Moroccan Vegetable Soup (Chorba)

Name: Moroccan Vegetable Soup (Chorba)
Total time: 1 h 30 min
Ingredients: 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil; 1 medium onion, finely diced; 2 teaspoons ground turmeric; 1 pound beef stew meat, (such as chuck) or lamb stew meat (shoulder or leg), trimmed and cut into 1/2-inch cubes; 6 cups reduced-sodium beef broth, or water; 1 14-ounce can diced tomatoes; 2 small turnips, peeled and diced; 2 carrots, diced; 2 stalks celery, leaves included, thinly sliced; Pinch of saffron threads, (see Ingredient Note); 12 sprigs flat-leaf parsley, plus more leaves for garnish; 8 sprigs fresh cilantro, plus more leaves for garnish; 1 large zucchini, peeled and cut into 1/4-inch dice; 2 ounces angel hair pasta, (capellini), broken into small pieces (about 1/2 cup), or orzo, preferably whole-wheat; 1-2 teaspoons salt; ½ teaspoon freshly ground pepper

7 Ratings
7 Reviews

Hearty with chunks of beef or lamb, plenty of vegetables and a bit of pasta, this Moroccan soup gets its rich, golden-orange color from turmeric.

Kitty Morse

Source: EatingWell Magazine, September/October 2008

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Recipe Summary

total:

1 hr 30 mins

Servings:

Nutrition Profile:

Nutrition Info

Directions

Step 1
Heat oil in a Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Add onion and turmeric; stir to coat. Add meat and cook, stirring occasionally, until the onion is tender, 4 to 5 minutes. Add broth (or water), tomatoes and their juice, turnips, carrots, celery and saffron. Tie parsley and cilantro sprigs together with kitchen string and add to the pot. Bring the soup to a boil. Cover and reduce to a simmer. Cook until the meat is tender, 45 to 50 minutes.

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Step 2
Stir in zucchini and cook, covered, until soft, 8 to 10 minutes. Add pasta and cook until soft, 4 to 10 minutes, depending on the type of pasta. Discard the parsley and cilantro sprigs. Season with salt (start with 1 teaspoon if you're using beef broth; add more if you're using water) and pepper. Serve sprinkled with parsley and/or cilantro leaves, if desired.

Tips

Equipment: Kitchen string

Ingredient note: The dried stigma from Crocus sativus, saffron adds flavor and golden color to a variety of Middle Eastern, African and European foods. Find it in the spice section of supermarkets, gourmet shops and at tienda.com. It will keep in an airtight container for several years.

Nutrition Facts

Serving Size:

about 2 cups

Per Serving:

231 calories; protein 20g; carbohydrates 18.8g; dietary fiber 3.8g; sugars 7.3g; fat 8.2g; saturated fat 1.9g; cholesterol 49mg; vitamin a iu 3947.5IU; vitamin c 27.6mg; folate 38.8mcg; calcium 54mg; iron 2.8mg; magnesium 42.8mg; potassium 686mg; sodium 1043.2mg; thiamin 0.1mg.

Exchanges:

1/2 starch, 1 1/2 vegetable, 2 lean meat, 1/2 fat

7 Ratings

5 star values: 6
4 star values: 0
3 star values: 0
2 star values: 1
1 star values: 0

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SandyP.

02/05/2018

If I could rate this higher, I would! I can't get over the flavor in this soup and the rich colors. It is a party in my mouth. Whoever said this was bland, did something wrong or didn't add in all the herbs or spices. One thing I did do that might have added more zing was using Rotel diced tomatoes with mild green chilies and I did not have zucchini, so I used a big handful of baby spinach. I also also lessened the liquid by 2 cups so that it was more of a stew. My husband is English doesn't like real spicy food, but he ate it all without one complaint. This puts my regular 'ho hum' beef vegetable soup to shame. The saffron was not hard to find at all. Walmart had it in the spice aisle.

Shawn Wray

02/10/2017

Delish!

Kaye Spaude

02/02/2011

Disappointed I was looking forward to eating this soup but was disappointed. I used lamb and the soup was very blah! I guess I must like spicy food. Pros: healthy Cons: flavorless

EatingWell Member

10/02/2010

This is one of my favorite vegetable soups. I'm a vegetarian so I omit the meat and use chickpeas instead. My husband adds meat into his portion, which makes it a great meal for both of us to share and enjoy. The turnips are great in this, so if you're not sure if you like them, give them a try!

bhess26@gmail.com

10/02/2010

audra

06/18/2010

my husband especially loved this. left out cilantro, turnips and saffron and it still rocked.

EatingWell User

09/28/2009

This is very tasty. The beef came out super tender, and the broth is flavorful thanks to using beef broth. Only challenge was figuring out what they mean by a "pinch" of saffron? I put in about 10 strands, not having any idea if this is too much. Andrea, Wheat Ridge, CO

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Moroccan Vegetable Soup (Chorba)

Gallery

Recipe Summary

Nutrition Profile:

Ingredients

Directions

Tips

Nutrition Facts

Reviews (7)

All Reviews for Moroccan Vegetable Soup (Chorba)

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Moroccan Vegetable Soup (Chorba)

Gallery

Recipe Summary

Nutrition Profile:

Ingredients

Directions

Tips

Nutrition Facts

Reviews (7)

All Reviews for Moroccan Vegetable Soup (Chorba)