Take your taste buds to the Mediterranean with this One Pot Mediterranean Couscous; a balanced assembly of delicious ingredients for a main dish or accompaniment.
This pandemic has taken a seriously hit on our traveling and one of the places I miss most is the gorgeous and sensual Mediterranean. I’m taking my taste buds on a trip with this incredibly easy and delicious One Pot Mediterranean Couscous.
All you need is a pot, a can of beans, some whole wheat couscous and some veggies. From start to finish, this dish should take no more than 20 minutes! It’s healthy, balanced and definitely a treat for the palette. You can use this as your main meal or you can use this a side or accompaniment to your main.
What is Couscous?
Couscous is durum wheat semolina that has been crushed and formed into tiny spheres or balls. It’s almost like pasta but with a different texture. My favorite brand of couscous is the Whole Wheat Couscous by Trader Joe’s. If you’ve been following me for sometime, you’ll know that I like to keep my grains as whole as possible in order to retain as many nutrients as possible!
Please note that there are indeed different sizes of couscous. You may see some larger sizes of Couscous in your local grocery story. Use the size and texture that is best suited to your taste buds. If you don’t have a Trader Joe’s nearby, this one works well, too!
Additional Ingredients
What I love so much about this one pot Mediterranean Couscous is that the couscous soaks up the flavors of the accompanying ingredients. For example, the tangy yet sweet sun-dried tomatoes. Usually, sun-dried tomatoes are sold in a glass jar with it’s own oil. When you slice up the tomatoes and toss them into the mixture, some of that oil leeches into the onions and garlic, only enhancing the flavor of this dish.
In most of my dishes, I begin with the trifecta of onion, garlic and shallot, sautéed in olive oil. The same applies here. In addition, sliced Kalamata olives, canned artichoke hearts, fresh baby spinach, and crunchy toasted pine nuts all contribute to a flavor-packed dish. For a nut allergy, skip the pine nuts altogether!
The Protein
Inevitably, someone always asks me about the presence of plant-based protein. Did you know that whole durum semolina wheat has 6g protein per cooked cup? Yes, wheat contains protein!
However, to amp up the protein in this dish and truly make it an option for a main meal, I added cannellini beans, more soft and neutrally flavored than some other beans. One cup of cooked cannellini beans contains up to 15g of protein. Combined with healthy fats like olive oil and olives, and healthy carbs like whole wheat, spinach, tomatoes, onions and garlic, this One Pot Mediterranean Couscous is truly a healthy and balanced dish!
If you’re looking for something easy, fast and delicious, give this dish a go!
One Pot Mediterranean Couscous
Ingredients
- 1 yellow onion, diced
- 1 shallot, diced
- 3 cloves of garlic, diced
- 3 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
- 1/2 cup vegetable broth
- 1 cup water
- 1 cup whole wheat couscous
- 1 15oz can of cannellini beans drained and rinsed
- 6 oz artichoke hearts
- 1/3 cup sliced kalamata olives
- 1/3 cup sliced sun-dried tomatoes
- 3 large handfuls baby spinach
- 1 tbsp dried oregano
- salt and pepper, to taste
- 2 tsp dried parsley
- 1 tsp dried mint or basil
- 3 tbsp toasted pine nuts optional for topping
Instructions
- Dice up the onion, garlic and shallot and add to a large saucepan with the olive oil. Saute over medium-high heat for about 3-5 minutes until soft and translucent.
- Add the veggie broth, sun-dried tomatoes, olives, artichoke hearts and baby spinach to the saucepan. Fold the baby spinach into the other ingredients until softened and wilted, usually about 2 minutes. Add the spices and herbs here too.
- Once the veggie broth has mostly reduced, add the cannellini beans and the water.
- Bring the water to a boil, then add the couscous. Stir gently to incorporate all the ingredients and then turn off the heat, cover the saucepan and set aside for 5 minutes.
- After 5 minutes, fluff with a fork and top with toasted pine nuts to serve.
Notes
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