Pearl Couscous Recipe with Vegetables and Apricots

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4.8 from 27 votes

Smoky spices, sweet notes, and healthy veggies make this pearl couscous recipe a versatile, quick, and comforting Middle Eastern-inspired vegetarian side dish.

finished pearl couscous and vegetables in bowl

What to expect

The combination of pearl couscous, roasted vegetables and apricots, fresh spinach, and the richness of some butter (or olive oil if you prefer), creates a deep, flavorful, and very tasty side dish with lots of extra nutrients.

While Israeli couscous is often boiled like regular pasta and used in salads, this pearl couscous recipe infuses it with warm spices during cooking. Toasting the couscous beforehand adds a delightful nutty flavor.

Play around with the variations and shortcuts to suit your time, needs and tastes. 

Ingredients – tailored to your taste

Pearl couscous, spiralized butternut squash, fresh baby spinach, dried apricots, butter, seasonings, chicken broth, onion, olive oil.
  • Pearl Couscous – For this dish, buy pearl couscous (also called Israeli couscous), NOT regular couscous. Pearl couscous is a type of pasta made of small balls of semolina flour that look like pearls.
  • Butternut squash: We’re using spiralized butternut squash for a bit of drama. You can dice it instead or use other vegetables.
  • Spices: We use smoked paprika and a pinch of cumin and cloves. Experiment with your favorites – we have a few suggestions below.
  • Couscous: Try orzo or acini de pepe pasta if you can’t find pearl couscous
  • Vegetables: Roast other vegetables such as diced mushrooms, zucchini or red peppers instead of butternut squash.
  • Spices: Try coriander, curry powder, nutmeg, regular paprika, thyme, etc. And add some heat with sriracha or red chili flakes if you like.
  • Lemon zest or a squeeze of fresh lemon juice will add some bright flavors as will lots of fresh herbs.
  • Sprinkle the finished dish with toasted almonds, pine nuts or other nuts for crunch.
  • Substitute dried cranberries or golden raisins for the dried apricots. These can be added while the couscous is cooking (not roasted).
  • Garnish with fresh chopped cherry tomatoes and crisp cucumber. Or serve them on the side.

Step by step instructions

Spiralized squash and onions on pan.
Toss squash and onion with oil, salt and pepper. Lay out in a pan.
Roasted squash and onions on pan.
Roast for 15 minutes at high heat.
couscous and apricots in pot
Cook couscous in broth with apricots.
spinach added to cooked couscous in pot
Add roasted veggies and spinach.
spoon of finished pearl couscous and veggies
Adjust seasonings and serve.

The dried apricots add great texture and a subtle sweetness. I tried roasting them with the vegetables and boiling them with the couscous. Both ways work fine. The only thing to add here is to be careful they don’t burn if you choose to roast (although I like a bit of char on mine).

What to serve with pearl couscous

Serve the couscous for dinner tonight as a main course if you like along with a salad and perhaps a ratatouille soup or vegetarian split pea soup. In this case, the recipe will serve two.

As a simple side dish, it pairs well with sous vide turkey breast, marinated flank steak, maple balsamic trout, rack of lamb on the grill, juicy grilled pork chops and balsamic glazed chicken. The couscous is a great way to add savory flavor to a meal.

Shortcut

  • Skip roasting the vegetables and just sautĆ© onions and another veggie to add to the cooked couscous e.g. mushrooms.
pearl couscous in bowl 2

More pasta side dishes

Please leave a 5 star rating ***** with a comment in the recipe card below if you like the recipe, Thanks so much!

finished pearl couscous and vegetables in bowl
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4.82 from 27 votes

Pearl Couscous Recipe with Vegetables and Apricots

Smoky spices, sweet notes, and healthy veggies make this pearl couscous recipe a versatile, quick, and comforting Middle Eastern-inspired vegetarian side dish.
Prep Time10 minutes
Cook Time15 minutes
Total Time25 minutes
Course: Side Dish, vegetarian
Cuisine: Middle Eastern
Servings: 4

Ingredients

Roast vegetables, Note 1

  • 1 cup diced onions, 1/4 inch/64mm (red onion or white)
  • 2 cups spiralized/diced butternut squash (or mushrooms or bell pepper or combo)
  • 1 tablespoon olive oil
  • salt and black pepper

Couscous

  • 2 tablespoon butter (or oil)
  • 1 1/2 teaspoon smoked paprika
  • 1 1/2 teaspoon minced or grated garlic (or 1/2 tsp garlic powder)
  • pinch ground cloves
  • pinch cumin
  • 1/4 teaspoon sriracha (optional)
  • 1 1/2 cups chicken broth or vegetable broth
  • 1 cup toasted Israeli couscous
  • 10-15 dried apricots, roughly chopped
  • 2 cups fresh baby spinach, roughly chopped
  • salt and pepper, to taste

Instructions

  • Preheat oven to 450F/232C.
  • ROAST VEGETABLES: Place onions, butternut squash (or mushrooms/red peppers) on a pan lined with foil and sprayed with oil. Drizzle on olive oil and sprinkle lightly with salt and pepper. Toss to coat evenly. Roast for about 15 minutes or until vegetables are soft and starting to caramelize to a golden brown.
  • MAKE COUSCOUS: While veggies are roasting, place butter in medium saucepan on medium-high heat. When butter melts, add smoked paprika, garlic, cloves, cumin, sriracha. Stir and cook for 1 minute. Add broth and bring to a boil. Add couscous and apricots. Once boiling, lower heat to a simmer and cook covered for about 9-10 minutes or until couscous is soft (but still a bit chewy) and most of broth is absorbed (the remaining broth will absorb as it sits). If broth absorbs before couscous is cooked, add a bit more broth or water and continue cooking for another minute or two.
  • ASSEMBLE: Add roasted vegetables and chopped spinach to couscous. Stir well until spinach wilts, about 30 seconds. Taste and adjust seasonings as needed. Serve immediately or set aside and then warm in microwave for a minute before serving.

