Kubbeh Hamusta – Israeli

Craving something bright and bold? Kubbeh Hamusta Soup is a tangy Kurdish-Iraqi-Israeli soup with semolina and dried and cracked wheat groat dumplings stuffed with seasoned beef, simmered in a vibrant lemony broth.

The video below shows how to make the soup using pre-frozen kubbeh, and the recipe that follows includes all the steps for making it from scratch. Never mix the soup with the dumplings inside with a spoon. Just swerve the pot to mix.

When Kubbeh Hamusta soup is great to serve

Kubbeh Hamusta is perfect as a centerpiece for Shabbat lunch, a cozy dinner on cooler nights, or a celebratory holiday first course. It’s hearty enough to be the main meal, but refined enough to serve with pride to guests.

Here are the steps in the recipe below:

1. Sauté the ground beef, then chill it in the freezer for about an hour until cold but not frozen.
2. Shape the beef into small meatballs, freeze them solid (ice cube trays work well), and set aside.
3. Mix the semolina and cracked wheat to form the dough, then chill it briefly in the freezer.
4. Prepare the Hamusta (sour) soup (See the video above) and add the frozen or freshly made kubbeh dumplings to cook.
5. Shape the dough into ping pong size balls. Wrap the frozen meatballs in the dough balls to form kubbeh dumplings.
6. Toss fresh dumplings into the soup.
7. Or freeze the Kubbehs until the day you are ready to make the soup in which case you’ll toss the dumplings FROZEN into the soup.

The Process of making Kubbeh Hamusta

Step 1: Sauté the meatball filling. Cool in freezer (round bottoms ice cube tray is the best way to freeze them.

Step 2: Make the semolina dough. Put in freezer for a while. Remove from freezer and shape balls. Press balls into flat discs.

Step 3: Wet hands and place frozen meatballs in center of discs, cup your hand with the dough and meatball and seal the dumpling. Twist and turn and notice areas that have excess dough and rip them off. We want dumplings with a thin wrapping. Removing excess dough ensures this.

For torn areas on dumpling, simply add patches of dough.

Important: So, as you stuff the meat in the dough to make dumplings, be sure to rip off any excess dough. See the image above with the red circle around excess dough.

See the image on the right (below) to see how to trim the excess dough.

Why do we pull off excess dough?

When shaping the dumplings, trim any excess dough so the wrapper stays thin and delicate, creating an elegant bite around the hearty meat filling.

Here are the stuffed beef dumplings ready to be tossed into a freshly made Hamusta (sour) soup, or ready to be frozen until the day you want to make the soup. Don’t forget to toss the dumplings frozen into the soup. Don’t defrost them first.

The Soup – Watch the video above

Start the soup by sautéing the onion, spices, and greens, then add the celery, beet greens, zucchini, and celery root (or potatoes), cover with water, bring to a boil, and simmer for 30–40 minutes.

Tossing fresh or frozen dumplings into Kubbeh Soup

• Finally, toss the freshly stuffed Kubbehs or the frozen Kubbehs into the boiling soup. The dumplings are great for any Kubbeh soup, as this Pumpkin Kubbeh soup.
• If the soup cools too much it stops boiling, wait until some areas are boiling and add them to into those areas. Add around 4 at a time for fresh dumplings and more for frozen ones.

Notice how there’s not a lot of broth left in the pot. This is intentional. It’s not matzo balls soup where we fill up bowls with an abundance of broth.

Spoon open a dumpling and notice the tender, crumbly beef spilling out, not a hard, dense ball—pre-sautéing the meat ensures a soft filling, unlike using raw beef, which can harden inside the dough.

• As you can see, the wrapping is very thin, just as it should be. If it’s too thick, your guests will struggle to cut it open.
  

What to Pair with Kubbeh Hamusta

Kubbeh Hamusta pairs beautifully with warm pita, pickles, and a light side salad.

It also shines next to a small plate of tahini for a creamy contrast.

Storage

Store Kubbeh Hamusta soup in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 days.

Store stuffed Kubbeh dumplings in freezer for up to 3 weeks. Then toss into a boiling soup while still frozen.

Health Benefits

Beetroot leaves are loaded with vitamins A and K, support digestion, and add a subtle, earthy note to the soup. Celery is rich in antioxidants and gives the broth a clean, herbal freshness while aiding hydration and inflammation balance.

Let’s chat! Have a question about Kubbeh Hamusta or a family twist on the recipe? Drop your thoughts in the Comments below—I’d love to hear from you!

Enjoy!