well as anti-inflammatory effects. You might not be used to seeing nutmeg in a savory soup, but it is so good. Nutmeg brings a nutty warmth to the meatballs as well as adds to the health benefits of this brothy soup.

I like to make the meatballs smaller, so that they are easier to eat with a soup. I use my 1 inch scoop to portion out the meatballs and then roll them in my hands to get good shape on them. If you want the broth to soak into the meatballs more, I suggest cutting them in half before ladling the broth over the top.

This is a lighter soup so you might want to have a side dish idea. But on the other hand, this soup doesn’t really keep well, as the couscous will start to dissolve if left in the broth too long. You could do a nice crusty bread, warmed up with some soft butter. You could also do a simple salad with a vinaigrette.

Now Let’s Get Cookin’!

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Meatball Couscous Soup

Delicious mini chicken meatballs in a flavor packed broth with couscous

Course Dinner, Main Course, Soup

Cuisine American, Indian, Moraccan

Keyword chicken broth, chicken soup, couscous, Garlic, meatballs, parsley, shallots, soup, soup recipes, thyme, turmeric

Prep Time 15 minutes minutes

Cook Time 45 minutes minutes

Servings 6

Ingredients

• 1 Shallot finely chopped
• 3 Garlic Cloves finely chopped
• 3 tbsp Oil divided
• 1 tbsp Thyme
• 1 tsp Salt
• 1 tsp Pepper
• 1 tsp Turmeric
• 2 qts Chicken Broth
• 2 qts Water divided
• 2 cups Pearl Couscous
• 1 tbsp Lemon Juice
• 2 tbsp Fresh Parsley chopped

For the Chicken Meatballs

• 2 lb Ground Chicken
• 1 cup Panko
• 2 tsp Tumeric
• 2 tsp Chili Powder
• 1 tsp Salt
• 1 tsp Pepper
• 1 tsp Thyme
• 1 tsp Garlic Powder
• 1 tsp Onion Powder
• ½ tsp Nutmeg

Instructions

• In a large pot over medium high heat, add two tablespoons oil, shallots, garlic, thyme, salt, pepper and turmeric. Once sauted, add chicken broth and one quart of water. Reduce heat to medium-low and let simmer for 45 minutes.
• Preheat oven to 400degF.
• Combine meatball ingredients in a bowl. Use a 1-inch scoop to portion out meatballs (shape with your hands as needed). Line out on a baking rack over a parchment paper covered baking sheet. Place in oven to bake for 20 minutes.
• In a large sauce pan, add 3 cups of water and one tablespoon of oil. Bring to a rolling boil. Add couscous, cover pot and move off of heat. Let sit until meatballs are finished.
• Stir couscous into broth. Add 6-8 meatballs to a bowl and ladle soup over top. Garnish with parsley.