Moroccan Couscous: the easy, colorful recipe for making vegetable couscous

Moroccan couscous is a tasty, healthy and versatile side dish recipe, perfect to be served both cold and at room temperature for lunch, dinner or a party buffet during summer. Couscous is a traditional dish from Northern Africa, especially Morocco. Made up of tiny grain, it is made from semolina and water and cooks in a few minutes.

In our recipe, we seasoned couscous with many seasonal sautéed vegetables such as eggplants, zucchini, tomatoes and carrots. Once cooked yet crunchy, we mixed veggies with pre-cooked couscous which we boiled in water. The result is a light, nutritious and appetizing dish, which you can customize as you prefer.

Very easy to make and colorful, just pour hot broth over the couscous, wait a few minutes, add olive oil and then divide the grains with the tines of a fork. Finally you can stir in raisins and spices such as cumin, and also coriander. This Moroccan-style couscous recipe can be made in advance and eaten in the office, at the park or at the seaside.

What is Couscous?

Couscous is a typical dish of Maghrebi cuisine, very popular in Morocco and now all over the world. It is obtained from the processing of durum wheat semolina and is traditionally seasoned with fragrant vegetables or with meat and fish dishes.

Although they may look similar, do not confuse Moroccan couscous with Israeli one. The first one has tiny, small grains which look like rice and cook in no time. On the other hand, Israeli couscous is larger and cook in about 10 minutes, for this reason it is also called pearl couscous.

Tips for making Moroccan Vegetable Couscous

You can add your favorite spices, such as curry, cumin or turmeric, or aromatic herbs.

For a tastier couscous, you can also add chickpeas, black olives, dried tomatoes and sliced ​​almonds or pine nuts you can toast in a pan.

If you don't want to use broth, you can replace it with boiling water.

What to serve with Vegetable Couscous

You can serve this vegetable couscous with your favorite main dishes such as grilled chicken, baked cod, broiled salmon, porterhouse steak or a tasty side such as roasted broccoli.

How to store Moroccan-Style Couscous

The vegetable couscous can be stored in the refrigerator, in a special airtight container, for about 2 days. You can reheat it in a skillet on the stovetop or even in the microwave. To enhance the flavors again, you can add 1 to 2 tablespoons of lemon juice.

You can freeze couscous without seasoning in a freezer-safe container for up to 3 months, once it is completely cool.

How to make Moroccan Couscous

Wash the eggplant and cut it into cubes.

Wash the zucchini, trim them and cut these into cubes too.

Peel the onion and chop it with a knife.

Peel the carrots, trim them and cut them into cubes.

Wash the cherry tomatoes and cut them into chunks.

Brown the onion in a pan with a drizzle of extra virgin olive oil.

Add the eggplant.

Add the zucchini.

Complete with the carrots, add salt and cook for about 15 minutes. The vegetables should be soft but slightly crunchy.

Collect the couscous in a bowl and pour the vegetable broth. Season with a pinch of salt, cover with a kitchen towel and let it rest for about 15 minutes. After this time, season the couscous with a drizzle of extra virgin olive oil and divide the grains with the tines of a fork.

Add the cooked vegetables, raisins, ground cumin and coriander. Mix well.

Season with another drizzle of extra virgin olive oil.

Add tomatoes.

Flavor with basil, chopped by hand, and season with salt if necessary.

Transfer the couscous to a serving dish and serve.