21 Savory Couscous Recipes to Try—With Vegetarian Options, Too (2024)

Couscous is often treated like rice, quinoa, bulgur wheat, or barley. However, despite its grain-like appearance, couscous is pasta. Originating in North Africa, it's made from small, steamed bits of rolled semolina, a type of wheat flour. It is not gluten-free.

Plain Fluffy Couscous

If you've never prepared couscous, this is where you can learn how to cook it perfectly. The process is similar to cooking rice, and we share tips to ensure it doesn't turn out too dry or hard. Start with this basic recipe before moving on to more complex dishes.

Toasted Israeli Couscous With Corn and Herbs

If you’re looking for a healthy alternative to a rice bowl, try this classic couscous salad. The recipe calls for Israeli couscous, which has bits that are larger and lighter than traditional (Moroccan) couscous, but the two varieties can be used interchangeably. This salad is also packed with onion, corn, and herbs, all dressed in a dill vinaigrette.

Turkish Style Beef and Eggplant Stew

This eight-serving dinner recipe calls for couscous to balance the strong flavors in a Turkish-inspired stew. Cook the couscous according to package directions, and then serve under the stew that's been simmering in the slow cooker or Instant Pot.

Swiss Chard With Chickpeas and Couscous

This simple, meatless dish features healthy chickpeas loaded with fiber and protein and is ready in just 20 minutes. The vegan bowl is a meal in itself, but we love it with a parsley-garlic salmon.

Moroccan Couscous Salad

This Moroccan-inspired recipe calls for raisins and pistachios, but you can substitute them for whatever dried fruit and nut you have on hand. To save your sanity during a busy week, make this salad several days ahead and enjoy it for lunch or dinner all week.

Crunchy Mediterranean Chickpea Bowl

This meal in a bowl uses couscous as the foundation for tasty vegetarian toppings. Piled atop this 30-minute meal are seasoned grated beets, crispy cooked chickpeas, prepared baba ghanoush, a lemon-honey tahini sauce, and fresh parsley.

Chicken Stew With Couscous, Spinach, and Parmesan

For a quick and easy couscous dinner, try this 40-minute stew that combines chicken with spinach and Parmesan. You can use any type of chicken broth, but the recipe recommends a low-sodium version to keep it from tasting too salty. (You can always add more salt later.)

Chicken Thighs With Couscous and Olives

If you're an olive aficionado, you'll love this seared, oven-roasted chicken thigh served atop an olive-packed couscous salad. It’s also loaded with dried dates, pomegranate arils, and spices, making it perfect for lunch or dinner.

Chicken Skewers With Almond Couscous and Kale

This quick chicken on a stick recipe is easy to cook on the grill in bulk, so keep it in mind for your next afternoon barbecue. Kale gets the grill treatment, too, and almonds add a tasty crunch to the soft couscous cooked on the stove.

Five Spice Steak With Couscous

Radishes, mint, and onions elevate a simple couscous salad that serves as a backdrop for a seasoned steak grilled to perfection. For best results, choose a skirt steak that is consistently thick throughout.

Beef Koftas with Toasted Couscous

Try this Middle Eastern-inspired dish that features classic beef koftas charred on the grill. Fresh tomatoes and scallions add a pop of flavor to a couscous salad that rounds out the meal.

Seared Salmon with Israeli Couscous

Couscous lends itself to light and nutritious meals, and this simple seared salmon is a great example. If you have extra time, make the salad an hour or two early to let the flavors soak in and relieve that dinnertime rush.

Moroccan Spicy Sweet Tofu With Couscous

Couscous' relatively high protein content and nutritional profile makes it a great vegetarian option. Here, it's mixed with currants, mint, and almonds, and then paired with harissa-spiked tofu for a Moroccan-inspired delight.

Lemon Pepper Tofu With Apricot Chickpea Salsa and Couscous

Tofu and couscous join forces in this nutrient-packed vegetarian meal. The tofu marinates in lemon, honey, and black pepper and is then broiled to a golden brown. Meanwhile, you're cooking the couscous and preparing a flavorful apricot and chickpea salsa that brings the whole dish together.

Grilled Swordfish With Couscous and Tomatoes

Swordfish—whether it's grilled outside or sautéed on the stove—is certainly the star of this light, healthful meal. But don't overlook the contribution of the couscous salad in a supporting role. The recipe combines Israeli couscous (the larger-sized type) with tomatoes and capers and is finished with a flourish of mint leaves and a drizzle of oil.

Braised Fish With Spicy Tomato Sauce

This simple dinner recipe takes couscous back to its North African roots. It features frozen white fish fillets—cod, sole, flounder, snapper, or wild Alaska pollock—and spinach from the freezer. Braise them in a rich tomato sauce and pair them with a side of couscous, cooked according to package directions.

Crispy Cod With Blistered Orange And Fennel

This recipe serves up crispy cod fillets with roasted fennel wedges and orange halves, all on the same baking sheet. The couscous is cooked separately but benefits from a blast of juice from one of those roasted oranges and a spike of coriander, providing a flavorful base for this tasty meal.

Cauliflower and Chickpea Stew With Couscous

This vegetarian couscous stew credits its rich flavor to cumin, ginger, and black pepper. In addition to couscous, it boasts a healthy helping of cauliflower, which lends it a hearty texture and a boost of fiber.

Roasted Pork Chops and Peaches

This recipe starts with cooking couscous according to package directions. It ends with a bed of that couscous soaking up the luscious juices from a one-skillet combo of roasted pork, peaches, and onions.

Salmon With Lemon-Cilantro Vinaigrette

The couscous in this dish benefits from the same lemon-cilantro that's drizzled over the salmon fillets. The result is a light, bright dinner that's ready in 20 minutes.

Spiced Mini Burgers With Couscous Salad

These Mediterranean-spiced mini burgers are a healthy choice for lunch or dinner. They're paired with an easy couscous salad—a simple mix of cucumber, tomato, and lemon—for a light and refreshing way to satisfy your appetite.