Creamy Lemon Couscous Soup
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This Creamy Lemon Couscous Soup is bright and fresh. Made with a delicious broth, veggies, chickpeas, couscous and plenty of lemon juice!
I know we’re moving into the warmer months, but I had to sneak in another soup recipe. This Creamy Lemon Couscous Soup has bright, fresh flavors. So I feel like it is perfect for spring. This is a super easy, dairy-free soup that makes delicious leftovers!
Here’s what you need
Ingredients
- oil – I used avocado oil
- yellow onion
- garlic
- carrots
- celery
- dried oregano
- dried basil
- dried thyme
- pepper
- chickpeas
- sun-dried tomatoes
- lemons
- broth – I used vegan chicken broth
- couscous
- spinach
- non-dairy cream – or sub non-dairy milk
- flat leaf parsley
- croutons
Equipment
- stock pot
Steps
Step 1: Prep the Soup
This soup is incredibly easy. It just requires some chopping and a little sautéing. Grab a stock pot and let’s get started.
Heat the oil in a stock pot over medium heat. Add the onions, garlic, carrots, celery and dry seasonings. Cook down for 5 minutes, stirring frequently.
Add the chickpeas, sun-dried tomatoes, lemon zest & broth and bring to a boil. Once boiling, pour in the couscous and stir. Cover, lower the heat and simmer for 10 minutes.
Step 2: Make Croutons
This step isn’t necessary if you don’t have the time. You could either buy croutons pre-made or just omit them from the recipe. But I think they add a nice crunch.
And making croutons from scratch is super easy. PLUS, you can use your favorite bread. I usually opt for ciabatta, but french or a country loaf work great too!
Just cube the bread and toss with oil, garlic powder & garlic salt. Pop in the oven for 20 minutes, tossing halfway.
Step 3: Serve
Once the couscous is done cooking, the soup will thicken significantly. If you want a more brothy soup, then you can add some extra broth at this point.
If not, we will just finish off the soup with some spinach, non-dairy cream, parsley & lemon juice. Stir until the spinach is wilted. Give it one last taste and it is ready to go.
Ladle the soup into bowls and top with the croutons. Dig in and enjoy!
Tips & Tricks
The soup will thicken even more as it sits. Feel free to add more broth to the leftovers to loosen it up.
This soup would also work with quinoa, but you will need to adjust the cook time, since quinoa takes about 20 minutes to fully cook.
Need more recipe inspo? Check these out:
Creamy Lemon Couscous Soup
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons oil I used avocado oil
- 1 yellow onion diced
- 5 cloves garlic minced
- 2 carrots peeled & diced
- 3 stalks celery diced
- 1 teaspoon dried oregano
- 1 teaspoon dried basil
- 1/4 teaspoon dried thyme
- 1/2 teaspoon pepper
- 1 15-ounce can chickpeas drained & rinsed
- 1/4 cup sun-dried tomatoes roughly chopped
- 2 lemons zest & juice
- 6 cups broth I used vegan chicken broth
- 1 cup couscous dry
- 2 handfuls spinach
- 1/2 cup non-dairy cream or sub non-dairy milk, unsweetened
- 2 tablespoons flat leaf parsley chopped
- 1-2 cups croutons see notes
Equipment
Instructions
- Heat the oil in a stock pot over medium heat. Add the onions, garlic, carrots, celery and dry seasonings. Cook down for 5 minutes, stirring frequently. Add the chickpeas, sun-dried tomatoes, lemon zest & broth and bring to a boil. Once boiling, pour in the couscous and stir. Cover, lower the heat and simmer for 10 minutes.
- Remove the lid, add the spinach, cream, parsley & lemon juice. Stir until the spinach is wilted. Taste and adjust the seasonings as needed.
- To serve, add soup to each bowl and top with croutons.
Video
Notes
- To make the croutons from scratch, toss 2 cups of chopped bread with 1 tablespoon of oil, 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder and a pinch of garlic salt on a baking sheet. Place in the oven at 350 for 20 minutes, tossing halfway. If you are using sun-dried tomatoes in oil, you can use the oil from the jar in the croutons.
- After the couscous is cooked, it will absorb a lot of the broth. If you want a more brothy soup, then you can add extra broth after the couscous has cooked.
Delicious!
This was fabulous and very easy. Thank you!
This was great. I did not have the sundried tomatoes but it was still really good. Perfect for this rainy day.
So glad you loved it Victoria!