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
Oh. My. Couscous.
This recipe was absolutely delicious! I want this to be the last thing I eat before I die. It was like eating a warm hug.
I followed the recipe to the letter, except: I used Sambal Oelek instead of Harissa, I substituted two of the carrots for two white potatoes, and, as recommended in the comments, I garnished with olives for added saltiness/texture. The balance of spicy/sweet/salty was perfect, and it packed quite a punch of flavor.
I wish I was eating it right now. And then again later today.
Make sure you cut the veggies in fairly large bite size chunks, as shown in the pictures, maybe even a little larger than the pictures and make sure not to overcook. They need to be tender of course but if too soft, they will flop and not look good (remember that a meal is also visual). Aldente/ardente / slightly crunchy is better than too soft or floppy in my view.
You can of course use many other vegetables – I have used turnips/parsnips, various types of potatoes, aubergine (eggplant) etc.;
Add olives (largest you can find and pitted), dates (also pitted) and finely chopped almonds (don’t need to be cooked with the rest but can be warmed / fried shortly before serving). The mixture of sweet (from the dates) and spicy is always a winner.
Add boiled eggs too – put them in the pot with everything else cooking (i.e. don’t boil them separately) towards the end / not too long or they get chewy. When you take them out of the shell the albumen (white of the egg) will have coloured slightly and soaked up the flavours. You will never have tasted an egg like this.
For more colour / presentation effect when serving, add a dollop of cream or cream cheese or yogurt then sprinkle paprika and top it with your choice of a date, an olive, an anchovy …
bil-hanā’ wa ash-shifā’ (bon appetit / enjoy your meal with gladness and health (and good friends and good wine!) – that last bit being my addition)
I used Asofetida (instead onion and garlic), ginger, curry leaves, Harissa, Garam masala, paprika, correander and kasturi mehti (dried fenugreek leaves) and it was Brilliant!
Brilliant!
This is a fantastic dish and so easy! Ive made it quite a few times now, and usually top it with some grilled halloumi, tastes amazing!
Halloumi is a fabulous idea 🙂
I love food from all around the world but don’t attempt much cooking. Ever since I traveled to Morocco, I haven’t stopped thinking of the complex aromas and layered flavors in their food. This recipe is amazingly simple to follow and produces a delicious dish! Thank you!
I didn’t have harissa so used the spice combination mentioned by June (and used Indian red chilli powder instead of paprika – so that turned out to be slightly spicier than I expected). So happy to have discovered and tried this out!
Delicious and not a lot of trouble! I didn’t have harissa so I added some cumin, coriander, turmeric, smoked paprika and red pepper flakes. Will try it again with harissa. It was nice with the couscous, nod also some marinated peanut tempeh on the side.
I have made this several times now, ( last time without cabbage as I forgot to buy it), and it is an absolute amazing dish every single time!
I tried this methid today, had to change a few things based on what I had in the house–but, the method of cooking flavorful cous cous and veggies is really what I needed, and this recipe was very useful for that! As a Westerner who loves Moroccan food, in the past I simply tried making cous cous and seperately making veggies and placing them on top, lol, which resultes in ZERO flavor! So I rate this recipe as a 5 bc the method it taught me did create a delicious dish that I actually served to some company that happened to stop by (including vegetarian kids!) even using the hodge page of veggies I had on hand! Had I actually followed the recipe to a “T” I bet it would have been truly amazing. Also, I did add some of my go to spices ground with a mortar and pestle bc i didn’t have broth and I wanted to somehow compensate. I used: a little balsamic vinegar, turmeric, fennel, cumin, black pepper. I am looking forward to being better prepared and following the recipe exactly. My only constructive note to the author would be that my friends and I often just scroll past the long intro-stories that seem to precede most online recipes. Perhaps a single paragraph or a “click here for more info on this dish,” and the story on a seperate page would be more user friendly. I only bother to say this because I really appreciate the quality of this recipe and I would like your site to be as successful as possible.
Julie, there is a button at the top that says “Jump to Recipe” for future reference.
