Couscous, the fluffy, versatile grain, is a staple in many kitchens. Its neutral flavor and adaptability make it a perfect base for a wide variety of dishes, from hearty stews to refreshing salads. But what should you serve with couscous to create a truly satisfying and delicious meal?
This article explores 20 fantastic side dishes that perfectly complement couscous, offering a diverse range of flavors and textures to tantalize your taste buds.
1. Beef and Broccoli: This classic combination is a crowd-pleaser, featuring tender beef, crisp broccoli florets, and a flavorful sauce. The savory notes of the beef and broccoli harmonize beautifully with the couscous, creating a well-balanced and satisfying meal.
2. Glazed Salmon: For a lighter and more elegant option, consider pairing couscous with glazed salmon. The sweet and savory glaze adds a touch of sophistication to the dish, while the salmon’s rich flavor and flaky texture provide a delightful contrast to the fluffy couscous.
3. Haddock: If you’re a seafood enthusiast, haddock is another excellent choice. This white fish cooks quickly and easily, and its mild flavor pairs well with the couscous. A squeeze of lemon juice adds a refreshing touch, and a sprinkle of fresh herbs elevates the dish to new heights.
4. Orange Chicken: For a taste of the Orient, try serving couscous with orange chicken. The sweet and tangy orange sauce complements the couscous perfectly, while the tender chicken pieces add a satisfying protein element. This dish is sure to be a hit with both adults and children.
5. Tofu Curry: For a vegan-friendly option, tofu curry is a delicious and nutritious choice. The creamy curry sauce provides a rich and flavorful base, while the tofu adds a satisfying protein element. Serve this dish with couscous for a complete and satisfying meal.
6. Zuppa Toscana: This hearty Italian soup is a perfect cold-weather companion for couscous. The creamy broth, loaded with potatoes, sausage, kale, and bacon, provides a comforting and flavorful base. The couscous adds a nice textural contrast and helps to soak up all the delicious broth.
7. Smoked Meatloaf: For a classic comfort food experience, try pairing couscous with smoked meatloaf. The smoky flavor of the meatloaf adds a unique depth to the dish, while the tender texture and rich sauce provide a satisfying and comforting experience.
8. Lamb Stew: Lamb stew is another hearty and flavorful option that pairs beautifully with couscous. The tender lamb, aromatic vegetables, and rich broth create a symphony of flavors that will warm you from the inside out. The couscous provides a nice textural contrast and helps to soak up all the delicious broth.
9. Cola Chicken: This unique and flavorful dish features tender chicken pieces cooked in a sweet and tangy cola sauce. The cola adds a surprising depth of flavor to the dish, while the chicken’s tender texture and juicy interior provide a satisfying contrast. Serve this dish with couscous for a complete and memorable meal.
10. Salsa Chicken: For a quick and easy option, try salsa chicken. This dish features tender chicken pieces cooked in a flavorful salsa sauce. The salsa adds a spicy kick to the dish, while the chicken’s tender texture and juicy interior provide a satisfying contrast. Serve this dish with couscous for a complete and flavorful meal.
11. Garlic Tofu: This simple yet flavorful dish features tofu cubes marinated in a garlicky sauce. The garlic adds a pungent and aromatic flavor to the tofu, while the tender texture provides a satisfying contrast. Serve this dish with couscous for a complete and flavorful vegan meal.
12. Beef Kebabs: For a fun and flavorful option, try serving couscous with beef kebabs. The tender beef, marinated in a flavorful sauce, is grilled to perfection and served on skewers. The couscous provides a nice textural contrast and helps to soak up all the delicious juices from the kebabs.
13. Chickpea Stew: This hearty and flavorful stew is a perfect vegan option for couscous. The chickpeas provide a satisfying protein element, while the vegetables and spices add a rich and complex flavor profile. Serve this dish with couscous for a complete and satisfying meal.
14. Roasted Vegetables: For a simple and healthy option, try serving couscous with roasted vegetables. Choose your favorite vegetables, toss them with olive oil and seasonings, and roast them until tender and slightly caramelized. The roasted vegetables add a burst of flavor and color to the dish, while the couscous provides a satisfying base.
15. Butternut Squash and Kale: This vibrant and flavorful dish features roasted butternut squash and sautéed kale. The sweetness of the butternut squash and the bitterness of the kale create a delightful contrast, while the couscous provides a nice textural base. This dish is perfect for a light and healthy lunch or dinner.
16. Shakshuka: This Middle Eastern dish features eggs poached in a flavorful tomato sauce. The runny yolks of the eggs add a richness to the dish, while the spicy tomato sauce provides a delightful kick. Serve this dish with couscous for a complete and satisfying breakfast, lunch, or dinner.
17. Moroccan Cauliflower: This flavorful and aromatic dish features roasted cauliflower florets tossed in a Moroccan spice blend. The spices add a depth of flavor to the cauliflower, while the tender texture provides a satisfying contrast. Serve this dish with couscous for a complete and flavorful vegan meal.
