Sweet and Savory Moroccan Couscous

This Sweet and Savory Moroccan Couscous is a festive recipe that will wow guests at a holiday table...and it’s also easy enough to make for Friday night dinner or Saturday lunch!

Moroccan food has got to be one of our favorite cuisines! The spices, complex flavors, hearty ingredients, and beautiful colors...it’s an honest joy to eat. This Moroccan Couscous recipe is a classic dish filled with delicious spices, onions, nuts, raisins, and spiced chickpeas that also add protein. It’s sweet and savory, filling, and looks beautiful on a holiday table!

What is couscous?

Couscous is a North African type of semolina that’s made from crushed durum wheat. It can be prepared and served similarly to rice or quinoa; it gets cooked in boiling water, becomes fluffy, and can be served as a side or base for many savory dishes! Couscous is similar to rice in calorie content, but it contains more protein and higher amounts of vitamins and minerals than rice, so it’s a wonderful alternative.

Traditional Moroccan Couscous Preparation

Traditional Moroccan couscous is steamed in a multi-step process that can take a little while! It gets steamed three times and requires some patience. Below is an overview, you'll have to ask a Traditional Moroccan cook for the details...

1. First steam: Put dry couscous into a large bowl and work vegetable oil into it by hand. Pour a small amount of water over the top, continuing to rub the couscous grains in between your palms, before transferring it to an oiled steamer basket with small holes (couscoussier), so the couscous doesn't fall through. Once you see steam coming off the couscous, wait about 15 minutes before pouring it back into the large bowl. 
2. Add more water: Once it’s cool to the touch, work in more water and salt by hand, then put it back in the steamer basket. Steam it a second time, for an additional 15 minutes from the time you see steam rising from the couscous. Just like before, pour it into the large bowl and let it cool to the touch. 
3. This time you’ll work in more water, tossing and rubbing it between your palms like before, and then transferring half of it back into the steamer basket. Handle it lightly and try not to pack it in too tight! Once the steam is rising, add the second half on top and continue cooking. Watch for steam to rise from the couscous, set a timer for 15-20 minutes, and then pour it back into your bowl and prepare it for serving. 

How to Make Couscous Quickly

Most authentic, traditional chefs will tell you the full steaming process is totally worth it as it produces fluffy, perfect couscous. We won’t argue with that, but our method saves a lot of time in the kitchen, which is also important! We simply add boiling water to a bowl of spiced couscous, cover it, and let it sit for 15 minutes. Not as fluffy, but it gets the job done quickly!

Ingredients in Moroccan Couscous

This is a pretty short and simple ingredient list; you might even have all of these things in your pantry already!

• Couscous - You can find this in the same aisle as rice and grains! We like to cook couscous in vegetable broth, but water works well too.
• Spices - This recipe calls for salt and pepper, coriander, paprika, turmeric, and cumin.
• Spanish onions - These look like yellow onions, but they’re a bit sweeter and larger and we prefer them in this dish!
• Raisins - Regular or golden raisins both work fine here.
• Pitted prunes - Prunes add color and sweetness that perfectly balances this dish!
• Chickpeas - One can of chickpeas drained and rinsed, is the perfect amount. They’ll get tossed with oil and spices before getting toasted on the stovetop!

Health Benefits of Chickpeas

The addition of chickpeas makes this dish hearty enough to work as a vegan main dish! It’s full of plant-based protein and they are the perfect vehicle for the Moroccan spices adding a satisfying heartiness to this spiced couscous. Chickpeas are a legume. They contain fiber, folic acid, and complex carbs. They’re satisfying but never make you feel uncomfortably full!

Moroccan Couscous Toppings

There are a few different ways to garnish this spiced couscous! We love sprinkling pomegranate seeds or fresh herbs like parsley or cilantro on top. This adds both color and flavor! We also wait to place the toasted almonds, raisins, prunes, and chickpeas until it’s ready to be served so everything looks beautiful.

How to Meal Prep Moroccan Couscous with Raisins

You can make this delicious spiced Moroccan couscous ahead of time! This is awesome if you want to eat it for lunch or you have a big dinner and want to get ahead of the cooking. It can be made 2-3 days ahead, and we recommend keeping everything separated and then assembling it right before serving for the best results. Store leftovers in an airtight container for 3-4 days...although it never lasts that long in our house!

