Seven Vegetable Couscous

Recipe from "Vegan Holiday Kitchen"

Adapted by Tara Parker-Pope

Updated November 6, 2016

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Total Time
1 hour
Rating
4(360)
Comments
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Seven-vegetable couscous is a well-known offering at Sephardic Jewish New Year celebrations, but since it's a bountiful, colorful tribute to the harvest, it makes a great meat-free main dish for Thanksgiving as well. Despite the long ingredient list, it's as easy as can be to make. —Tara Parker-Pope

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Ingredients

Yield:8 servings

  • 1 ½ cups couscous, uncooked

  • 1 tablespoon vegan margarine

  • 1 teaspoon turmeric

  • 1 teaspoon salt

  • 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

  • 2 medium onions, chopped

  • 1 cup finely shredded white cabbage

  • 1 medium turnip, peeled and diced

  • 1 medium yellow summer squash, halved lengthwise and thinly sliced

  • 1 medium zucchini, halved lengthwise and thinly sliced

  • 1 15- to 16-ounce can chickpeas, drained and rinsed

  • 1 ½ cups diced ripe tomatoes

  • 2 teaspoons grated fresh or jarred ginger, or more, to taste

  • 1 teaspoon ground cumin

  • ½ teaspoon ground coriander

  • Dried hot red pepper flakes, to taste, optional

  • Salt and freshly ground pepper, to taste

GARNISH

  • ½ cup golden raisins (for garnish)

  • ⅓ cup minced fresh parsley (for garnish)

  • Sliced or slivered toasted almonds (for garnish)

Ingredient Substitution Guide
Nutritional analysis per serving (8 servings)

53 grams carbs; 305 calories; 3 grams monosaturated fat; 1 gram polyunsaturated fat; 1 gram saturated fat; 7 grams fat; 8 grams fiber; 551 milligrams sodium; 10 grams protein; 12 grams sugar

Note: The information shown is Edamam’s estimate based on available ingredients and preparation. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.

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Preparation

  1. Step 1

    Combine the couscous and 3 cups boiling water in a heatproof bowl. Cover and let stand until the water is absorbed, about 15 minutes. Fluff with a fork, then stir in the margarine, turmeric and salt. Cover and set aside.

  2. Step 2

    For the vegetable stew, heat the oil in a large saucepan or soup pot. Add the onions and sauté over medium heat until translucent. Stir in cabbage and sauté until both it and the onion are lightly golden.

  3. Step 3

    Add the remaining stew ingredients. Bring to a simmer, then cover and reduce the heat to medium-low. Cook, stirring occasionally, for 15 to 20 minutes. Add water as needed to produce a moist, but not soupy, consistency. The vegetables should be just tender, but still firm.

  4. Step 4

    To serve, arrange the couscous on the outer edge of a large serving platter and make a well in the center. Pour the vegetable mixture in the center, then sprinkle with the garnishes, topping with sliced or slivered toasted almonds. Let each guest place a mound of couscous on his or her dinner plate and top it with the vegetable mixture.

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Ratings

4 out of 5
360 user ratings
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Comments

KensCooking

Found the taste, per recipe, okay albeit underwhelming.

The couscous was rather boring and we turned it up with garlic salt and parmesan along with another 1/2 tsp. of tumeric.

The vegetables (all per recipe) were good but dramatically improved with the addition of chicken broth over water.

Mark R

I made this a second time and I concur about the additional turmeric. Personally I wouldn't add the garlic salt and parmesan, both for taste (unnecessary and very tasty without them) and calories/sodium. To each their own.

I didn't find any need for water. Everything was moist without it. That's fortunate as I want to keep it vegetarian so chicken broth would not be an option for me. Thanks for the thoughts though.

Naomi

Came out great and was well received. I used fresh cilantro instead of the powder and added lots of chopped garlic. I also used butternut squash so it needed to cook a little longer but the other veggies did not get mushy. Easy to make. Refrigerates well. The chickpeas make it a good meal protein-wise.

Molly

Stellar dish. It is simple to make with a ton of complex flavors. We added butter and feta for some optional additions, but tasty on its own.

Sarah

Okay, great recipe! Everyone loved it. I would say next time I’d adjust it a tad by adding the spices into the onions, then cabbage. And hold off on the zucchini/squash, add in 10 mins later (they do get soggy). And use broth or tomatoes for more flavor. I also added a little lemon juice to brighten it up, and some chili peppers instead of crushed red peppers. The big hit was the presentation at the end! Used a large platter and included some yogurt with dill as a condiment.

Adam R

I took all the advice in the comments and increased the spices and added garlic and saffron, and the stew was absolutely delicious. I sautéed the garlic (and the ginger) with the onions after they turned translucent. I also used chicken stock in place of water. I used carrots and seasonal winter squash in place of the zucchini and turnip. Eager to make this again.

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Credits

From "Vegan Holiday Kitchen"

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