18. Chickpea Salad: This simple and refreshing salad is perfect for a light lunch or side dish. The chickpeas provide a satisfying protein element, while the vegetables and dressing add a burst of flavor and freshness. Serve this salad with couscous for a complete and satisfying meal.
19. Roast Lamb: For a special occasion, try serving couscous with roast lamb. The tender lamb, roasted to perfection, provides a rich and flavorful base, while the couscous adds a nice textural contrast. This dish is sure to impress your guests and leave them wanting more.
20. Grilled Cod: For a lighter and more elegant option, try serving couscous with grilled cod. The flaky fish cooks quickly and easily, and its mild flavor pairs well with the couscous. A squeeze of lemon juice adds a refreshing touch, and a sprinkle of fresh herbs elevates the dish to new heights.
Couscous is a versatile and adaptable grain that can be paired with a wide variety of dishes to create delicious and satisfying meals. From hearty stews to refreshing salads, there are endless possibilities when it comes to serving couscous.
The 20 side dishes listed in this article provide a starting point for your culinary exploration. Experiment with different flavors and textures to find your favorite combinations and create meals that will tantalize your taste buds and leave you feeling satisfied.
Additional Tips:
- When choosing side dishes for couscous, consider the overall flavor profile of the main course. For example, if you are serving a spicy dish, you may want to choose a milder side dish to balance the flavors.
- Similarly, if you are serving a rich and creamy dish, you may want to choose a lighter side dish to avoid overwhelming the palate.
- Don’t be afraid to get creative! There are no hard and fast rules when it comes to pairing couscous with side dishes. Experiment with different flavors and textures to find your favorite combinations.
- With a little creativity, you can easily create delicious and satisfying meals that feature couscous as the star ingredient.
Enjoy your couscous creations!
What To Eat With Couscous
This beautiful dish is quite healthy and delicious. It is a full meal because it has broccoli and tender, flavorful beef. Try it with couscous to experience the wonderful flavors and textures.
This is a perfect idea for a nice winter meal.
You will enjoy eating glazed salmon for lunch or dinner if you enjoy seafood. This is a simple dish that is frequently served over couscous instead of rice.
Despite being a basic recipe, there are plenty of customization options. Serving the fish with honey or chili sauce will enhance its flavor.
Discover the tagged recipe that’s simple and quick to make the best salmon in your instant pot.
If your home is equipped with an air fryer, try making haddock to wow your health-obsessed relatives and friends. If you follow the tagged recipe exactly, you can prepare a delicious meal in about ten to twenty minutes.
Enjoy the fusion of flavors and textures when you serve the fish over couscous. Moreover, squeeze some lemon over the fish to intensify its tart flavor.
Here is another side dish to serve with couscous. Tangy and sweet at the same time, orange chicken is sure to make you smile with every bite. Making this recipe only takes ten minutes, and the results are satisfying.
Most people have this dish with rice. To have it with couscous, though, is a different and lower-carb option.
Put your hands up if you adore tofu curry and find it impossible to go a day without it. A healthy plant, tofu is ideal for those who cook vegan meals instead of meat.
This curry dish goes really well with couscous and has a lot of flavor. Therefore, if you are following a diet, cook couscous rather than boiling white rice, and you should be good to go.
This dish’s name may sound strange, but every bite is enticing and delicious. Soup with potatoes, sausages, kale, and bacon is called Zuppa Toscana. This is a Tuscan dish, but you can make it at home with a few easy steps.
If you’re wondering how to read the tagged recipe, our recommendation is to When the soup is done, serve it over couscous to enjoy mouthfuls of flavor.
Savor the juicy, perfectly smoked meat with your homemade couscous. This dish’s mild flavor makes it ideal for serving at gatherings. Additionally, the meatloaf has just the right amount of sauce to maintain its flavor and tender texture.
Although lamb stew has great flavor, it can get very heavy at times. So, couscous is a great choice to serve it with to balance out its flavors.
Read the recipe that is tagged and adhere to all the guidelines provided if you want to create the tastiest and most flavorful lamb stew using just a few ingredients. You can also adjust the spices according to your taste.
Try making cola chicken at home and experiment with couscous. What is that?.
Cola chicken is a delicious recipe, ideal for dinner. It has juicy, rich sauce with flavorful, tart chicken.
For the dish to have its distinct flavor and texture, you will need to add Coke Zero. Isnt that interesting?.
This chicken dish with salsa sauce is also pretty flavorful. You will have a dish to be proud of because the savory and spicy sauce melds nicely with the tender chicken pieces.
Enjoy the fusion of several distinct flavors when you serve the salsa chicken over couscous. While the chicken is cooking, you can also add tomato sauce to make it saucier.
Couscous tastes scrumptious with garlic tofu. This recipe, which uses chili paste, tastes amazing and results in tofu cubes with a fun twist.
Enjoy the unique flavors with mild couscous for dinner. You can also serve both dishes as an appetizer.
If you’re searching for an easy beef kebab recipe, we’ve got you covered.
