Spicy Peppery Couscous with Fresh Vegetables is a delicious and healthy dish that combines the nutty flavor of couscous with the bold flavors of fresh vegetables and spicy Ro-Tel tomatoes.
Garnish this side dish with freshly chopped herbs and serve for lunch or dinner with grilled meats and roasts, fish, shrimp, or tofu.
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❤️ Why I love this recipe
- This spicy peppery pasta with fresh vegetables is an easy side dish made in one pan with minimal ingredients.
- It pairs with various main courses for a midweek family meal, backyard barbecue, or guest dinner.
- Cooking this couscous dish in broth and Ro-Tel tomatoes adds complex flavor to a simple recipe.
Spicy Peppery Couscous with Fresh Vegetables is a great dish for using up all those bits and pieces of leftover fresh vegetables in the fridge!
🛒 Ingredients
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Note: The full list of this recipe ingredients with their amounts and options are in the recipe card below.
- Pearl or Israeli couscous
- Broth or stock - use whichever you prefer
- Olive oil
- Colored bell peppers - green, red, orange
- purple or red onion
- grape tomatoes
- Ro-tel Tomatoes - 1 can
🗒 Instructions
Note: This is an overview of the instructions. The full instructions are in the recipe card below.
- Add olive oil to a saucepan and heat over medium heat.
- Lightly brown the couscous in the pan and stir frequently. Add the hot broth, turn the heat to low and place a lid on the pan until the liquid is absorbed (about 5 minutes).
- Add the canned tomatoes to the side dish.
- Stir and place the lid back on. Set it aside.
- Cut the vegetables into bite-size chunks. Add the bell peppers to the skillet with oil.
- Add the chopped onions to the skillet and cook on medium-high heat for 2 minutes. The vegetables should still be firm and retain good color.
- Mix in the halved cherry tomatoes.
- Add the couscous and stir in the vegetables.
🔪 Equipment
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You’ll need the following items to make this recipe successfully.
- Saucepan - cooking the Israeli couscous.
- Large skillet - sautéing vegetables and finishing the side dish.
- Sharp knife - cutting the vegetables
- Cutting board - a firm surface for preparing the vegetables
- Liquid measuring cup
- Dry measuring cups
🤔 FAQs
Frequently asked about Spicy Peppery Couscous Recipe.
Spices and herbs are a great way to flavor couscous. You can also cook the couscous in broth instead of plain water and add vegetables to the cooked couscous for additional depth of flavor.
Couscous is made from crushed durum wheat semolina. The semolina goes through a process of moistening with water and then rolling into tiny pellets then dried and steamed to cook.
Absolutely! Couscous is a great source of complex carbohydrates, fiber, and protein. It also contains vitamins and minerals, such as vitamin B, iron, and selenium.
No, although there are some similarities. Moghrabieh, also known as Lebanese couscous or pearl couscous, is larger, chewy, and made from semolina flour and water. Israeli couscous, also called pearl couscous, is smaller in shape, chewy, nutty in flavor, and made from wheat flour.
Moroccan couscous, Lebanese couscous, and Israeli couscous.
👩🏻🍳 Tips
- Use fresh vegetables for this couscous dish for best flavor and texture.
- Add extra heat to this dish by including cayenne pepper, red pepper flakes, or harissa paste. The Ro-Tel canned tomatoes also add delicious heat but you could use regular canned tomatoes as well.
- Cook the pasta in broth instead of water. This adds a deeper flavor.
- Once cooked, dress this couscous dish in lemon juice and olive oil for a bright, fresh flavor. Freshly chopped herbs as garnish is another way to flavor this dish. Dress with lemon juice and olive oil: After cooking the couscous, dress it with lemon juice and olive oil to give it a bright, fresh flavor. You can also add chopped fresh herbs such as parsley or cilantro for extra flavor.
- Reheat leftovers for a few minutes on medium heat on the stovetop or serve leftovers chilled.
- Cooked pearl couscous tends to clump once it starts to cool. Use a spatula to break it up when reheating or serving again.
📚 Variations
- Add other vegetables to this couscous dish such as mushrooms, carrots, and zucchini.
- You could take an extra step and toast the pasta in a dry saucepan before cooking it to add a nutty flavor to this dish.
- Use any kind of broth in this recipe. Chicken broth or vegetable broth are great options.
- Add protein to this peppery couscous for a wholesome balanced meal, such as shredded chicken or turkey, shrimp, or beef or pork strips. Tofu is great as a plant-based protein option.
- Garnish this couscous dish with chopped cilantro or parsley.
🥫 Storage
Store leftover peppery couscous in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 4 days.
