Pumpkin Kubbeh Soup stole my heart long before I ever learned to make it. I spent my childhood years in a traditional Jewish-American home in the U.S., but living most of my life in the Mediterranean-Middle East has introduced me to the region’s rich and comforting flavors, including this beloved dish. Kosher.
Note: Kubbeh is also spelled and pronounced: Kubeh, Kibbeh, Kubah, Kubbah.
The Kubbeh Wrapping
Kubbeh wrapping can be tricky since it’s made with bulgur and semolina, not flour. If the wrapper isn’t super-thin and the filling generous, it gets side-eyed.
The goal is a very thin shell with plenty of filling. To keep the beef tender and spoon-able in the soup, it’s pre-sautéed—raw beef would cook into a firm lump and make the Kubbeh messy to open.
Step 1: Make the Dough
- Combine the dough ingredients and mix with a spoon. Rest it for a bit.
Step 2: Mold Meatballs with the Ground Beef Filling
Sauté the ground beef with a couple of ingredients and put into the freezer to get really cold. The more frozen they are, the easier it is to wrap them in the non-smooth dough created in the section above.
- Once cooled, mold ping pong size meatballs. Place on a tray or into ice cube dish. Freeze.
Step 3: Stuffing the Dough Balls with the Meat for Pumpkin Kubbeh soup –
Remove the dough balls from the fridge and the meatballs from the freezer.
- Flatten the dough balls by placing them in one palm and gently pressing down with the other to form circles.
- Cup the dough circles and place the frozen meatballs in the center, then wrap them up into balls.
- Twist it off excess dough with your finger tips.
- If parts have ripped off, patch with some tiny bits of dough.
Put the Kubbehs in the freezer or toss into a boiling soup.
Now, you have 2 options:
- Either toss them into the soup when it’s ready:
2. Or let them freeze completely for up to a couple of weeks. Toss them into boiling soup while still frozen whenever you’re ready to make the soup.
When freezing the kubbehs, just be sure they don’t touch until fully frozen, or they’ll stick. Once frozen, transfer to a zip-top bag or container to save space.
FAQ: Can I make the Soup the day before and then heat it up and add the Kubbehs the next day?
Yes, you can make the soup the day before, refrigerate it and then reheat it and toss the frozen (!!! Yes!) dumplings inside the boiling soup. I must be boiling!
Pairing Options
I hope you’ll enjoy making and serving Pumpkin Kubbeh soup. Let me know how it went in comments section below. 🙂
Israeli Kubbeh Pumpkin (Dumpling) Soup
A hearty pumpkin soup enriched with spiced kubbeh dumplings and warm Middle Eastern flavors.
Ingredients
DOUGH - WRAPPING OF THE KUBBEHS
- 1/2 cup finely cracked wheat groats 3-1/2 oz. (100 g)
- 1-1/2 cups semolina 10 oz. (270 g)
- 1/2 teaspoon Bharat or cumin powder
- 1-1/2 teaspoons Kosher salt
- 1 teaspoon white/black pepper, or to taste
- 1 teaspoon neutral oil
- 2.80 fl. oz. tap water (200 mL)
- More water for rinsing of the fine cracked groats
FOR THE SAUTEING OF GROUND BEEF
- 10½ oz. ground beef (500 g)
- 10% fat (beef or lamb fat or margarine - 1.80 oz. [50 g])
- 2 medium onions, chopped
- 3 celery stalks + leaves, chopped
- 1/2 tablespoon natural date syrup
- 1-1/2 teaspoons Bharat (or 1/2 tsp cumin powder, 1/4 tsp cardamom, & barely a pinch of cinnamon)
- 1-1/2 teaspoons Kosher salt
- 1 teaspoon black pepper or to taste
- 1/4 cup oil
PUMPKIN SOUP FOR KUBBEHS
- 2.20 lbs. pumpkin (1 kilo)
- 2 medium onions, chopped
- 2 celery stalks, chopped, and leaves of 3 celery stalks, chopped
- 1 to 2 leaves of beet root - Optional
- 1 cup defrosted garbanzo beans (chickpeas) 6 oz. (170 g) - Optional
- 4 flat tablespoons of tomato paste (sugar-free)
- 1 teaspoon turmeric powder
- Barely a pinch of cinnamon powder
- 2 teaspoons Kosher salt
- 1 teaspoon black pepper or to taste
- 1/4 cup neutral oil
Instructions
FOR THE DOUGH OF SEMOLINA- FINELY CRACKED DRY WHEAT GROATS
- Pour cracked wheat into a large bowl. Half fill with water. Swish the groats with your hand a bit. Pour out most of the starchy water and repeat (making sure it doesn't all spill out). 🙂
- Spill out the water, leaving the groats with some water inside.
- Pour into the bowl 8.50 fl. oz. tap water (250 mL).
- Set aside for 30-40 minutes (If it sits aside for longer, no worries.), until the groats absorb most of the water. (Meanwhile, jump to the section of the preparation of the meat mixture, then return to step number 3 here.)
- Pour the semolina onto the groats and mix with A SPOON only.
The dough is not formed yet. All you'll get is a chunky texture. - Set aside for 20 to 30 minutes, then add the spices and knead/fold into a well-incorporated dough (knead for around 30 seconds).
- Mold into 1-1/2-inch (3.80 cm) balls.
- Proceed to stuff with the meat, and then toss them into the Pumpkin soup (see the rest of the recipe), freeze for up to a few weeks and toss frozen directly into the soup.
- Or refrigerate covered with plastic wrap until the following day and then stuff with the frozen meatballs.
SAUTEING OF GROUND BEEF
- Heat oil and sauté the chopped onions 4 minutes.
Add the chopped celery and sauté another 2 minutes. - Add the beef, fat, natural date honey, and any spices from the list. Cook on a medium-low heat over a large burner for around 35 minutes, stirring occasionally.
- Transfer the meat to a bowl, cool completely, cover it (with whatever you like) and put it into the freezer for 45 minutes (making sure it doesn't freeze). 🙂
- Remove the cooked meat from the freezer and mold it into 1½-inch diameter meatballs.
- Place the balls in the freezer for up to 2 hours. Or freeze them completely. Continue onto making the soup or leave them in the freezer over night (or for a few weeks). I suggest wrapping them inside the dough to make Kubbeh dumplings and then to freeze them until the day you want to prepare and serve the soup.
Return to steps 5 - 8 of the first section above entitled: "For the Dough of Semolina-..."
PUMPKIN SOUP
- Heat the oil, and sauté the chopped onions for 4 minutes. Add the chopped celery and (optional) chopped beet root leaf (leaves).
- Sauté for another 2 minutes and add the tomato paste, date syrup, pumpkin and spices. Sauté another 2 minutes.
- Pour in 2 liters of water and bring to a boil. Then simmer for 20 minutes.
- Toss the freshly molded (or frozen) Kubbeh dumplings into the soup and bring to a boil, then simmer for 20 minutes.
Nutrition Information
Yield
21Serving Size
3Amount Per Serving Calories 206Total Fat 9gSaturated Fat 1gTrans Fat 0gUnsaturated Fat 6gCholesterol 13mgSodium 393mgCarbohydrates 25gFiber 4gSugar 4gProtein 8g
Nutrition values are estimated.