Recipe Notes

  1. Variations and Substitutions
    • Couscous
      • For this dish, don’t use traditional couscous – only pearl or Israeli
      • You can, however, substitute with orzo or acini de pepe pastaĀ if you can’t find pearl couscous
    • Vegetables
      • Roast other vegetables such as diced mushrooms, zucchini or red peppers instead of butternut squash.
    • Spices and seasoning
      • Play around with spices you like.Ā For example, try coriander, curry powder, nutmeg, regular paprika, thyme, etc.
      • And add some heat with sriracha or red chili flakes if you like.
      • Lemon zest or a squeeze of fresh lemon juice will add some bright flavors as will lots of fresh herbs.
    • Add-ins
      • Sprinkle the finished dish with toasted almonds, pine nuts or other nuts for crunch.
      • Substitute dried cranberries or golden raisins for the dried apricots. These can be added while the couscous is cooking (not roasted)
  2. Shortcut: Skip roasting the vegetables and saute small dices veggies on the stovetop instead. This will save time heating the oven and sauteeing is a little faster than roasting.Ā 
  3. Make Ahead:
    • The couscous can easily be made a couple of hours ahead of serving. To reheat, just add a bit more broth or water and reheat covered in the microwave for about a minute. Toss then serve.
    • Leftovers can be kept in the fridge for 1-2 days in an airtight container. Reheat the next day in the microwave.
Ā 
Nutrition values are estimates.

Nutrition

Calories: 369kcal | Carbohydrates: 62g | Protein: 10g | Fat: 10g | Saturated Fat: 4g | Cholesterol: 15mg | Sodium: 544mg | Potassium: 832mg | Fiber: 7g | Sugar: 16g | Vitamin A: 10259IU | Vitamin C: 22mg | Calcium: 85mg | Iron: 2mg
Tried this recipe?We’d love you to rate it above under ‘rate this recipe’ or in the comment section below. Thanks!
4.82 from 27 votes (22 ratings without comment)

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20 Comments

  1. 5 stars
    What a terrific recipe this is!
    Very tasty and thoroughly enjoyed by us! 😁
    I air-fried the vegies (cauliflower, red onion, sweet potato) and when they were done we air-fried a juicy pork chop! It worked really well adding the vegies to the cooking couscous mixture while the chops cooked. Followed the recipe but used my choice of veg mainly because that is what I had. We enjoyed the sweet pop of the apricots, a touch of heat from the spice and the fresh herbs on top. Lovely recipe thank you.
    It’s a keeper!

  2. I would like to try this recipe but wanted to clarify…it calls for “toasted” couscous? I am not just pouring it out of the package? I have to toast it first? And if so, how do I do that?

    Thank you,
    Andee

  3. 5 stars
    This recipe is unreal! The flavor is incredible and perfectly balanced. I roasted mushrooms and bell peppers since butternut squash is out of season and I can’t wait to try this again once the squash is in season. Adding this into the weekly rotation!

  4. 5 stars
    Was looking for a dish to go with fish for dinner and found this one. Easy to prepare as I had all the ingredients. Delicious! Highly recommend.

  5. The recipe reads a bit confusing in terms of the when/how to add the apricots. You have it listed 3 different times:
    Could you please clarify? Thanks!

    1. Hi Michelle, So sorry for the confusion. I have updated the recipe now to make it clearer. The apricots should be added when cooking the couscous (not during roasting the squash and onions). Hope that helps.

    1. Good question Jocelyn. Pearl couscous freezes well for a few months, but I haven’t tried freezing it with the cooked vegetables. I think the spinach may become slimy and the butternut squash a bit too soft or mushy, so I wouldn’t suggest freezing it. Probably not what you wanted to hear! You can try it of course (I’d love to hear how it worked), but with a holiday dinner, I probably wouldn’t risk it.

    1. Hi Stephanie. If you look at step 3 in the recipe, you will see it there “MAKE COUSCOUS: While veggies are roasting, place butter in medium saucepan on medium-high heat. When butter melts, add smoked paprika, garlic, cloves, cumin, sriracha. Stir and cook for 1 minute. Add broth and bring to a boil. Add couscous and apricots“. Hope that clarifies it.

      1. 5 stars
        Thank you so much for the clarification, Cheryl!
        I did make this and although it came out a bit sweet my husband and I still enjoyed it.(I’ll cut back on the apricots next time?
        We used grilled summer veggies, cuz it’s summer! What I really like about this recipe is that it’s very versatile and forgiving. You could really change any of the herbs and spices to make it fit your palate.

      2. Hi I’m making this as my side … do we roast the apricots first with other veggies or put them
        In the couscous unroasted??? Hope you see this!!

        1. Hi Barbara. I add the apricots to the couscous unroasted as per step 3. A bit of roasting may be nice, but I think they might burn at such a high heat.