Roasted Veggie Couscous with Spiced Pecans

Roasted Veggie Couscous with Spiced Pecans is a warming side dish studded with fall flavors like roasted sweet potatoes and onions, pecans, dried cranberries, cinnamon, smoked paprika, cumin, and hearty couscous made simple with vegetable broth. Delicious with chicken, fish, or a lovely addition to your holiday table.

What You’ll Love About Roasted Veggie Couscous with Spiced Pecans:

While I might highlight this recipe as the perfect holiday side dish, it is equally a great side to make any time during the fall season. The flavor of this dish pairs so well with a Simple Roasted Chicken or serve it alongside my Maple Chipotle Pork Chops, yum!

I am a sucker for beautiful food and this dish meets all the check marks. The presentation is stunning with bright orange sweet potatoes and flecks of red tart cranberries. The flavor is equally delicious and each bite offers sweet, salty, spicy, and savory flavors.

This Roasted Veggie Couscous with Spiced Pecans comes together in 3 simple steps.

1. Roast the veggies
2. Toast the pecans
3. Cook the couscous.

Simple and fast.

This recipe is also great leftover for a light lunch or add chicken for a well balanced meal.

My Sheet Pan Roasted Veggies and Couscous with Mint Dressing is also a fantastic and flavorful side. Enjoy it warm, cold, and makes great leftovers.

Simple Ingredients:

• Sweet potatoes- I like to use the orange colored sweet potatoes for a pop of color.
• Red onion- This adds a lot of flavor and texture.
• Couscous- You’ll want to use Moroccan couscous because it’s light and fluffy, similar to rice.
• Vegetable broth- You can also use chicken broth.
• Seasonings- Cinnamon, ground cumin, smoked paprika, cayenne pepper, salt and pepper.
• Pecans- This adds great texture and a smoky flavor.
• Dried cranberries- For tart flavor and texture. The flex of cranberries also looks beautiful in this dish.
• Cilantro- If you don’t like cilantro use flat leaf parsley.
• Olive oil- Use olive oil when cooking the couscous along with toasting the pecans.

Substitutions:

How To Make Roasted Veggie Couscous with Spiced Pecans:

See full instructions in recipe card below

Step One. Preheat oven to 425℉ and line a large sheet pan with parchment paper. Add sweet potatoes onions, olive oil, cinnamon, cumin, smoked paprika, salt and pepper. Toss well. Place in the oven and roast for 25-30 minutes.

Step Two. While the veggies are roasting toast pecans in a skillet on medium heat with olive oil, cayenne pepper, and a pinch of salt. Once toasted transfer to a small plate.

Step Three. In the same skillet used for the pecans, add vegetable broth and bring to a boil. Add couscous, olive oil, and a touch of salt. Stir and remove from the heat and place the lid on for 5-minutes. Fluff with a fork then stir in spiced pecans, dried cranberries, and cilantro.

Step Four. Transfer couscous mixture to a wide, shallow bowl, and top with roasted veggies, a drizzle of olive oil, and garnish with more cilantro. Serve warm, room temperature, or cold.

Presentation Tip:

Common Questions:

Other Recipes You Might Enjoy:

• Mexican Couscous
• Confetti Wild Rice Pilaf
• Green Bean and Wild Rice Casserole
• Green Beans Almondine
• Cheesy Scalloped Potatoes

Roasted Veggie Couscous with Spiced Pecans

Roasted Veggie Couscous with Spiced Pecans is a warming side dish studded with fall flavors like roasted sweet potatoes and onions, pecans, dried cranberries, cinnamon, smoked paprika, cumin, and hearty couscous made simple with vegetable broth.

