Join us today on a trip to Morocco, where we will enjoy a delicious couscous casserole. It boasts all the flavor medleys of North African cuisine that makes it so delicious and is easy to prepare too. Try it out now!
Couscous Casserole: A Simple Home Recipe
I can still remember my trip to Morocco as a child. Every evening we were served a typical Moroccan meal at the hotel. The centerpiece was always a large bowl of couscous that smelled wonderfully. I couldn’t get enough of the semolina ground into small balls and ate at least two servings with each meal.
Couscous is a staple food in Morocco and is often served on festive occasions. It absorbs the flavors of spices and other ingredients exceptionally well and lends a fine texture wherever it goes.
For our couscous casserole, we use durum wheat semolina as well as vegetables such as tomatoes, carrots, and scallions, and chicken breasts. Spices such as cinnamon, cumin, chili, and coriander provide flavor, while mint yogurt and feta cheese round off the taste exquisitely.
Moroccan cuisine is known for its aromatic spices. These give each dish a characteristic note. Cumin, coriander, and cinnamon are well-loved and used, but saffron, paprika, and turmeric are also often used.
This Moroccan couscous casserole is perfect if you’re looking for a simple dish that’s full of flavor. It can be easily prepared in large quantities, after all, in Morocco, eating is mainly about community. Family and friends come together for meals to spend time together.
If you love a good homemade meal during the week as much as I do, then you should definitely check out our other oven-baked recipes, like our Greek feta bake, baked spaghetti with sausage, and Moussaka eggplant casserole.
Moroccan Couscous Casserole
Ingredients
- 1 cup carrots
- 1 lb tomatoes
- 1 bunch scallions
- 3 chicken breasts about 5½ oz each
- salt and pepper to taste
- 2½ cups vegetable broth
- 1 cup couscous
- 1 tbsp butter
- 1 cinnamon stick
- 3 tbsp olive oil
- 1 tsp ground cumin
- 2 tsp ground coriander
- ½ tsp chili powder
- 3½ oz feta cheese
For the mint yogurt:
- ½ bunch of mint
- ⅔ cup Greek yogurt (10% fat)
- 1 pinch of sugar
Instructions
- Preheat the oven at 425°F.
- Peel the carrots and dice them. Wash the tomatoes and cut them into pieces. Wash the scallions and cut them into rings.
- Wash the chicken breasts and cut them into pieces. Season with salt and pepper.
- Bring 1½ cups of broth to a boil, add the carrots, and cook for 2 minutes.
- Remove the pot from the heat and stir in the couscous. Add the butter and cinnamon stick, cover. Let it sit for 10 minutes.
- Meanwhile, heat 2 tablespoons of oil in a pan and fry the chicken. Once properly fried, remove from the pan.
- Mix cumin, 1 teaspoon coriander, and chili powder and sauté everything in the pan with the remaining oil. Add the tomatoes and scallions and sauté.
- Fluff the couscous with a fork. Stir in 1 tablespoon of olive oil.
- Add the tomatoes, scallions, and couscous with carrots to the casserole dish. Pour the remaining vegetable broth over it and spread the chicken on top.
- Top the feta cheese. Bake the casserole for 10-15 minutes.
- Pluck the mint leaves from the stems, wash, and finely chop. Mix with yogurt and sugar.
- Remove the couscous casserole from the oven. Serve with chopped coriander and the mint yogurt.