Jewelled Giant Couscous
Inspired by Moroccan flavours, this Jewelled Giant Couscous is a fresh and easy salad that's great if you're counting calories or following a plan like Weight Watchers.
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NutritionPer Serving
- Calories131
- Carbs21g
- Fat1.4g
- Saturates0.2g
- Protein4.7g
- Sugars9.3g
For the full list of ingredients and comprehensive instructions, please see the recipe card below. Before you scroll, there’s important stuff in the blurb!
This Jewelled Giant Couscous recipe is a fantastic addition to any BBQ or buffet and is suitable for vegans as well!
The sumac gives it that earthy, lemon flavour that’s typical of Middle Eastern cuisine and the pomegranate seeds add a little extra burst of freshness. We’ve used giant couscous in this recipe which is a little bit different to normal couscous in that you do have to cook it first, but we think that it works much better than normal couscous does!
Our Jewelled Giant Couscous is a great vegetarian and vegan side dish or if you’re looking to make it more filling, then you can always add chicken breast, reduced fat feta cheese or even half an avocado!
What diets is this Jewelled Giant Couscous suitable for?
This Jewelled Giant Couscous recipe is suitable for dairy free, vegetarian and vegan diets. However, if you’re cooking for people on a vegan diet, then please do double check the following ingredients as they can vary;
- Balsamic vinegar
- Stock cube
Please make sure to double or triple check all of your ingredients if you’re cooking for people with allergies.
Do you need any special ingredients to make this Jewelled Giant Couscous?
Sumac is a spice that has that lovely, earthy lemon flavour that can be found in Middle Eastern cuisine. You should be able to find this in your local supermarket.
Giant couscous is just a larger version of traditional couscous, that needs to be cooked beforehand. You can find it in your local supermarket or, if you’d rather, you can substitute it for normal couscous instead.
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‘So easy to assemble. Looks amazing. I have packed mine up for 3 days lunches. This would make a fabulous centre piece for a family dinner.’
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We like to serve this recipe on a serving patter like this one from Amazon.
How many calories are in this Jewelled Giant Couscous?
There are 130 calories per portion in this Jewelled Giant Couscous, which means it falls into our Everyday Light category.
This Jewelled Giant Couscous is perfect if you’re following a calorie controlled diet, and fits well with any one of the major diet plans such as Weight Watchers.
As a guide, an average man needs around 2,500kcal (10,500kJ) a day to maintain a healthy body weight. For an average woman, that figure is around 2,000kcal (8,400kJ) a day. Obviously, if your goal is to lose weight then you might want to adjust these slightly! You can read more about these recommendations on the NHS website.
Step 1
Add the giant couscous and stock to a saucepan and simmer over a medium heat for 6 minutes. When cooked, the couscous will have doubled in size and absorbed the water. Don’t overcook it as it will become gluey and stick together.
Step 2
Set the cooked couscous aside to cool.
Step 3
Mix the cooled couscous and the rest of the ingredients together.
Step 4
Season with salt and pepper to taste and serve.
What could I serve with this Jewelled Giant Couscous?
This Jewelled Giant Couscous works really well when served as an accompaniment to any of the following dishes:
How do you know when Jewelled Giant Couscous is cooked?
You’ll need to cook your giant couscous for around 6 minutes or until it has doubled in size and absorbed the water.
Standard advice here in the UK is to cook food until it has reached 70°C and stayed at that temperature for 2 minutes. This is to keep your family safe.
How long can you keep Jewelled Giant Couscous in the fridge?
Once you’ve put it out, ideally you should eat it within 4 hours.
If you have any leftovers, make sure to refrigerate in a container with a lid and chill. You can keep leftovers of Jewelled Giant Couscous in the fridge for approximately 3 days or so.
Can I freeze Jewelled Giant Couscous?
No, we don’t recommend freezing this recipe!
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Jewelled Giant Couscous
Inspired by Moroccan flavours, this Jewelled Giant Couscous is a fresh and easy salad that's great if you're counting calories or following a plan like Weight Watchers.
-
Prep Time
10 MINS
-
Cook Time
6 MINS
- KCals 131
- Carbs 21G
Instructions
- Add the giant couscous and stock to a saucepan and simmer over a medium heat for 6 minutes. When cooked, the couscous will have doubled in size and absorbed the water. Don’t overcook it as it will become gluey and stick together.
- Set the cooked couscous aside to cool.
- Mix the cooled couscous and the rest of the ingredients together.
- Season with salt and pepper to taste and serve.
Looking for Slimming World Syns or Weight Watchers (WW) Points?
With ever-changing plans and point calculations, we have made the decision to remove WW Points from the website - referring to your individual plan or advice from your consultant is always going to give the most accurate results.
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Recipe notes
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10 comments
See what others have to say
EmilySaturday 13th January 2024
Which book is this recipe in please?
Cheryl LloydWednesday 7th February 2024
This recipe isn’t in any of the cookbooks, it’s just on the website 😊
JoanneWednesday 30th June 2021
What is Sumac please? Is it called something else in the UK?
HollyWednesday 30th June 2021
Hey Joanne, sumac is a deep red coloured spice mix made from dried berries it has a lemon lime kind of tartness. You will find it down the same aisle with the herbs and spices in the supermarket or you can buy it online too. Hope that helps!
CharlieFriday 25th June 2021
What do you mean by Giant Couscous?
Are you talking about Israeli Couscous?
HollyMonday 28th June 2021
Hey Charlie, most supermarkets sell giant couscous it can be called pearl couscous or as you have said Israeli couscous. Hope that helps!
LisaTuesday 20th April 2021
Can I use normal cous cous instead of giant cous cous?
HollyWednesday 21st April 2021
Hey Lisa, yes you could use normal couscous and prepare it according to the packet instructions. Hope that helps!
Lorraine ClarkThursday 20th January 2022
Would the calories be the same if using normal couc cous and would the amount remain the same?
Thank you
HollyFriday 21st January 2022
Hey Lorraine, yes you could use normal couscous and prepare it according to the packet instructions you may need to alter the calories accordingly we have THIS article that talks through how to alter calories for our recipes. Hope that helps!
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