Pearl Couscous Recipe with Vegetables and Apricots
Smoky spices with a touch of sweetness and healthy veggies make this pearl couscous recipe with vegetables and apricots a versatile side dish and delicious comfort food.
This vegetarian side dish with middle eastern flavors is quick to make and it’s great paired with turkey (instead of stuffing), roast chicken, flank steak or a mild fish.
What is pearl couscous?
Pearl couscous (which looks like small pearls) is often thought to be a whole grain, but is actually a pasta made of small balls of semolina flour. It is also referred to as Israeli couscous, called Ptitim In Israel, where is was developed in the 1950’s when rice was scarce due to austerity in Israel.
Israeli pearl couscous is not the same thing as regular couscous or Moroccan couscous. It is relatively new, has much larger grains and chewier.
Simply put, it’s a type of pasta. It absorbs flavors beautifully if cooked with the method in this recipe and is typically sold in grocery stores as toasted Israeli couscous or pearl couscous. The toasting adds a nice nutty flavor.
What’s in the recipe
You can boil Israeli couscous like regular pasta and use it in salads. This recipe, instead, blends several spices – smoked paprika, garlic, cloves and cumin – that infuse the couscous while cooking.
Combined with roasted vegetables and apricots, bright fresh chopped spinach and the richness of some butter (or olive oil if you prefer), the result is a deep, flavorful and very tasty side dish with lots of extra nutrients.
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 roasting (although I like a bit of char on mine).
Play around with the variations and shortcuts to suit your time, needs and tastes.
Tailor to your Taste
Here are some variations and substitutions you can try to make it your own.
- Couscous:
- For this dish, don’t use traditional couscous – only pearl or Israeli
- You can, however, substitute with orzo 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.
- Spicesand seasoning
- Play around with spices you like. 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).
- Garnish with fresh chopped cherry tomatoes and crisp cucumber. Or serve them on the side.
Steps to make this pearl couscous recipe
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 sauté onions and another veggie e.g. mushrooms in the pot.
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 a day or two in an airtight container. Reheat the next day in the microwave.
Other pasta side dishes you might like
- angel hair pasta with squash and kale
- orzo pasta salad recipe
- easy gnocci recipe au gratin
- Parmesan orzo with spinach
- pesto orzo and vegetables
- vegetable couscous
If you like this recipe, please leave a 5 star rating 🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟in the recipe card below. And if you REALLY like it, consider a review in the comments. Thanks very much!
Pearl Couscous Recipe with Vegetables and Apricots
Ingredients
Roast vegetables, Note 1
- 1 cup diced onions, 1/4 inch (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
- 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 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 and seasoning
- Play around with spices you like. 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)
- Couscous:
- Make Ahead:
- The couscous can easily be made a couple of hours ahead of serving.Â
- To reheat, just add a bit more broth or water and reheat covered in the microwave for about a minute. Toss then serve.
Nutrition
This pearl couscous recipe, originally published as Israeli couscous in 2017, has been updated with edited information and pictures.
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.
Not everyone has apricots lying around:) Glad you like the recipe Karyn. Thanks for taking the time to leave a comment.
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!
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.
I have not made yet but want to make for the holiday. I am wondering how well this recipe freezes?
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.
Not sure when to add the apricots. Can you clarify?
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.
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.
Exactly. With a little experimenting, you’ll find the flavours you love. Thanks for sharing.
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!!
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.
Great recipe! I love the contrast between the spice and heat and the sweetness of the squash and apricots.
Thanks for leaving a comment Linda. Glad you liked it!