North African Wedding Soup

This is another one of the recipes that we decided to make this blog for… It’s one of my favorite Pinterest finds, from what’s become a favorite blog – Little Spice Jar. We always tweak our recipes a little bit and this was no different. But, per usual, we’ve forgotten the changes we made from the last few times we made it. So this time, we’ll cross our fingers that it turns out to be the best version we’ve ever made and actually write it down.

These little meatballs are so full of flavorful spices, and the meatballs actually flavor the soup broth itself. This broth has such depth, and the aromas floating through your kitchen are so enticing. The flavors build and build the more you eat. And actually, this is one of those soups that is so much better as a leftover. Do what we did and eat it for dinner, but then enjoy the leftovers for lunch for the rest of the week. Feel free to tweak the spices based on your personal preferences, but keep it spice-heavy! It is not super spicy, so if you want it that way, go ahead and increase the spice level. You may have noticed if you’ve read our blog a lot that we love the flavors of the Middle East and Northern African. No exception here. If you’re not familiar with or unsure of the cuisine from this part of the world, please let this soup be your gateway drug. You won’t be disappointed!

Why is this called North African wedding soup? Well, every time we make it, it makes me think of Italian wedding soup – the small meatballs, couscous in place of the orzo, and of course, North African spices in place of Italian flavors. Even more confirmation for this name? Tomorrow is our wedding anniversary! North African wedding soup it is! (I have no idea if there is actually a traditional North African wedding soup – if there is, this is not it!)

North African Wedding Soup

(Adapted from Little Spice Jar)

Ingredients: 

• 1 lb ground beef
• 2 tbsp tomato paste
• 1 tsp coriander
• 1 tsp cumin
• 1 tsp paprika
• 1/2 tsp cayenne
• 1/4 tsp turmeric
• 1/4 tsp cinnamon
• 1/4 cardamom
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 1/8 tsp nutmeg
• 1 tbsp olive oil
• 1 large onion, sliced
• 8 cloves garlic, minced
• 2 cups of chopped carrots
• 1 tsp Aleppo pepper
• Fresh ground black pepper
• 1/2 tsp chopped fresh thyme
• 8 cups beef broth
• 1 1/2 cups pearl couscous

Instructions: 

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
2. In a bowl, mix together the beef, tomato paste, and spices through nutmeg. Combine well.
3. Then form into small meatballs and place on a lined cookie sheet. Bake for ~10 minutes.
4. Meanwhile, heat the olive oil in a large pot over medium heat.
5. Add the garlic, onions, and carrots to the pot and top with several turns of black pepper, the Aleppo pepper, and the fresh thyme. Cook, stirring occasionally, until onions are fragrant/browning and carrots have begun to soften, ~10-12minutes.
6. Pour beef broth into the pot and adjust heat to a light simmer.
7. Add the meatballs and the couscous, partially cover if needed, and continue to lightly simmer for ~15 minutes, until the couscous is soft and tender.
8. Taste and adjust for salt as needed, then serve.

Serves 6-8

Quick response to a question I’m anticipating. Why bake the meatballs, won’t they cook in the broth? Yes, they would. Baking them briefly allows for two important things in my mind – 1) it helps the meatballs hold their shape and 2) allows the meat to leech some of its fat somewhere other than your broth. Yes the fat tastes delicious and yes, you’re losing some of the spiced flavors, but it can definitely make your soup cloudy and oily.