recipes

High-Iron Bean & Pearl Couscous Soup

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Oskaya
High-Iron Bean & Pearl Couscous Soup

A simple, nourishing, and soulful soup that actually *does* something. This high-iron blend of beans, greens, and pearl couscous is hearty, comforting, and made for those moments when your body is asking for a little extra support.

This is the kind of soup you make when your body is just asking for something a bit more nourishing (especially around that time of the month). It’s packed with iron-rich beans, greens, and bone broth, and you actually feel the difference after eating it.

At the centre of it are butter & cannellini beans, which I feel are criminally underrated. The texture is so good: soft and creamy but still holding their shape, and they make the whole thing feel really hearty and filling.

You’ve got a base of onion, carrot, capsicum, zucchini, and garlic, which just builds flavour as it cooks, plus cumin, coriander, and paprika for a bit of warmth. The biggest thing here is to season each layer as you go... salt and pepper when you’re cooking the veg, then again as you add things in. I promise it makes such a difference.

It’s also very flexible. You can swap in celery instead of capsicum, add peas or broccoli, or use kale instead of spinach. This is very much a “use what you have” recipe.

In terms of consistency, you can keep it more brothy or let it thicken up depending on how you like it. I usually just add a bit more water as it cooks if needed. It’s also really good the next day, so perfect for meal prep or leftovers (add in some water when reheating).

My husband initially turned his nose up at this… and then went back for seconds. So take from that what you will.

I served it with yoghurt flatbreads (easy to find on Google), which are super simple, but it would also be really good with some crusty sourdough.

And if you want to make it vegetarian/vegan, just skip the butter and parmesan and use veggie broth instead, it's still just as good.

High-Iron Bean & Pearl Couscous Soup

Prep Time

15 minutes

Total time

50-60 minutes

Serves

4-6 people

Ingredients

  • 1 brown onion, finely diced
  • 1 carrot, finely diced
  • ½ large red capsicum, finely diced
  • 1 zucchini, chopped
  • 4 cloves garlic, finely chopped (tbh I used more but add to your taste)
  • 2 tbsp butter
  • 3-4 tbsp olive oil (plus extra to serve)
  • 1 can cannellini beans, drained and rinsed
  • 1 can butter beans, drained and rinsed
  • 1 tsp ground coriander
  • 1 tsp ground cumin
  • 1 tsp paprika
  • 1 tsp vegetable stock powder (e.g. Vegeta)
  • Salt flakes and cracked black pepper, to taste
  • 500 ml beef bone broth
  • 2 cups water (plus extra if needed)
  • 1½ cups pearl couscous
  • 1 sprig fresh oregano
  • ½ lemon, juiced
  • 1½ cups English spinach, roughly chopped
  • ¼ cup fresh parsley, chopped
  • ½ cup grated parmesan

Instructions

Step 1
In a large pot over medium heat, melt the butter with the olive oil. Add the onion, carrot, capsicum, zucchini, and garlic. Cook until softened and fragrant. Season with salt and pepper.

Step 2
Add the cannellini beans and butter beans. Stir through, then add the coriander, cumin, paprika, and vegetable stock powder. Cook for a few minutes to build flavour.

Step 3
Pour in the bone broth and water, then stir in the pearl couscous. Bring to a gentle simmer.

Step 4
Add the oregano sprig and let simmer, stirring occasionally, until the couscous is tender (around 15-20 minutes). Add more water if you prefer a thinner consistency.

Step 5
Stir in the spinach and parsley and cook until wilted.

Step 6
Remove the oregano sprig. Stir through the parmesan until melted. Add lemon juice and adjust seasoning to taste.

Step 7
Serve with a drizzle of olive oil and a pinch of salt.

Notes

  • Add more water as it cooks if you prefer a brothier soup
  • Tastes even better the next day
  • Don’t skip seasoning as you go, it makes the whole dish
  • Easily customisable with whatever veg you have on hand

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