Couscous is a delicious, nutritious pasta made with semolina flour mixed with water that’s associated with Morocco. It’s easy to cook, and there’s no end to what you can do with it. These couscous recipes can make great side dishes or entrees. They’re also great for batch cooking.
This is one of the most versatile grains you can keep in your pantry. Like rice, it stores well so you can buy it in bulk and save money.
In fact, if you can’t find it in your local grocery stores, you can order regular couscous or instant couscous online. If you’ve never cooked or eaten it before, now’s the time to start!
One of the best things about this dish is how short the cooking and prep time are. Some of these recipes can be made in about 20 minutes. Very few take more than 30, unless they need some time in the slow cooker.
Note: couscous is not gluten free. For that, you’ll need quinoa recipes.
Best Couscous Recipes
This Meatball Kale Soup With Couscous recipe is an excellent dutch oven soup that everyone will love. Warm and hearty with lots of flavor and texture, this is perfect for a chilly day!
This Couscous Tabbouleh Salad is loaded with fresh veggies and herbs and has a light lemony dressing. It gets its gorgeous golden color for turmeric. This salad is naturally vegan.
Give regular couscous a colorful makeover by adding a bunch of veggies and earthy spices. This Moroccan Couscous recipe is a great side dish that goes with a variety of mains.
Lemon Herb Couscous is the perfect light and flavorful couscous recipe. Pearl couscous is combined with lemon juice and fresh herbs to create an easy side dish. Pair this dish with your favorite grilled meat, seafood or alongside a hummus or rice bowl.
This bacon and asparagus fried couscous is pan fried in bacon fat for a delicious spin on fried rice.
Grilled Chicken & Apples with Couscous is a beautiful, healthful grilled meal for summer or fall!
What makes this couscous recipe so good is how the sweetness of the roasted red peppers, the saltiness of the feta, and the pop of fresh mint come together with the couscous.
Honey-Harissa Salmon with Walnut Salsa Verde and Turmeric Couscous
Fresh and flavorful this Honey-Harissa Salmon with Walnut Salsa Verde and Turmeric Couscous is about to become your new favorite dinner recipe! Sweet and spicy salmon served with light and fluffy couscous seasoned with turmeric, cinnamon and studded with dried apricots and caramelized shallots–it’s heavenly!
Pomegranate couscous salad is a bright and fresh side dish that is perfect for a picnic but would also be a light and festive side dish for the holidays. It is a great make ahead salad recipe that can be served with almost any entree.
Loaded with veggies and TWO kinds of couscous, this Salad is utterly delicious. Cook the veggies on the grill, in a grill pan or in the broiler to add just enough char to add interest to the plate and a subtle smoky flavor.
This easy and delicious Roasted Vegetable Couscous recipe is the perfect side dish alongside your favorite main dish, or as a light vegan meal. Israeli couscous is tossed with a light lemon dressing, fresh herbs, oven-roasted zucchini, red peppers, and onion. It is equally delicious served warm or cold!
These Mediterranean Couscous Tuna Bowls are packed with flavor and are so easy to make using pantry ingredients. No cooking required, perfect for a quick healthy lunch.
You’ll love this Summer Vegetable Couscous! Grilled vegetables tossed with couscous and a homemade dressing make the perfect summer side dish. This recipe is easy to follow and can be made in no time!
This easy Mediterranean Cucumber Tomato Salad features chewy Israeli couscous for a delicious twist on a pasta salad
Curried Couscous is a great side dish that compliments Mediterranean meals and is perfect for a quick meal. Microwave the couscous for easy prep and less cleanup!
Couscous with sweet mini peppers will quickly become a family favorite side dish recipe.
Adding pearl couscous (also known, fittingly, as Israeli couscous) to classic Israeli salad makes it more substantial.
This lentil couscous salad is PACKED full of flavor and the perfect meatless meal, light summer lunch or delicious side dish. Green lentils are mixed with Israeli couscous, goat cheese, bell peppers, green peas, sun dried tomatoes, and parsley, then drizzled with a homemade lemon, basil, and honey vinaigrette.
A delicious accompaniment to the BBQ this couscous salad with chives and cucumber. A fresh salad with the dressing of yogurt. Serve cold.
Spring Vegetable Coconut Couscous with Harissa Chicken
Fluffy and tender couscous gets paired with sliced oranges, a dash of cinnamon and a drizzle of honey or maple syrup in this quick and easy summer breakfast hot cereal bowl.
Nothing screams summer like sweet and juicy peaches! Their sweetness balances out the sharp flavor of the arugula, and the balsamic dressing pulls all of the flavors together in this Couscous Salad with Peaches and Arugula.
Lamb stuffed kabocha squash is filled wild mushrooms and couscous, fresh cranberries, blue cheese and aromatic rosemary. It’s the best fall has to offer on your plate.
A spicy, skinny and flavorful dish, the Ras El Hanout chicken served with a spicy carrot couscous. Arabic cuisine at its best.
This Shrimp and Vegetable Couscous Salad uses large Couscous in place of pasta for a fun take on pasta salad. It makes a great side dish for BBQs and for dinner, or serve it as a light lunch.
Sausage and couscous make a very hearty dinner meal. This recipe is easy to make in one pan or pot.
Fluffy and tender couscous gets paired with sliced bananas and strawberries, a dash of cinnamon and a drizzle of honey or maple syrup in this quick and easy summer breakfast couscous bowl.
These shrimp couscous packets with avocado mango salsa are the perfect throw it together dinner. All you need to do is wrap it all up in foil, bake or grill and top with salsa. So easy and totally delicious! Ready in under 30 minutes!
This chicken with couscous is naturally sweet and filling. A perfect meal prep for school or work.
The best vegan curried couscous salad with chickpeas and lots of vegetables. If you ever thought you don't like couscous, you should try this recipe; it will change your mind about it.
Sweet-tart cranberries combine with crunchy pepitas and fresh orange in this simple, versatile couscous dish. Serve warm as a side or cold as a salad.
This easy vegetable couscous recipe is made with zucchini, tomatoes and the simple flavors of basil. An easy side dish to add to meals during the week and it makes a nice change instead of rice or pasta.
Hearty and warm, this easy chickpea stew served with couscous with Mediterranean flavors of tomatoes, zucchini, bell peppers, olives and capers will transport you to Europe. Ready in 30-45 minutes using your Instant Pot or stovetop, this is the answer to a healthy weeknight meal. You can add vegetable broth to make it soup.
This Mediterranean Couscous Salad makes a light lunch or easy side dish. It has plenty of flavor thanks to sun-dried tomatoes, lemon, and feta cheese.
This Pearl Couscous Salad is a delicious vegan salad. It's perfect as a side dish for dinner and leftovers are perfect for packing into a lunch box.
This simple vegetarian dish of roasted squash and feta couscous is a great way to enjoy the sweet flavour of roasted butternut squash. Easy to make and delicious to eat!
Fragrant Easy One Pot Ground Lamb and Couscous combines Middle Eastern spices with dried fruit, spinach, and chick peas in the ultimate quick and healthy one-pot meal! Ground lamb recipes provide all the flavor of lamb in a fraction of the time!
This Mediterranean salmon platter is packed with all your favorite flavors! Serve souvlaki seasoned roasted salmon with sun-dried tomato couscous, a quick homemade tzatziki, feta, roasted red peppers, and avocado slices.
A simple, veggie loaded healthy plant based meal with couscous, suitable for weight loss / weight watchers diet.