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Slow Cooker Pearl Couscous Soup

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Slow Cooker Pearl Couscous Soup is one of those treasures that is full of healthy, tasty, and spicy ingredients. So easy too. The Crock-Pot can be a savior.

Angled view of a few of pearl couscous soup ingredients including beans, couscous and carrots. Text above for pinning

Bring it on! I can take all the cold weather you can throw at me if I have some delicious warm soups or chilies to warm me up from the inside out.

Slow Cooker Pearl Couscous Soup is full of texture and taste with the added ease of being able to be made in the crock~pot.

Crockpot soups are so easy to make. They can have a few ingrediants or a lot but they all seem to come out great. This tomato soup made from scratch and fresh tomatoes is delicious.

This brings me to another subject - My husband. He is a creature of routine and a reveler in 'things remaining the same'.

Ed has no security in this house. A plate of food may be coming his way but it very well may be a dish that he has never tried.

Jump to:

I guess I know how to make a great bowl of soup though because he is always at ease when he sees the soup coming. This one is an absolute keeper.

Overhead view of a few of the ingredients including beans, couscous and carrots.

🥘 Ingredients

  • Red kidney beans have a robust flavor and firm texture and hold up really well in soup.
  • Dairy-free butter adds needed liquid and a buttery taste.
  • Carrots are sweet and cut into very small pieces for quick cooking.
Overhead view of pearl couscous soup in rich orange colors.
  • Green bell pepper
  • Onion is the best base for so many recipes. They cook up sweet and taste great.
  • Can diced tomatoes add to the texture and melds the veggies all together.
  • Spaghetti sauce is unusual for a soup addition but it adds a lot of flavors quickly.
  • Vegetable broth adds flavorful liquid for the soup.
  • Dried oregano is aromatic and has an earthy flavor.
  • Salt is the perfect understated seasoning.
  • Black pepper adds a bit of contrasting spice.
  • Pearl couscous is a large couscous and tastes more like pasta.

🔪 Instructions

  • Heat the dairy free butter in a skillet.
  • Add the prepared onions, bell pepper, and carrots.
  • Sauté until the onions become translucent, about 10 to 15 minutes.
  • Add the sauteed veggies to the Crock-Pot.
  • Put the remaining ingredients (but NOT the couscous) into the Crock-Pot and stir well.
  • Cover and cook on low 2 to 3 hours.
  • Stir in the couscous at the end of cooking time. Leave on the slow cooker and let cook for 10 minutes.
  • Check the couscous for tenderness - it will have absorbed some of the liquid and cooks really quickly.
  • All done and delicious.
Square photo of an angled view of a few of the ingredients including beans, couscous and carrots.

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If you take a photo of your rich couscous soup I would love to see it. Follow me over on Instagram and tag me on your photo @vegan_in_the_freezer.

Your opinion means a lot to me and if you'd like to leave a comment and possibly a star rating I'd love to hear your thoughts.

📋 Recipe

Slow Cooker Pearl Couscous Soup is in a white bowl with couscous, beans and carrots showing with the background being in dark brown.
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5 from 1 vote

Slow Cooker Pearl Couscous Soup

Slow Cooker Pearl Couscous Soup is one of those treasures that is full of healthy, tasty and spicy ingredients.
Course Main Dish
Cuisine Soup
Prep Time 20 minutes
Cook Time 2 hours
Total Time 2 hours 20 minutes
Servings 8 Servings
Calories 277kcal
Author Ginny McMeans

Ingredients

  • 30 ounces red kidney beans, drained - 2 cans 15 ounces each
  • 1 tablespoon dairy-free butter
  • 1 cup carrots, finely chopped
  • 1 cup green bell pepper, finely chopped
  • 1/2 cup small onion, finely chopped
  • 15 ounces Diced Tomatoes - can wth juices
  • 1 cup spaghetti sauce
  • 32 ounces vegetable broth
  • 1 teaspoon dried oregano
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
  • 1 cup pearl couscous, NOT cooked

Instructions

  • Heat the vegan butter in a skillet.
  • Add the onions, bell pepper and carots in the skillet.
  • Saute until the onions become translucent, about 10 to 15 minutes.
  • Add the sauteed veggies to the crock pot. Put the remaining ingredients (NOT the couscous) into the Crock Pot and stir well.
  • Cover and cook on low 2 to 3 hours.
  • Stir in the couscous at the end of cooking time. Leave on the slow cooker and let cook for 10 minutes.
  • Check the couscous for tenderness - it will have absorbed some of the liquid.

