| Level: | Easy |
| Total: | 40 min |
| Active: | 40 min |
| Yield: | 4 servings |
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 cups fresh cilantro
- 1 bunch scallions, roughly chopped
- 1 pound lean ground beef
- 1 large egg, lightly beaten
- 2 tablespoons harissa
- 1 1/2 teaspoons ground cumin, plus more for topping
- Kosher salt
- 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
- 4 carrots, cut into 1-inch pieces
- 4 cups low-sodium chicken broth
- 4 cups baby spinach
- 1/2 cup whole-wheat couscous
Instructions
- Pulse 1 cup cilantro with the scallions in a mini food processor to make a coarse puree. Transfer half of the mixture to a large bowl and add the ground beef, egg, 1 tablespoon harissa, 1/2 teaspoon cumin and 1/2 teaspoon salt. Mix with your hands until just combined. Form into twenty 1-inch meatballs.
- Heat the olive oil in a large pot over medium heat. Add the carrots and cook, stirring, until they start browning, 4 to 5 minutes. Stir in the remaining cilantro puree, 1 tablespoon harissa and 1 teaspoon cumin; cook until sizzling, about 1 minute. Stir in the chicken broth and 2 cups water; bring to a simmer and cook 2 minutes. Gently drop in the meatballs and simmer until almost cooked through, 7 to 8 minutes.
- Add the spinach and couscous to the soup and cook until the couscous is tender, about 5 minutes. Stir in the remaining 1/2 cup cilantro and season with salt. Sprinkle with more cumin before serving.
Nutrition Facts
| Calories | 400 |
| Total Fat | 18 grams |
| Saturated Fat | 6 grams |
| Cholesterol | 120 milligrams |
| Sodium | 522 milligrams |
| Carbohydrates | 30 grams |
| Dietary Fiber | 7 grams |
| Protein | 34 grams |
| Sugar | 4 grams |
Reviews
Very good. Did not have couscous or spinach but added chickpeas, fresh corn cut from cob and a little pasta. Complete meal and the flavors are great!
Hello Fresh sent me a box in error. (Yes, I did get the full amount credited back to me card.). If I had not just restocked my basement freezer with 14 portions of meatloaf I would have made their Meatloaf à la Mom. I decided not to go with my Plan A of making patty melts and skipped Plan B of making Stracciatelle Soup with Tiny Meatballs and went hunting for a new recipe. I am quite glad I found this one. I even had all the ingredients already in the house. I was very pleased with the results. As others commented I added breadcrumbs to the meatballs and fried them first. I added the spices to the breadcrumbs and hydrated the mixture with the beaten egg before adding the ground beef and scallion purée. I also added a diced onion to the soup in addition to the coarse scallion purée. (And woo hoo, I got to use the Ninja mini food processor I recently bought.). I would definitely make this recipe again. It made for a nice change from the Italian flavor profile default in which I cook. (Which was why I started the Hello Fresh kits in the first place.)
Delicious! I also browned meatballs first like other reviewers. I used chickpeas instead of couscous for a gluten-free version, and kale instead of spinach since that is what I had on hand. Will definitely make again.
Very tasty soup. I did follow suggestions regarding breadcrumbs in meatballs and browning the meatballs. Very happy with the way it turned out. Will definitely make it again.
Yum!
Ok, I’ll preface this by saying: I did not follow the recipe exactly as is. So, I’m rating it as a basis for where I ended up. I highly encourage you to try this, add some breadcrumbs to the meatballs like other comments have suggested, and I’d also recommend browning the meatballs in the pot before cooking the carrots. When you add the carrots use the liquid that releases from them to deglaze the pot, and add your stock/broth as called for in the recipe. The extra layer of fond is delicious and adds a ton of flavor to the soup.
I don’t normally give ratings for recipes but this one deserves it. This is an excellent dish. I added breadcrumbs to the meatballs like some other reviewers suggested – they were so moist. The flavors meshed really well together. I may add a little less couscous next time as that absorbs a lot fo the liquid.
Excellent recipe
Made this tonight. It was delicious as expected. Only change made is using 2 cups additional chicken broth instead of 2 cups water. Healthy and hearty.
I am Moroccan and lived in Morocco for most of my life and never came across or heard of such soup back home, this soup does not exist in Morocco