Healthy Couscous Recipes

Find healthy, delicious couscous recipes, from the food and nutrition experts at EatingWell.

Staff Picks

Salmon and Couscous Casserole

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Salmon is tossed with couscous, spinach, and roasted red peppers, then topped with toasted almonds for a light and easy meal that's ready in less than 30 minutes.
By Diabetic Living Magazine

Chicken Souvlaki Kebabs with Mediterranean-Inspired Couscous

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Fennel adds a nice flavoring to the marinade in this Mediterranean-inspired chicken souvlaki dish. The kabobs are perfectly paired with a veggie-packed, yogurt-dressed Israeli couscous.
By Diabetic Living Magazine

Slow-Cooker Moroccan Chicken, Vegetables & Couscous

Loaded with chicken, onion, butternut squash, apricots, chickpeas and couscous, this slow-cooker recipe is not only bursting with color and texture, but it's also packed with protein and a host of vitamins and even contains a dose of fiber.
By Cooking Light

Lemon-Tahini Couscous with Chicken & Vegetables

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When you want pasta in no time, couscous is your best friend! The tiny pasta balls cook up in minutes, and absorb all the water so you don't have to fuss with draining. Tossed with sautéed vegetables plus leftover chicken, it's a fast and tasty meal in a bowl that's perfect as an easy dinner recipe.
By Joyce Hendley, M.S.

Buffalo Chicken Grain Bowl

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Get the flavors of spicy Buffalo chicken wings, without frying, in this nutritious couscous bowl loaded with protein and crisp veggies.
By Katie Webster

Meal-Prep Falafel Bowls with Tahini Sauce

These quick couscous bowls come together in 20 minutes thanks to healthy convenience items like frozen falafel and steam-in-bag fresh green beans. Whisk together the simple tahini sauce while the other ingredients cook.
By Carolyn A Hodges, RD

Couscous & Chickpea Salad

Cooked couscous and canned chickpeas come together in this quick lunch salad. The basil vinaigrette makes it taste anything but basic! When in season, we recommend adding fresh chopped tomatoes for a spin on tabbouleh.
By Katie Webster

BBQ Shrimp with Garlicky Kale & Parmesan-Herb Couscous

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In the U.S., dry whole-wheat couscous has been partially cooked, making it a quick-cooking (5 minutes!) whole-grain weeknight dinner champ. And when you buy peeled shrimp, plus a bag of prechopped kale and bottled barbecue sauce, the savings in prep time helps to get this healthy dinner done in a jiff.
By Breana Lai Killeen, M.P.H., RD

Spicy Shrimp, Vegetable & Couscous Bowls

We like the chewy bite and large size of pearl couscous (sometimes labeled Israeli couscous) for the base of these bowls.
By Laura Kanya

Easy Whole-Wheat Couscous

Feel free to double this recipe to suit your needs. To add more flavor, swap reduced-sodium broth in for the water.
By Katie Webster

Slow-Cooker Beef & Carrot Tagine with Almond Couscous

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Feel free to experiment with the spices in this simple slow-cooker beef stew--keep cumin and cinnamon in the mix, but try adding cardamom and ginger for greater depth of flavor. Both the stew and the almond couscous are very easy to prep, and the active time is just 20 minutes. Recipe adapted from Slow Cook Modern.
By Liana Krissoff

Seafood Couscous Paella

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Whole-wheat couscous soaks up this savory saffron-infused broth.
By EatingWell Test Kitchen
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Inspiration and Ideas

Honey-Mustard Chicken Tenders with Couscous & Carrots
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Thanks to the quick-cooking power of chicken tenders, this honey-mustard chicken dinner comes together fast and easily for a family-friendly weeknight meal. The baby carrots are cooked in a simple orange juice and butter sauce which is lovely drizzled over the chicken and couscous.
Caribbean Couscous Salad
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Mango, bell peppers, and black beans combine with whole-wheat couscous in this Caribbean-inspired grain salad. The ginger-lime dressing has a touch of cayenne pepper and provides just the right amount of zing!
Stuffed Eggplant with Couscous & Almonds
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Whole-Wheat Couscous with Parmesan & Peas
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Couscous, which is actually a type of tiny pasta, makes an almost-instant side dish. Happily, the whole-wheat variety is just as fast to prepare as regular couscous. Lemon zest is a delicious accent to nutty Parmesan in this Italian-inspired couscous.

All Healthy Couscous Recipes

Grilled Zucchini & Halloumi with Herbed Couscous

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If you don't love the idea of flipping each vegetable on the grill, enlist the help of a grill basket instead. Then you can just give the veggies a quick stir or toss halfway through cooking.
By Devon O'Brien

Grilled Harissa Shrimp Skewers with Herb-&-Zucchini Couscous

These shrimp skewers feature harissa paste—a Middle Eastern chile pepper paste that's flavored with garlic, caraway, coriander and cumin. It adds rich flavor to the shrimp and complements the smokiness from the grill. Grilled zucchini combined with couscous and a sweet and tangy dressing featuring preserved lemon rounds out the meal.
By Laura Kanya

Grilled Chicken Thighs with Pickled Peaches & Herbed Couscous

This recipe is super-versatile—just about any green that's hanging out in your crisper can be whirred into the garlicky sauce, and you can swap plums for the peaches and quinoa for the couscous.
By Jennifer Kushnier

Za'atar-Roasted Chicken Tenders & Vegetables with Couscous

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Za'atar (or zaatar)--a Middle-Eastern spice blend that's a mix of thyme, sumac, salt, sesame seeds and sometimes other herbs--gives this sheet-pan roast chicken recipe tons of flavor. Chicken tenders and pretrimmed green beans make this healthy dinner super-fast.
By EatingWell Test Kitchen
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