I’ve always loved Moroccan food, but lately I’ve had a renewed obsession with it. The foods of the Maghreb are delightfully complex and bursting with flavor. Most dishes are slowly simmered, spice-laden, and aromatic. Sweet, salty, savory, and spicy all blend together seamlessly. Couscous is often the starch of choice in a North African meal. Here, I’ve developed a vegetarian couscous entree that is savory and slightly sweet with a hint of spice. Dried fruits, cinnamon, and harissa simmer together with vegetables and savory chickpeas. It’s a feast for the senses, no meat required.
What Is Couscous?
My Grandma Lois first introduced me to couscous after she traveled to Morocco in the mid-1980’s. These tiny balls of semolina wheat are the Maghreb’s answer to a starchy grain accompaniment. Couscous is most often served with stews or tagines (more on that below). I was delighted by the texture, so delicate and light, soaking up whatever sauce my grandma conjured. Through the years I’ve enjoyed it as an accompaniment to chicken, lemon olive chicken, and sweet lamb stew. My grandma was mostly vegetarian later in life, so I think she would have enjoyed this dish quite a bit.
Tagine vs. Stew
When I set about developing this recipe, I envisioned a Moroccan-style vegan entree that can be served for any occasion. A tagine seemed like the perfect way to go. The North African word tagine refers to a cone-like earthenware pot, as well as the slowly simmered Berber-inspired stews that are cooked inside it. I love the tagine as a cooking vessel, but few people have one in their kitchen. It made more sense to cook this Moroccan-spiced tagine in a heavy pot, rather than a tagine, so that more folks can enjoy it.
Whether this cooking method qualifies the dish as a tagine or a stew is a matter of semantics. I serve it over couscous, so I call it Moroccan-Style Vegetable Couscous. This two-pot meal is easy to make, healthy and satisfying. It’s got layers and layers of flavor, and could be served as a meatless entree or side dish.
Special Ingredients, Substitutions
Harissa is a spicy North African chili paste originating in Tunisia. It can be found at most Middle Eastern and markets. The spice adds a wonderful depth to this sweet and savory dish. Feel free to substitute sambal oelek from the Asian food section if you can’t track down harissa, they have similar flavor profiles. If you’re gluten free, quinoa makes a great sub for the couscous. Enjoy!
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Moroccan-Style Vegetable Couscous
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
- 1 medium sweet onion, diced
- 2 teaspoons chopped garlic
- 2 tablespoons tomato paste
- 1 tablespoon harissa (or substitute sambal oelek)
- 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
- 1/4 teaspoon ginger
- 2 1/2 cups low sodium vegetable broth
- 2 pounds sweet potatoes (orange yams) peeled and chopped into 1-inch chunks
- 1 pound zucchini (about 4 medium zucchini) cut into 1/2 inch rounds
- 12 ounces carrots (about 4 medium carrots) peeled and cut into 1/2 inch chunks
- 3 cups shredded cabbage
- 1/3 cup dried apricots
- 1/4 cup golden raisins
- 1/4 cup cilantro
- Salt and black pepper to taste
- 1 3/4 cups cooked chickpeas (or substitute 1 can chickpeas, drained)
- 10 ounces couscous (1 1/2 cups dry - for gluten free substitute quinoa)
NOTES
Instructions
- Heat olive oil in a large pot over medium. Saute the onion for several minutes till softened. Add the garlic and saute for another minute till fragrant.
- Stir in the tomato paste, harissa, cinnamon, ginger and 1/2 cup of the low sodium vegetable broth till smooth. Bring to a boil.
- Add sweet potatoes, zucchini, carrots, shredded cabbage, dried apricots, golden raisins and cilantro to the pot. Stir till combined.
- Add remaining 2 cups of vegetable broth to the pot. Bring to a boil. Season with salt and pepper to taste (I use about 3/4 tsp salt and 1/4 tsp pepper).Reduce heat and cover the pot. Simmer the mixture for 50-60 minutes, stirring gently 2 times during cooking, till all the vegetables are fully tender. Season with additional salt and pepper to taste, if desired. Remove from heat.Add chickpeas to the pot and simmer for 5 minutes more till they're heated through.
- Meanwhile, prepare couscous according to package directions.Pour cooked couscous onto a large platter. Top with the cooked vegetable stew. Serve.
Nutrition
Ii made this for a Women’s Circle pot luck Shabbat dinner. I chose this recipe because I had a bunch of zucchini from the garden and wanted to use it. Anyway, I have no idea if I got the poundage on the vegetables right, but I don’t think it really mattered, although I’m betting it came out to more than six servings.
I forgot to buy harissa but I did have sambal aioli that I just replenished at a farmers market while on vacation, so I used that (thanks for suggesting the substitution; I really had no idea what sambal was, tbh 🙂 and threw in a bit more of whatever hot pepper I had lying around. Again, I had no idea how much was enough but it came out fantastically well. Delish. It was one of the hits of the evening. And the next morning at kiddush. And at home, a hit for a few dinners and snacks, thereafter.
So happy to hear this worked out for you Marla!
Love this recipe! So easy to make and delicious. It’s great for dinner parties too. Once it’s on the stove you can leave it to cook for an hour and join your guests. Just get up to stir once in a while and easy peasy. I served it to company last night and they want the recipe as well. This one will become a staple in my house.
I made this recipe last November and froze the left overs. Tonight I needed something for dinner and found the frozen container labeled “couscous and veggies.” It tasted great upon reheating, richly flavorful. Added a little more harissa for punch and some roasted peanuts for added protein. I had forgotten about this recipe, but will move it into the front of my rotation.
This was delicious! I adjusted the veggies to what I had. Added cauliflower, and used less zucchini and sweet potatoes, no apricots. Also substituted a small amount of Sriracha for the Harrisa. Complex layers and flavors. Very adaptable and good!
I have pre-made this recipe 2 times to bring on camping trips. It has been perfect both times.
Can I leave out the raisins and zucchini? Or what would you substitute for zucchini?
Yellow squash can be subbed for zucchini. You can leave out the raisins, though they are a pretty important part of the overall flavor balance.
This meal is AMAZING!!! I did add a little more harissa after reading in the comments that it is sweet. My whole Family loved this meal!! Even my son (age 2) ate a large serving and said he really liked it!!!! Sooo good!!! I am sending this recipe to EVERYONE!!!! Soooo good!!!!!
I made this for a group of vegetarian and meat eaters. Everyone loved it. I followed the recipe and it was easy and very flavorful. Thank you, Tori, for another outstanding recipe.
Superb and easy to follow. My French Tunisian husband loved it and he is not easy to please when it comes to cous cous!!