Spiced Carrot and Red Pepper Soup

Ingredients

• Soup:
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 4 garlic cloves, chopped
• 1 large yellow onion, chopped
• 6 large red bell peppers, chopped into 1-inch pieces
• 4 large carrots (about 1 lb), thinly sliced or chopped
• 1 teaspoon ground cumin
• 1/2 teaspoon sweet paprika
• 3 cups chicken or vegetable broth
• 1 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1 tablespoon prepared harissa
• Handful of parsley
• lemons (cut to wedges to squeeze over individual serving to taste)
• 
  
• Couscous:
• 3 cup chicken or vegetable broth
• 3 cup dried fine couscous

Instructions

1. Heat olive oil in a large pot or dutch oven over medium heat. Add chopped garlic and onion and sauté, stirring occasionally until lightly browned, about 5 minutes.
2. Add carrots and cook, stirring occasionally, for another 4-5 minutes. Add bell peppers and cook until tender, about 10 minutes.
3. Pour in the stock and add the cumin, paprika and salt. Bring to a boil, reduce heat to low, cover and simmer for about 20-25 minutes until vegetables are very tender.
4. While the vegetables are simmering, prepare the couscous. In a small saucepan, bring broth to a boil over medium-high heat. Remove from heat, add couscous, cover and set aside until the soup is ready (at least 5-10 minutes).
5. When the vegetables are tender, purée the soup in the pot with an immersion blender, or transfer to a blender. Stir in the harissa and add salt to taste.
6. Ladle soup into bowls. Fluff couscous with a fork and swirl into the soup. Squeeze lemon into soup. Sprinkle parsley. Enjoy!