Spicy freekeh soup with meatballs from Jerusalem (page 148) by Yotam Ottolenghi and Sami Tamimi

Where’s the full recipe - why can I only see the ingredients?

Always check the publication for a full list of ingredients. An Eat Your Books index lists the main ingredients and does not include 'store-cupboard ingredients' (salt, pepper, oil, flour, etc.) - unless called for in significant quantity.

Notes about this recipe

  • ksg518 on April 25, 2026

    Great hearty soup! I’ve successfully frozen it but note that the meatballs tend to fall apart when defrosted. But still very good.

  • alinutzamica on November 04, 2025

    Very good with good strong flavours. I used bought shop baharat. I used brown rice instead of freekeh. Rice was a bit chewy at 35 mins so allow 5-10 mins longer cooking time.

  • joeljkp on March 24, 2025

    Loved this. Referencing other comments, we doubled the meatballs to make it essentially a one-pot meal. Successfully used Beyond plant-based meat for the meatballs. Made the baharat from the same book. Despite the name, this is spiced, not spicy - there's no heat.

  • jhallen on February 14, 2021

    This was good, but I thought a little less special than others in this book. The flavors were more muted than I expected. Still, it was a good soup.

  • Dannausc on January 23, 2021

    So good! Hearty and flavorful. Both my wife and I really liked it!

  • grindabod on September 02, 2020

    Another hard agree, I absolutely love this recipe. If you can make this with homemade chicken stock, it's even more amazing. I'm a big fan of freekeh and I love having this slightly more unusual preparation in rotation. Do NOT forget the squeeze of lemon at the end, it brightens the whole thing up and really makes a difference.

  • sosayi on August 31, 2019

    Made this again, per the sick 4 year old’s request. Just as good as before! Did half bulgur and half freekeh and upped the veg portions slightly. Also added an egg and the flour right to the meatballs (personal texture preference and it makes it easier for little hands to roll them out). Will make again.

  • anya_sf on February 25, 2019

    My family loved this and we ate the whole thing as a one-bowl meal. I increased the carrots and added some baby greens at the end. It was not remotely spicy (which was OK) - perhaps that depends on the baharat spice mix? I let the soup simmer an extra 10 minutes and it thickened even more, melding all the flavors better. Don't skip the lemon at the end. Some extra salt and pepper helped too.

  • sosayi on January 22, 2019

    Just a chimed in voice agreeing with all the rest. Warming spices, lemony notes, fairly quick and easy, and preschooler approved.

  • joneshayley on March 14, 2018

    My family loves this. Deeply warming, richly spiced sweet and savoury. Perfect winter fayre. The meat balls are tender and untuos, the freekah nutty and light- I’ll make this over and over again .

  • Zosia on January 06, 2018

    Family loved this soup flavoured with warm spices balanced by acidic notes from the tomato and lemon. I increased the meatballs as this was meant to be a meal in a bowl and replaced the freekeh with farro.

  • tmitra on September 12, 2017

    Based on the notes below, I was excited about this. I followed the recipe (and the book's baharat recipe) as written, just substituting bulgur for freekeh and reducing the simmering time accordingly. I found the flavors to be surprisingly generic, despite the lemon squeeze.

  • e_ballad on July 05, 2017

    Big bold flavours, making this a perfect winter warmer. I'd also recommend doubling the meatballs if you want a 'meal in a bowl'.

  • yassoma on April 11, 2017

    Fantastic soup. Despite me making a mistake and adding the flour and oil TO the meat mixture! It ended up working beautifully because the meatballs barely held together even with the flour. I can imagine they will easily fall apart without it. I also used 1.5x the amount of beef required, just to make it more substantial, and I made around 40-45 small meatballs out of that. It's oh so good. That squeeze of lemon before you devour it takes it to another level in my opinion. I used my mother's homemade baharat (she toasts and grinds spices herself).

  • Rutabaga on October 31, 2016

    This is a beautiful warm and fragrant soup that is hearty enough to be a light meal all on its own. I made approximately 1.5x the recipe, and found it to be fairly brothy, although generously studded with veggies and freekeh. Our whole family, including my in-laws - and even our ten-month-old! - enjoyed it, although our five-year-old needed some prodding at first.

  • JLDuck on May 24, 2016

    Agree re the lemon. It is a fantastic soup made superlative with the squeeze of lemon.

  • juliejean1 on February 16, 2015

    I used extra meat and ended up with 15 meatballs, which seemed like plenty. I used about 14 ounces canned whole tomatoes and two small fresh tomatoes and just 3 cups hot water. Love this.

  • TrishaCP on December 21, 2014

    This was hearty and satisfying. The "spicy" in the title refers to a predominant flavor of warm spices- there wasn't any heat in this recipe. (Make sure you like your Baharat blend-it is the dominant flavor.) While the soup is intended to be thick, I added an extra cup of stock and that consistency worked for me.

  • Melanie on August 15, 2013

    Make this one again - the squeeze of lemon at the end makes it a winner. I used minced beef (next time work the meat more so that they hold together); whole freekeh instead of cracked; and used fresh parsley only (substituting for the fresh coriander).

  • Maura on February 12, 2013

    Delicious! Doubled the meatballs as recipe doesn't make that many.

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