You can store couscous in the freezer for 3 months, buy I don’t recommend freezing couscous that includes vegetables or salad ingredients. The veggies will become overly soggy once thawed.
📗 Related Recipes
- Herbed Lemon Quinoa With Spinach - A gluten-free and healthy side dish consisting of sauteed shallots, bright lemon, parsley, thyme and spinach.
- Farro With Tomatoes - This nutritional farro recipe is chewy with onion-tomato seasoning that you make in one pan in just 30 minutes.
- Pasta Primavera - This is another vegetable-rich hearty dish with al dente pasta and a little cheese for some additional flavor.
🍽 Serve with
Serve this spicy peppery couscous with grilled or roasted meats, hummus and pita bread, or additional vegetables.
📞 Chiacchierata (chat)
I’m always on the lookout for easy one-pan dishes that I can make with minimal ingredients and very little time in the kitchen. This spicy peppery couscous side dish is one of those recipes that’s convenient and loaded with flavor - perfect to pair with various main meals for any time of the year!
Next time you're wanting to use that Israeli or pearl couscous, make our delicious lemony Mediterranean pearl couscous salad. It's ideal for your potlucks, picnics, or barbecues.
Tutti a tavolo, è pronto!
What's new? Check out my All Our Way Store on Amazon. We'll be adding more items we love and use or wish we had to make cooking fun and easy.
📝 Recipe Card
Spicy peppery couscous is a colorful one-pan dish you make with chewy pasta. You cook the pasta in broth and a mixture of slightly crunchy vegetables and spicy Ro-Tel canned tomatoes.
Next time you're picking up bell peppers, pick up some extra and try out the delicious classic Italian Peperonata. This is a dish that is popular throughout every region in the country.
If you love this recipe please give it 5 stars ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️.
📖 Recipe
Spicy Peppery Pearl Couscous
Equipment Needed
Ingredients
Pearl Couscous:
- 1 cup pearl couscous
- 1 Tablespoon olive oil
- 1 cup hot broth any kind
- 10 oz Ro-Tel Tomatoes 1 can
Vegetables:
- ½ red bell pepper cut in bite-size pieces
- ½ green bell pepper cut in bite-size pieces
- ½ orange bell pepper cut in bite-size pieces
- ½ purple onion (medium size) cut in bite-size pieces
- 1 cup grape tomatoes halved
- 1 Tablespoon olive oil
- kosher salt and ground black pepper to taste
Instructions
Cook the couscous:
- In a saucepan over medium heat lightly brown the couscous in the olive oil stirring frequently. It will burn so be careful. When it is lightly tanned add the hot broth to it, watch out for the steam. Turn the heat on low and put a lid on the pan until all of the liquid is absorbed, about 5 minutes.
- Add the whole can (10oz ) of Ro-Tel tomatoes to the couscous and stir. Put the lid back on the pan and set it aside.
- Once the couscous is cool you can either put it in the refrigerator to use later or proceed with the recipe.
Prepare the vegetables and finish:
- Cut the red, orange, and green pepper-halves into bite-size chunks.
- Halve the cherry tomatoes.
- Chop the purple onion.
- Add 1 Tablespoon olive oil to a large skillet and heat at medium-high. Add the vegetables and sauté for 2 minutes. The vegetables should still be firm and retain their color.
- Add the couscous and stir until the vegetables are mixed in.
- Serve immediately with prepared protein.
Notes
- Use fresh vegetables for this couscous dish for best flavor and texture.
- Add extra heat to this dish by including cayenne pepper, red pepper flakes, or harissa paste. The Ro-Tel canned tomatoes also add delicious heat but you could use regular canned tomatoes as well.
- Cook the pasta in broth instead of water. This adds a deeper flavor.
- Once cooked, dress this couscous dish in lemon juice and olive oil for a bright, fresh flavor. Freshly chopped herbs as garnish is another way to flavor this dish. Dress with lemon juice and olive oil: After cooking the couscous, dress it with lemon juice and olive oil to give it a bright, fresh flavor. You can also add chopped fresh herbs such as parsley or cilantro for extra flavor.
- Reheat leftovers for a few minutes on medium heat on the stovetop or serve leftovers chilled.
- Cooked pearl couscous tends to clump once it starts to cool. Use a spatula to break it up when reheating or serving again.
- Add mushrooms, scallions, or whatever fresh vegetable you prefer to the mix.
Nutrition
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We'll never share your email or send you spam. PromiseWhenever I make the Mediterranean Cod. I have leftover colored bell peppers, cherry tomatoes, part of a purple onion. My ideal solution is to make this
Spicy Peppery Couscous recipe.