Notes

IF FREEZING: Package in rigid sided containers as defined in my article How to Prepare Food for the Freezer.
TO PREPARE AFTER FREEZING: Remove from the freezer and put in the refrigerator overnight because it is a pretty solid mass and will take longer to defrost. The night of serving - Put all in a large saucepan and heat through. You can add more broth if you think it is too thick. Ready to serve.

Nutrition

Nutrition Facts
Slow Cooker Pearl Couscous Soup
Amount Per Serving (1 Serving)
Calories 277 Calories from Fat 18
% Daily Value*
Fat 2g3%
Sodium 518mg22%
Potassium 861mg25%
Carbohydrates 49g16%
Fiber 10g40%
Sugar 4g4%
Protein 15g30%
Vitamin A 2935IU59%
Vitamin C 25mg30%
Calcium 73mg7%
Iron 4.6mg26%
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.
Blue graphic snowflake as Vegan in the Freezers logo.

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    Recipe Rating




  1. Suzy Scott

    I am so happy to have found this recipe. It is such a nice rich base and love all of the veggies added. I never know what to do with couscous and now I do.

  2. Ginny McMeans

    My thoughts exactly Chef Jill 🙂

  3. Chef Jill

    It's veggies. No need to worry about calories. Lol

  4. Ginny McMeans

    Catherine - I got the nutritional facts up on this recipe. Thanks for getting me going on this. 🙂 Well, I've come back and edited this reply. The info was wrong so I only have calories and fat on it right now. Still trying to find a reliable nutrition guide to work with.

  5. Ginny McMeans

    I'm checking this out Catherine. This is something I have wanted to do for all of my recipes and you have spurred me on. I will get back to you later today after I get to my desktop.

  6. Catherine Berger

    Is this high in calories? It looks fabulous! I really want to try it, I just want to know the nutritional value, if you know it?

  7. The Wellness Wife

    Yum! I'm so cold in the winter. I just hate it. Nothing warms me up like a nice bowl of soup. Will definitely have to try this recipe.

  8. Ginny McMeans

    No, it should work just fine. 🙂

  9. J.S.

    Do you need to adjust the cooking time for use with a smaller crock pot?

  10. Ginny McMeans

    Fantastic Cathleen! I love all your substitutions and additions. You are a good cook! That is what cooking is all about. Feeling comfortable enough to switch things up.

  11. Cathleen Tibbits

    Made this this afternoon, substituted lentils for couscous and pizza sauce for spaghetti sauce, added no yolk noodles-this was wonderful! Will definitely make again!

  12. Ginny McMeans

    That is great Emily! Thanks for letting me know. I am sorry that I do not have the calories nutritional values on my recipes. I think a serving size is about 1 1/2 cups. There are some apps out there that can help with calories like Calorie King, Calorie Count and I am sure many others. One of these days I am going to get those little values on here for everybody.

  13. Emily

    Hello! I just made this and it's a keeper! Curious as to how many calories per serving and what is a serving size? Many thanks!

  14. Ginny McMeans

    Yes, they would work perfectly. Just dice them up yourself. It depends on the size of the tomatoes but I would say two or three to get 15 ounces.

  15. sara

    Would fresh tomatoes work? If so, how many do you think to sub for the canned tomatoes?

  16. barb

    Made this tonight. It was delicious.

  17. Ginny McMeans

    Yes, you can. Soak the beans overnight. When you put the ingredients in the crockpot do not add the couscous. Add in 1/2 teaspoon baking soda. Cook for 8 to 10 hours and add the couscous the last 2 hours.

  18. Rebecca

    Can you make this with dried beans? How to adjust the time? Thank you so much!

  19. Ginny McMeans

    Hi Brenda, You can freeze most of it. Leave out the pearl couscous and the kidney beans until putting them in the crock pot.

  20. Brenda Lower

    Can you freeze it before cooking, and then just thaw and place in slow cooker for the 7-8 hours? Looks super yummy, and just wondered... Thanks!

  21. Ginny McMeans

    Haha Peter! I never thought of that. I am going through a slow cooker phase and am loving it. Soup time!

  22. Ginny McMeans

    Hi Lisa! Yes, I am sure pearl barley would work. It sounds delicious too! Yes, the same time and no pre soaking.

  23. Peter @Feed Your Soul Too

    Looks beautiful. Slow cookers can be big time savers. Go figure - what an oxymoron.

  24. Lisa Mac

    Hi Ginny, can I use pearl barley in this you think? Cook time the same?

  25. Ginny McMeans

    So glad you like it! Thanks Lisa 🙂

  26. Lisa

    YUM YUM YUM! I havent had pearl cous cous in so long!