Beef kebabs, also called shish kebabs, are marinated in a mixture of soy sauce, olive oil, ginger, and garlic. Following that, they are modified to fit on vegetable skewers before being grilled.
The resultant kebabs are tender and juicy. Serve these kebabs over couscous to experience a variety of flavors and textures in a single bite.
If you’d like a sauce to go with these kebabs, we suggest a simple green chutney or mustard paste.
This vegan dish is quite fulfilling and tasty. Chickpeas, olive oil, onion, garlic, red bell peppers, tomato sauce, carrots, parsley, oregano, and tomato paste are the ingredients of this hearty dish.
In just a few minutes, prepare this stew and serve it over couscous for a full meal.
Couscous goes great with simple roasted vegetables. You can choose all your favorite vegetables and roast them using the instructions given. Then, serve them while they are crunchy and hot.
If you’re looking for a quick couscous side dish, we suggest this butternut squash and kale dish. Now, thats a unique combination, right?.
However, it is a delicious dish. Additionally, both of the main ingredients are gorgeous and give your meal a vibrant color.
Here is another beautiful dish to serve with couscous. Shakshuka is a dish of perfectly cooked eggs in tomato sauce with spice and pepper. This dish is perfect for lunch, dinner, or breakfast because of the flavorful sauce, which tastes like herbs and garlic.
We think you should try this recipe as well because we adore it. Moroccan cauliflower tastes fantastic with couscous and is a great snack option.
This dish is also full of flavor and benefits and is keto-friendly.
Combine carrots, onions, tomatoes, and bell peppers in a basic chickpea salad. Season it with lemon dressing and enjoy a refreshing flavor.
With this salad and couscous, you’ll have every reason to be grateful for these blessings.
Roast lamb is a great dish to prepare for any occasion, including holiday parties and casual get-togethers at home. Using the tagged recipe, you can make the tastiest, most flavorful, and most tender roast lamb. When it’s done, serve it over couscous and savor this delicious dish.
If you enjoy grilling cod, you will enjoy this recipe (which is tagged). The smoky aroma and nutty flavor of grilled cod will brighten your day.
Again, we love serving grilled cod and couscous together. They balance each other and can be made easily.
20 Best Dishes to Serve With Couscous
- Beef and broccoli
- Glazed salmon
- Haddock
- Orange chicken
- Tofu curry
- Zuppa Toscana
- Smoked Meatloaf
- Lamb stew
- Cola chicken
- Salsa chicken
- Garlic tofu
- Beef kebabs
- Chickpea stew
- Roasted vegetables
- Butternut squash and kale
- Eggplant shakshuka
- Moroccan cauliflower
- Chickpea salad
- Roasted lamb
- Grilled cod
Doctor, is Couscous a Grain? Is Couscous similar to Quinoa or Brown Rice? Is it a Healthy Choice?
FAQ
What is good to add to couscous?
How is couscous traditionally served?
Can you eat couscous by itself?
What to eat with couscous?
Here’s the short answer. The best side dishes to serve with couscous are honey garlic glazed salmon, Moroccan chickpea stew, falafels, beef souvlaki kebabs, and ratatouille. A chicken and apricot tagine is also a classic. For something quick and easy, try sauteed mushrooms. And for brunch, serve a lamb meatball shakshuka.
What are the health benefits of Couscous?
The health benefits of couscous are: 1. Improves cardiovascular system: One of the most important components of couscous is selenium, which is a trace mineral that is very difficult to find in food sources, but it is an essential mineral in human body. Selenium functions as a powerful antioxidant that functions mainly in the blood vessels to reduce the build-up of plaque and dangerous LDL cholesterol on artery and vein walls. 2. May have an anti-cancer potential: As mentioned earlier, selenium is a very beneficial element of couscous that has a wide range of health benefits, including a key role in the metabolic pathways which may lead to the proliferation or protection in certain cancers. Deficiency of selenium in the body has an increased risk of prostate cancer appearance. 3. May boost immune system: The natural antioxidant qualities of selenium help fight against the proliferation of free radicals and other toxins in the bloodstream and body’s system. Selenium stimulates the regeneration of vitamin C and vitamin E, both of which play an important role in bogy’s defence mechanism. 4. May improve muscle mass: Selenium is one of the important parts of developing muscle mass as an essential part of protein metabolism and muscle development. 5. May aid in wound healing: Couscous can be a big help while healing wounds since it provides large amounts of protein. Protein is an integral part of wound healing, as well as in the metabolism of enzymes that aid in wound repair.
What can I add to couscous?
Adding a variety of herbs and spices such as cumin, coriander, paprika, thyme, and oregano can also give the couscous a boost of flavor. You can also add some fresh chopped parsley, mint, or cilantro for a bright and herby flavor.
What sauce goes with couscous?
The lemon juice adds some brightness to the dish, while the balsamic vinegar adds a sweet flavor that makes a great pairing with savory foods like couscous or chickpeas. This sauce also goes well with dried fruit, like raisins or dates. 2. Lebanese Garlic Sauce Lebanese garlic sauce is one of the most popular sauces to serve with couscous.