Print Pin Rate

Course: Side Dish

Cuisine: American

Prep Time: 15 minutes minutes

Cook Time: 30 minutes minutes

Total Time: 45 minutes minutes

Servings: 6 servings

Calories: 435kcal

Equipment

• 1 Large sheet pan
• 1 large, deep skillet with fitted lid

Ingredients

For The Roasted Vegetables:

• 2 tbsp olive oil
• 1 pound sweet potatoes, peeled and cut in 1-inch pieces
• 1 medium red onion, cut in 1-inch pieces
• 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
• 1/2 tsp ground cumin
• 1/4 tsp smoked paprika
• 1/2 tsp each kosher salt and black pepper

Spiced Pecans:

• 1/2 cup chopped pecans
• 2 tsp olive oil
• 1/4 tsp cayenne pepper
• pinch of salt

Couscous:

• 2 cups vegetable or chicken broth
• 1 3/4 cup Moroccan couscous
• 1 tbsp olive oil, plus more to drizzle over top

Additional Ingredients:

• 1/2 cup dried cranberries
• 1/4 cup chopped cilantro, plus more for garnish
• salt and pepper to taste

Instructions

For The Vegetables:

• Preheat oven to 425℉ and line a large sheet pan with parchment paper for easy clean up.
• To the sheet pan combine sweet potatoes, onions, 2 tbsp oil, and seasonings. Toss well. Place in preheated oven and roast for 25-30 minutes turning once half way though. Potatoes should be fork tender and lightly caramelized.

For The Pecans:

• Meanwhile, heat a large non-stick skillet (preferably one with deep sides like this one) to medium heat. Add 2 tsp oil, pecans, and cayenne pepper. Toss together and toast pecans until golden brown and fragrant. Transfer to a plate.

For The Couscous:

• In the same skillet used for the pecans heat to high and add vegetable broth. Bring to a boil and stir in couscous and 1 tbsp oil. Place the lid on and remove from the heat. Allow to rest for 5-minutes.

Assemble:

• Once couscous is finished cooking fluff with a fork and stir in toasted pecans, dried cranberries, and 1/4 cup cilantro. Season to taste with salt and pepper as needed.
• Transfer couscous mixture to a wide bowl or platter then top with roasted sweet potatoes and onions. See post for description. Drizzle with a little olive oil, about 1 tbsp, and garnish with more cilantro. Serve warm, room temperature, or cold.

Notes

Presentation Tip:

 

• The best way to serve veggie couscous- This is a beautiful dish with lots of color and you don’t want to hide any of it. Use a wide, shallow bowl so the couscous can spread out a bit and still have room to top with the roasted veggies. This way you can see a little bit of everything.

 

Substitutions: 

 

• Veggies- Add other veggies like carrots, zucchini, or butternut squash.
• Couscous- Try this dish with a heartier wild rice, quinoa, or even make this lower-carb with cauliflower rice.
• Nuts- Other nuts that work well in this recipe is walnuts, pine nuts, or sliced almonds.
• Dried fruit- Try adding in addition to the cranberries or subbing with dried apricots, or raisins.

 

Common Questions:

 

Is couscous a pasta or a grain?

Couscous is a type of pasta. Made from semolina flour, which is a type of durum wheat. 

Is couscous glute-free?

No, couscous is not gluten-free. They do offer some brands that make couscous made from rice.

Is couscous high in protein?

Couscous is not particularly high in protein, but is said to be a good source with 7 grams for 1 cup.

Can I make this dish ahead of time?

Yes! However, the pecans will soften and the sweet potatoes will change in texture after refrigerated.

How long will this recipe keep fresh?

Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 4 days.

 

Nutritional information is provided as a courtesy only and should be understood as an estimate rather than a guarantee. The Menu Maid makes no guarantees to the accuracy of this information.

Nutrition

Calories: 435kcal | Carbohydrates: 67g | Protein: 9g | Fat: 15g | Saturated Fat: 2g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 3g | Monounsaturated Fat: 10g | Sodium: 362mg | Potassium: 415mg | Fiber: 7g | Sugar: 12g | Vitamin A: 10976IU | Vitamin C: 3mg | Calcium: 50mg | Iron: 2mg

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