Enjoy this delightful dish paired with Moroccan Chicken to create an exquisite dinner experience.
Are you looking for a delicious, healthy, and satisfying dish perfect for a busy weeknight dinner or a special weekend feast? Look no further! Our Vegetable Moroccan Couscous is a one-pan wonder full of flavor and nutritious ingredients. We will show you how to create this incredible dish in no time flat and provide some helpful tips and variations to make it your own.
The Origins of Couscous
Couscous is a North African staple, most commonly associated with Moroccan cuisine. It’s made from steamed and dried semolina and is the perfect base for absorbing the flavors of aromatic spices and a medley of colorful vegetables. Couscous is delicious and incredibly versatile, making it a fantastic choice for a wide range of dishes.
Peppadew Peppers
For a wonderful kick of flavor in this dish, I used Peppadew® Piquante Peppers. Red Onion: Choose medium red onions for a sweet, vibrant flavor, or substitute with yellow or white ones. Bell Pepper: Pick yellow bell peppers for color and sweetness, or use red or orange for similar appeal. Carrot: Select firm, bright-colored carrots for taste and texture. Alternatively, use frozen carrots and them with the peas. Garlic: Fresh garlic cloves are ideal, but you can substitute with ½ teaspoon of garlic powder or 1 teaspoon of jarred minced garlic. Spices: Freshly ground spices enhance flavor; if unavailable, use a Moroccan spice blend like Ras el Hanout. Frozen Peas: Convenient and vibrant, frozen peas can be replaced with fresh-shelled or other frozen veggies. Chickpeas: Use canned chickpeas or cook dried chickpeas after soaking and boiling. Piquante Peppers: Substitute with jarred roasted red bell peppers or pickled jalapenos if unavailable. Stock: Opt for good-quality stock, using vegetable stock for vegetarian or vegan options. Fresh Parsley: Adds brightness; use fresh cilantro or dried parsley as alternatives. Instant Couscous: Convenient and easy, regular couscous, quinoa, rice, or gluten-free couscous can be used as alternatives. If you aren’t familiar with Peppadew®, they are amazing little, crispy Piquante Peppers with fantastic sweet heat. I love cooking with them; once you try them, you will too!
Step By Step Instructions
For the Vegetable Base
To make Vegetable Moroccan Couscous, heat 2 tablespoons of olive oil in a medium-sized skillet over medium heat. Add the chopped red onion, bell pepper, and carrot, and sauté them until they reach your desired tenderness. Once tender, add the garlic and sauté for about a minute, just long enough to release its fragrance. Then add salt, pepper, ½ teaspoon of paprika, ½ teaspoon of ground coriander, ¼ teaspoon of turmeric, ½ teaspoon of celery salt, ½ teaspoon of ground cumin, and ⅛ teaspoon of ground cinnamon to the skillet. For an extra kick of heat, add some cayenne pepper. Cook for about a minute until the spices are toasted and fragrant. Next, add the 1 cup of frozen peas, the piquante peppers, and a can of drained chickpeas. Pour in the 1½ cups of stock.
Cooking The Couscous
As the stock simmers and bubbles, fold in the handful of freshly chopped parsley, followed by 1 cup of instant couscous. Gently mix the couscous into the vegetable medley, ensuring each grain is coated in the rich, spiced broth. Remove the skillet from the heat and let it stand for 5 minutes, allowing the couscous to absorb the liquid and transform into a fluffy, flavorful delight. Once the liquid has been absorbed, grab a fork and gently fluff the couscous. Serve this magnificent Moroccan Spiced Vegetable Couscous in bowls or on a large platter, garnished with an extra sprinkle of fresh parsley. To Freeze: Cool the Vegetable Moroccan Couscous to room temperature. Then, transfer it into airtight, freezer-safe containers or heavy-duty freezer bags. Divide the couscous into portions for easy reheating. Stored properly, it should maintain its quality for up to 3 months. Erren’s Kitchen is written and produced for informational intentions only. We are not certified nutritionists, and the nutritional information found on this site has not been assessed or authorized by a nutritionist or the FDA. The nutritional information found in our recipes is offered as an estimate and should not be considered a guarantee or fact. The estimated data is provided as a courtesy and calculated through a third-party online nutritional calculator, spoonacular API. Although we do our best to provide accurate nutritional information, these figures should be considered rough estimates. Many factors, such as brands or products purchased and the nutritional fluctuations that naturally occur in fresh produce, can alter the effectiveness of the nutritional information in any recipe. Furthermore, various online calculators provide different results depending on their particular algorithms and nutrition fact sources. To obtain the most precise nutritional information in a provided recipe, you should calculate the nutritional information with the exact ingredients you are using when preparing the recipe using your preferred nutrition calculator. Update Notes: This post was originally published in August 2018. It was republished with new information and photos in 2023.