More Moroccan Recipes

• Moroccan Harira Soup
• Moroccan Matbucha
• Veggie Loaded Quinoa Fried Rice
• Moroccan Cinnamon Cookies
• Lentil Soup with Moroccan Spices
• The Best Moroccan Carrot Salad
• Quick Moroccan Spiced Chickpeas
• Moroccan Harissa Carrot Salad

The Story That Inspired This Recipe

Have you ever tried Moroccan food? If you haven’t, you don’t know what you’re missing. It is AWESOME. The spices, the complex flavors, the heartiness… YUM!!!

A couple of nights ago, I got this huge craving for it. I wanted a steaming bowl of Moroccan couscous so badly I could taste it.  But… I was tired and didn’t feel like making anything.

I wasn’t gonna give up, so what did I do?  I reached out to my sister, of course… And after just a little bit of begging on my part, she offered to make it for me.

She didn’t have all the ingredients she needed so she couldn’t exactly make the “authentic” recipe. But there is one thing you should know about my sister: she is the best at making up new stuff. So she came up with her own version. Equally yummy, equally satisfying. Just perfect.

I hope you enjoy it!

Ruth

P.S: I once read a quote that said:  “In the cookies of life, sisters are the chocolate chips”. How true…

Sweet and Savory Moroccan Couscous

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• Author: Vicky & Ruth
• Total Time: 40 minutes
• Yield: 9 cups 1x
• Diet: Vegan

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Description

This Sweet and Savory Moroccan Couscous is a festive recipe that will wow guests at a holiday table...and it’s also easy enough to make for Friday night dinner or Saturday lunch!

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Ingredients

Scale 1x2x3x

• 1 ½ cups couscous
• 1 ¾  cups veggie broth, you may use water if you don't have broth
• ½ tsp salt
• ½ tsp ground coriander
• ⅛ tsp black pepper
• 3 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
• 2 large Spanish onions, sliced
• 1 cup raisins
• 1 cup pitted prunes
• ¼ cup sliced raw almonds or whole almonds chopped

For the Chickpeas

• 1 15oz can chickpeas, drained and rinsed
• ½ tsp black pepper
• ½ tsp sweet paprika
• ½ tsp turmeric
• ½ tsp cumin
• ¼ tsp salt
• 1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil

Garnish

• Pomegranate seeds
• Chopped parsley 
• Chopped cilantro

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Instructions

1. Boil broth or water
2. Place the couscous in a large bowl. Add the salt, coriander, and pepper and mix well. Add the boiling broth or water cover the bowl, set it aside, and let it sit for 15 minutes. 
3. Heat the olive oil in a large skillet. Sauté the onions over medium heat until golden brown ( 20-25 minutes). Set aside
4. In the same skillet, cook the sliced almonds over medium-low heat for 2 minutes. Add the raisins and prunes and cook for 3-2 minutes or until the fruit starts to soften and the almonds start to turn golden. Set aside
5. Combine the chickpeas, black pepper, paprika, turmeric, cumin, and salt in a medium bowl and toss well. Add the olive oil and toss again
6. Using the same skillet, cook the chickpeas until they are well coated with the spices for about 2 minutes
7. Fluff the couscous with a fork and arrange it on a serving dish. Arrange the onions, raisins, prunes, and almonds all around. Make a well in the middle of the couscous and place the chickpeas. Garnish with chopped parsley and pomegranate seeds

• Prep Time: 10
• Cook Time: 30
• Category: Side
• Method: Stovetop
• Cuisine: Moroccan

Nutrition

• Serving Size: 1 cup
• Calories: 344
• Sugar: 12.4
• Sodium: 332
• Fat: 9.5
• Saturated Fat: 1.2
• Unsaturated Fat: 8.3
• Trans Fat: 0
• Carbohydrates: 60.2
• Fiber: 5.3
• Protein: 8.3
• Cholesterol: 0

Keywords: Rosh Hashanah, sukkot, kosher, Parve,