Try adding small cubes of peeled Granny Smith apple just before serving. I also like using craisins and low sodium chicken broth, which adds flavor to the couscous.
Some recipes taste better the next day. Were there any leftovers? And if so, would you suggest making / preparing it the day before for a small dinner party or better to serve it fresh? I am really looking fwd to trying this one. May I also say that several of your recipes are on our Favourites list with the Challah Bread Pudding being totally exquisite. Thank you!
I made this last night, used sambal oelek (was what I had), and omitted the raisins and apricots (I hate them). This was still so very, very delicious! I’m having the leftovers for lunch today. BIG thumbs up! And many thanks for sharing.
P.S. I used the Lebanese couscous, which has such an amazing texture. I recommend it if you can find it! the Israeli couscous is a close second.
This sounds yummy but my vegetarian daughter-in-law can’t eat tomato- any idea for substitute to keep the richness?
Hi Mary, Tori’s assistant Ashley here! I’ve heard that you can use canned pumpkin or squash puree in place of tomato paste, though I haven’t tried so I cannot speak for the flavor or results. Maybe worth a try though!
Just go without the tomato paste and sauté a generous amount of mild, non-smoked paprika in with the other spices. Or more Harissa (if it’s not too spicy.) Maybe a dash of Worcestershire sauce. I’m on a suuuuper low salt diet, and in addition to tomato paste, paprika and Worcester are flavor saviors. (Yes Worcester has sodium, but there’s lots of bang for your mgs of sodium.) Come to think of it, you could add a tiny dash of Vietnamese fish sauce (oops, not veg)…not enough to taste. That was my pre lo-so umami booster.
Can’t wait to try this recipe -my kid however is allergic to zucchini and related squash veggies. What would be a good substitute for the zucchini?
Thanks for all the mouthwatering recipes!
Hi Michelle, you could use regular or Yukon gold potatoes, or perhaps large celery chunks, or a combination of the two. Enjoy!
I’d like to serve this delicious dish at a dinner party that includes a “no gluten/no dairy” guest. What gluten & dairy free appetizers and dessert can you recommend for this meal?
Appetizer: https://toriavey.com/toris-kitchen/2010/07/classic-hummus/ served with gluten free crackers
Dessert: https://toriavey.com/toris-kitchen/2015/06/persian-saffron-pudding/
EXACTLY the recipe I was looking for – thanks! 🙂
With a sIster-in-law raised in North Africa, I had many a great couscous. However, your recipe that I made for the family which includes a vegan, was perfectly delicious and much appreciated.
I was a bit surprised at the inclusion of sweet potatoes but they turned out to be the best ingredient!
Hi Tori,
Your recipe is just was I was looking for, I cooked it tonight and we had some rubbed chicken from the grill with it- just
Piacfrom Germany
Hi Tori-
I would like to cook this for someone who doesn’t really like zucchini… Any suggestions for a substitution… Thanks!
Shiri you could try yellow summer squash or baby mini potatoes. Sliced okra would also be nice! But that is an acquired taste for some.
Tried this recipe as soup for Ramadan breakfast . It was absolutely wonderful .. Very light and rich and the cinnamon ginger as well as sweet savory combination made it amazing
So happy you enjoyed it Rami!
Used your recipe for a Father’s Day meal, and it was WONDERFUL. Seriously one of the most delicious things I’ve ever cooked. I made harissa at home using a very simple recipe from Martha Stewart that called for cayenne pepper. Not sure how authentic it was but it got the basic job done of adding deeply flavorful heat. I used all of the Martha Stewart recipe in this dish, came to about 3-4 Tbsp of it, and it was beautifully incorporated. The cinnamon in your recipe really elevates this dish. I cut up 2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts, seasoned and browned them till just at the cusp of being fully cooked, set them aside, and added them to this stew in the last 10-12 minutes of cooking, Can’t wait for the leftovers tomorrow when the flavors get into the meat a little more. I used fresh ginger, about 2 Tbsp and about double the garlic. Thanks so much for your recipe. I really appreciated the photos too!
So happy to hear that! Thank you for listing the modifications in detail, it may help other readers. 🙂