Slow Cooker Pearl Couscous Soup
Ginny McMeans
Published:
December 2, 2013
Last Modified:
May 8, 2024
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.
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.
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.
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.
- 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.
Slow Cooker Pearl Couscous Soup
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
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
28 responses to “Slow Cooker Pearl Couscous Soup”
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YUM YUM YUM! I havent had pearl cous cous in so long!
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So glad you like it! Thanks Lisa 🙂
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Hi Ginny, can I use pearl barley in this you think? Cook time the same?
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Hi Lisa! Yes, I am sure pearl barley would work. It sounds delicious too! Yes, the same time and no pre soaking.
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Looks beautiful. Slow cookers can be big time savers. Go figure – what an oxymoron.
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Haha Peter! I never thought of that. I am going through a slow cooker phase and am loving it. Soup time!
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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!
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Hi Brenda, You can freeze most of it. Leave out the pearl couscous and the kidney beans until putting them in the crock pot.
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Can you make this with dried beans? How to adjust the time? Thank you so much!
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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.
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Made this tonight. It was delicious.
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Would fresh tomatoes work? If so, how many do you think to sub for the canned tomatoes?
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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.
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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!
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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.
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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!
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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.
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Do you need to adjust the cooking time for use with a smaller crock pot?
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No, it should work just fine. 🙂
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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.
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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?
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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.
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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.
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It’s veggies. No need to worry about calories. Lol
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My thoughts exactly Chef Jill 🙂
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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. -
Such an easy recipe! With so much flavor! We loved this one! -
This recipe was beyond easy and absolutely delicious! I got sidetracked and left the couscous cooking for about 20mins and ended up with a stew rather than soup but still delicious and great textures. Thankyou!
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