This one-pot Vegetable Moroccan Couscous recipe is quick, delicious, and nutritious, perfect as a side dish or a vegetarian meal.
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.
Why This Recipe Works
- The blend of spices like paprika, ground coriander, turmeric, celery salt, ground cumin, and ground cinnamon creates a complex and distinctive flavor profile.
- The combination of red onion, yellow bell pepper, carrot, and peas brings a variety of textures, colors, and flavors to the dish.
- Adding garlic and Piquante peppers contributes a layer of umami flavor, adding depth and richness to the dish.
- Using stock to cook the couscous provides additional flavor and depth to the dish.
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.
Ingredient Notes
Olive Oil: Use extra virgin olive oil for flavor and health benefits, or opt for milder oils like canola or sunflower.
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.
Peppadew Peppers
For a wonderful kick of flavor in this dish, I used Peppadew® Piquante Peppers.
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.
Be sure to scrape any brown bits from the bottom of the pan, as these add an extra layer of flavor.
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.
Storage & Freezing Instructions ❄
Storage and Reheating: This dish stores well in the refrigerator for up to 4 days. Reheat in the microwave or stovetop over low heat, adding a splash of water or stock to keep it moist.
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 Top Tips
- This recipe can easily be adjusted to suit your desired level of spiciness. To make it milder, simply omit the cayenne pepper, or add more if you prefer a spicier kick.
- Customize Your Vegetables: Feel free to swap out or add your favorite vegetables to this dish. Zucchini, eggplant, or even cauliflower would make excellent additions.
- To make this recipe vegan, swap the chicken stock for vegetable stock.
- Short on time? To speed up the cooking of the onions, peppers, and carrots, add a little water (about a quarter cup) as it cooks to have them sweat instead of sauteing. This really speeds things up. Just be sure to cook out the water before moving onto the next step.
- For a healthier option, use whole-grain couscous. It will give you a boost in dietary fiber.
- For a bit of sweetness, try adding raisins or sultanas. They’re both common in Moroccan cooking.
Did you make this?
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Let’s Make Vegetable Moroccan Couscous
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 medium red onion chopped
- 1 yellow bell pepper chopped
- 1 carrot chopped into cubes
- 2 cloves garlic minced
- salt & pepper to taste
- ½ teaspoon paprika
- ½ teaspoon ground coriander
- ¼ teaspoon turmeric
- ½ teaspoon celery salt
- ½ teaspoon ground cumin
- ⅛ teaspoon ground cinnamon
- cayenne pepper optional, to taste
- 1 cup frozen peas
- 14 oz chickpeas (garbanzo beans) one can, drained
- 6 Peppadew Piquante peppers chopped, mild or hot
- 1½ cups chicken stock or vegetable stock
- A good handful fresh parsley chopped
- 1 cup instant couscous
Instructions
- In a medium-size skillet heat the oil over medium heat.
- Add red onion, yellow pepper, and carrot sauté 10-15 minutes or until brown and all the vegetables are your desired tenderness
- Add the garlic, sauté another minute.
- Mix in the salt & pepper, paprika, ground coriander, turmeric, celery salt, cumin ground cinnamon, and cayenne pepper (if using). Stir-fry until fragrant (about a minute).
- Add the frozen peas and cook briefly. Stir in the piquante peppers and chickpeas. Followed by the stock, scraping any brown bits from the bottom of the pan.
- Add the chopped parsley and stir in the couscous. Remove from heat and let stand 5 minutes or until liquid is absorbed. Fluff and serve.
Tips + Notes
- This recipe calls for instant couscous. Instant couscous is cooked by covering it with water and leaving it to sit for 5 minutes.
- Read the package instructions for your couscous. If the directions and measurements, do not match my instructions, just adjust the liquid measurement according to the amount of couscous in the recipe, add the spices and follow then follow the package instructions. Once cooked, add the vegetables and mix to combine.
Nutrition Information:
*This is sponsored content written by me on behalf of Peppadew®. The opinions and text are all mine.*
Update Notes: This post was originally published in August 2018. It was republished with new information and photos in 2023.
Vicky Wyld says
Hi from Auckland New Zealand 😎🌍
I just made this recipe for the first time it was delish 😍
Erren says
Wonderful to hear, Vicky!
Jaimi says
Brennan using your recipe for a couple of years and love it! Can’t seem to find the metric conversion on the updated page, am I missing something?
Erren says
Hi Jaimi, it’s under the ingredients list. So glad you like the recipe!
Heather Morrison says
Great recipe! I make this a lot! There used to be a button to swith to metric measurements… That is gone (or at least, I can’t find it). Can you bring this back? Thanks for the recipe!
Erren says
Hi Heather. There was a problem with the conversion software on some of the recipes. It needs to be checked one by one. Unfortunately I can’t turn them on again until I’m sure all the recipes have the correct measurements. I’m working on it though!
Teresa a freis says
I made this last night and my husband and I loved it! It tastes just like a dish we love at Epcot! I added raisins to mine but he left his as is. The only changes I made were veggie broth and celery instead of celery salt. This is being added to our dinner rotation.
Erren says
Awesome, Teresa! I’m so happy you both enjoyed it! 😊
Carol says
This recipe is fabulous! I’ve been trying to cook healthier meals for my family and this is a great addition. Thanks so much for posting the recipe. Unfortunately, I didn’t have all of the ingredients on hand and had to make some substitutions. I used a yellow onion and two shallots instead of the red onion. I also used sweet cherry peppers in place of the picante peppers because that’s what I had in the fridge. It was very tasty even with the substitutions. I can’t wait to make it again with the red onions and picante peppers to see the difference. I am usually not a couscous fan but this recipe has changed my opinion of couscous. Thanks again for the recipe.
Cathi says
Just made this for dinner tonight, looked yummy and sounded tasty. I had pearl couscous in the cupboard and lots of veggies in the fridge. I added celery, purple carrots, red peppers and a zucchini.
I took a photo, not sure how to post it
Thanks for the great recipe!
Erren says
Sounds amazing, Cathi! 🙂
Firewife01 says
Delicious!! I would have taken a picture but it was eaten up quickly. So sad I won’t have any leftovers.
Erren says
Don’t blame you one bit! All is forgiven! 😊
Mrs says
Just cooked this and we loved it! Thanks, bonus being that the leftovers will be fab in pack lunches tomorrow 😀👍
Erren says
So happy to hear it! 😀
Dominik says
Just made this in an attempt to get my family back into couscous as we are trying to eat less meat. Worked a treat!
Didn’t have the piquant peppers so threw in a giant banana pepper and habanero fresh from our garden.
Great base to experiment from as well. Next time going to throw in some celery and button mushrooms!
Erren says
Hi Dominik, I’m so glad you enjoyed it and you’ll be adapting it to make again! Thanks so much for the great feedback!
Margaret says
Made this and added fresh beetroot chunks and butternut squash,,,yum 😜😜
Erren says
Sounds great! Thanks for letting me know. So glad you enjoyed it!