Couscous and Chickpea Soup

This quick vegetarian soup is full of flavor and comes together in about 30 minutes. It's an excellent recipe for practicing broth-based soup techniques.

Ingredients

• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 onion, chopped
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• 1 teaspoon ground coriander
• ½ teaspoon ground cumin
• ½ teaspoon chili powder
• Dash cayenne pepper (optional)
• Salt and pepper to taste
• 5 cups vegetable broth
• ⅓ cup uncooked couscous
• ½ cup cooked chickpeas
• 1 tablespoon chopped fresh mint
• 1 tablespoon chopped parsley (optional)

Directions

1. Heat the olive oil in a soup pot over medium heat.
2. Cook the onion until softened, then stir in the garlic.
3. Add the coriander, cumin, chili powder, and cayenne. Cook for about one minute.
4. Pour in the vegetable broth and add the chickpeas.
5. Bring to a gentle simmer.
6. Stir in the couscous and cook for 5 minutes.
7. Remove from the heat and let stand for another 5 minutes while the couscous finishes cooking.
8. Stir in the fresh mint and parsley before serving.