Creamy pearl couscous soup - This delicious vegan soup is made with giant couscous, vegetables and beans for a hearty, comforting, one-pot meal that is quick and easy to make too.
This creamy pearl couscous soup is the perfect hearty, comforting Autumnal meal.
It is easy to make but tastes great and is so filling and satisfying. It is quite a thick soup, more of a stew really; all you need to serve it with is a bit of crusty bread to mop up the juices.
Ingredient Notes:
Pearl couscous: Also know as giant or Israeli couscous, as well as various other names depending on what flour it is made from and which country it is from. It is available in most larger supermarkets next to the regular couscous.
Cannellini beans: These add protein and make the soup more filling. Butter beans would also work, or you could use vegan seitan chicken pieces.
Vegetables: Onion, celery and garlic form the flavour base of the soup and carrots and tenderstem broccoli add extra veg. Regular broccoli will work instead of tenderstem.
White wine: This is optional but adds lots of flavour so I recommend using it if you have some. Not all wines are vegan friendly so do check the bottle just in case.
Stock: Use a good quality vegetable bouillon if possible. I like Marigold.
Cream: I use single soya cream but oat based cream is also fine and homemade cashew cream would be great. Coconut cream is ok but may give the soup a bit of coconut flavour.
Herbs and spices: I use smoked paprika, thyme, oregano and bay leaves but you can vary these to suit you.
Lemon juice: A dash of lemon juice brightens the flavour. From a bottle is fine.
Vegan butter: I fry the onion in vegan butter/spread for extra flavour, but olive oil is also fine.
How To make Creamy Pearl Couscous Soup:
(Full measurements and instructions can be found in the recipe card at the bottom of the page)
Step 1: Gently fry the onion, garlic, celery and carrot in the vegan butter for about 10 minutes until soft.
Step 2: Add the smoked paprika, thyme, oregano and bay leaves and fry for a minute then add the white wine and cook until the liquid has pretty much all evaporated.
Step 3: Add the stock and couscous and simmer for about 15 minutes, stirring often, until the couscous is tender.
Step 4: Add the broccoli and cannellini beans and cook for a couple of minutes until the broccoli is just tender.
Step 5: Add the cream, lemon juice and plenty of black pepper. Season to taste with salt and serve.
Top Tips:
Don't under-season the soup. A bit of salt and pepper makes a big difference to the flavour. If you think it is lacking in flavour you probably just need to add more salt.
This soup is best eaten freshly made, but any leftovers will keep in the fridge for up to three days. Reheat thoroughly to serve. The couscous will soak up the liquid so you may need to add some more stock.
FAQ's:
I do not recommend freezing this soup, it is best eaten freshly made and the couscous may become soggy if frozen.
Orzo pasta would work well here, as would something like farro or pearl barley. Bear in mind that the cooking times of these replacements will be different and you may need to add some extra stock to compensate.
Yes, you can vary the vegetables to suit you, mushrooms would work particularly well. Depending on how long they take to cook, some vegetables will need to be added at the start of cooking and some just for the last few minutes.
More Vegan Soup Recipes:
- Coconut gyoza noodle soup
- Cheesy vegan broccoli soup
- Creamy white bean soup
- Spinach, lentil and butter bean soup
- Creamy vegetable chickpea soup
- Vegan corn chowder
- Creamy vegetable rice soup
- Spiced red lentil root vegetable soup
- Spiced carrot and pumpkin soup
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Creamy Pearl Couscous Soup (Vegan)
Ingredients
- 2 Tablespoons vegan butter/spread
- 1 large onion finely chopped
- 4 cloves garlic peeled and crushed
- 2 sticks celery finely chopped
- 2 large carrots diced
- 1 teaspoon smoked paprika
- ½ teaspoon dried thyme
- ½ teaspoon dried oregano
- 2 bay leaves
- 120 ml (½ cup) white wine
- 1.25 litres (5 cups) vegetable stock
- 200 g (1 cup) pearl (giant) couscous
- 1 400 g (14 oz) tin cannellini beans rinsed and drained
- 200 g (7 oz) tenderstem broccoli cut into bitesize pieces
- 120 ml (½ cup) vegan cream
- 1 Tablespoon lemon juice
- salt and pepper
Instructions
- Heat the butter in a large pan over a low heat. Add the onion, garlic, celery and carrot. Cook gently for about 10 minutes until soft.
- Add the smoked paprika, thyme, oregano and bay leaves and fry for a minute then add the white wine and cook until the liquid has pretty much all evaporated.
- Add the stock and couscous and cook at a gentle simmer for about 15 minutes, stirring often, until the couscous is tender.
- Add the broccoli and cannellini beans and cook for a couple of minutes until the broccoli is just tender.
- Add the cream, lemon juice and plenty of black pepper. Season to taste with salt and serve.
Notes
Heather Smith Thomassen
I am wheat intolerant. Fine with gluten, as such and usually substitute spelt for wheat. Both Couscous and orzo are no-nos for me but where does farro fit in? I know I can substitute pearl barley but farro is new to me and I wonder if you can give me more information.
Many thanks