Easy Pearl Couscous with Chickpeas
This 20-minute Easy Pearl Couscous with Chickpeas is a flavorful, plant-based dish that's as flexible as it is satisfying. Cooked in one pot with minimal ingredients, it's ideal for quick lunches, weeknight dinners, or meal prep. The combination of chewy couscous, hearty chickpeas, fresh herbs, and sweet golden raisins creates a delightful balance of textures and flavors. Enjoy it warm or chilled, and feel free to customize with your favorite greens or spices.
Servings 2 people
Equipment
- 4-quart saucepan, stovetop
Ingredients
Couscous:
- 1 cup dry pearl couscous, see note
- 1 ½ cups vegetable broth or water
- 1 (15-ounce) can chickpeas, drained and rinsed
- 1 tablespoon ground coriander
- 1 tablespoon za’atar (see note)
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- ½ cup baby arugula or spinach
- ¼ cup fresh basil
- 2 tablespoons golden raisins (see note)
- 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
- 1 tablespoon lemon juice
Optional for serving:
- Parsley
- Edible flowers
- Golden raisins
- Extra virgin olive oil
- Salt and pepper
Instructions
- Add pearl couscous and vegetable broth or water to a 4-quart saucepan, cover, and bring to a boil over high heat. Once boiling, uncover, reduce the heat to low, and simmer for 10 minutes, or until the couscous is tender and the liquid is absorbed. (Once fully cooked, drain any excess liquid from the saucepan if needed. If the couscous isn’t fully cooked by the time the liquid is absorbed, add ¼ cup of water and continue cooking.)
- After the couscous is cooked, remove the saucepan from heat and stir in chickpeas, coriander, za’atar, garlic powder, arugula or spinach, basil, golden raisins, extra virgin olive oil, and lemon juice. Transfer couscous to a serving dish and garnish with parsley, edible flowers, additional golden raisins, additional extra virgin olive oil, and salt and pepper if desired.
Notes
- Storage: Store pearl couscous in an airtight container and refrigerate for up to 1 week. If the couscous seems dry after storage, stir in more olive oil before serving.
- Pearl couscous is sometimes sold in a box with a flavor packet. If you use a boxed couscous for this recipe, discard or save the flavor packet for another use.
- Za’atar is a seasoning blend that typically contains sumac and sesame seeds. Look for small jars of pre-mixed za’atar in the spice aisle. It’s also okay to omit the za’atar seasoning if you’re not able to find it.
- If you can’t find golden raisins, substitute regular raisins, chopped dry apricots, or chopped pitted dates.