Click on the image, above to submit to Pinterest.

Hlelim (Pasta, Meat and Vegetable Soup)

Hlelim (Pasta, Meat and Vegetable Soup) is a traditional Tunisian recipe for a classic soup of meat, vegetables, chickpeas and pasta with green bell peppers cooked in a tomato and spice base with parsley. The full recipe is presented here and I hope you enjoy this classic Tunisian version of: Pasta, Meat and Vegetable Soup (Hlelim).

prep time

20 minutes

cook time

65 minutes

Total Time:

85 minutes

Additional Time:

(+over-night soaking)

Serves:

4

Rating: 4.5 star rating

Tags : Spice RecipesBeef RecipesVegetable RecipesBean RecipesTunisia Recipes


Ingredients:

250g veal or beef, chopped (or dried meat preserved in oil)
2 carrots, scraped and diced
2 celery sticks, diced
200g dried chickpeas
1 onion, diced
4 tbsp olive oil
2 tbsp tomato purée
1 tbsp Ras-al-Hanout
250g Tunisian hlalem pasta (or other small pasta)
6 tbsp parsley, finely chopped
4 green bell peppers, quartered
salt and freshly-ground black pepper, to taste

Method:

The day before wash and pick over the chickpeas. Place in a large bowl, cover with plenty of water and set aside to soak over night.

The following day, drain the chickpeas. Heat the oil in a pot or a tagine. Add the meat, onion and chickpeas. Season to taste with salt and black pepper then fry gently for about 8 minutes, or until the onion is golden.

Add the celery and carrot and fry for 2 minutes more then stir in 2l water. Bring to a boil and cook for 45 minutes, or until the meat is very tender. Stir in the tomato purée and the ras el hanout then add the pasta and the bell peppers. Bring to a boil and cook for 10 minutes then serve immediately.