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!
Ingredients
Units
Scale
Ingredients for Moroccan Couscous
- 1 1/2 cups couscous
- 1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1/2 tsp cinnamon
- 1/2 tsp ground ginger
- 1/2 tsp ground coriander
- 1/4 tsp black pepper
- 1 3/4 cups boiling vegetable broth, or water if broth is unavailable.
Ingredients for the caramelized onions
- 3 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
- 2 large Spanish onions, sliced
- 1 cup raisins
- 1 cup pitted prunes
- 1/4 cup sliced raw almonds or whole almonds chopped
Ingredients For the Chickpeas
- 1 15oz can chickpeas, drained and rinsed
- 1/2 tsp black pepper
- 1/2 tsp sweet paprika
- 1/2 tsp turmeric
- 1/2 tsp cumin
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
Garnish
- Pomegranate seeds
- Chopped parsley
- Chopped cilantro
Instructions
- Boil broth or water
- Place the couscous in a large bowl add olive oil rub it with your hands. Add salt, cinnamon, ginger, coriander, and pepper and mix well. Add the boiling broth, cover the bowl and set it aside, and let it sit for 15 minutes.
- Heat the olive oil in a large skillet. Sauté the onions over medium heat until golden brown ( 20-25 minutes). Set aside
- 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
- Combine the chickpeas, black pepper, paprika, turmeric, cumin, and salt in a medium bowl and toss well. Add the olive oil and toss again
- Using the same skillet, cook the chickpeas until they are well coated with the spices for about 2 minutes
- Fluff the couscous with a fork and transfer it to a serving dish. Arrange the onions around the couscous, sprinkle the raisins, prunes, almonds, and chickpeas over the couscous. Garnish with chopped parsley or cilantro and pomegranate seeds.
Notes
- You can mix in roasted vegetables with the couscous.
- You can use a Ras El Hanout spice mix instead of the spices listed above.
- Add roasted butternut squash for added sweetness
- Add preserved lemons , lemon zest or orange zest for added flavor
- 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