Do you make couscous? I just love to say couscous! 🙂 You are going to love this delicious 15-Minute Parmesan Couscous recipe today. Let’s learn how to make couscous so that you’ll have another delicious side dish to serve for dinner.
What do you need to make Fluffy Couscous?
This makes a tasty side dish for just about any meal like my Crock Pot Chicken Parmesan. If you have never tried couscous before, I highly suggest it. It is light, yet filling, and this 15-minute parmesan couscous has just the right amount of cheesy richness.
You will only need a nice pot to make this couscous. I love my Calphalon pots and pans. I have had them for years and they are still holding up well. You might also want to put this in a pretty dish to serve out of. This, of course, isn’t necessary, but why not?
What is couscous?
Couscous is a grain similar to quinoa or rice. However, it is crushed and formed into small spheres for easy serving. There are many different varieties of couscous.
I think it tastes similar to rice but has more of a nutty flavor. Also, it takes less time to cook than rice or quinoa so I love having it on hand so I can make a quick and easy side dish for my family is under 15 minutes.
If you are looking for another light a delicious side dish, I recommend my garlic lime steamed asparagus. Anyway, let’s get back to the recipe and continue to learn how to fix couscous.
What ingredients are needed to make couscous:
You just need a few common ingredients to cook couscous.
- Whole Wheat Couscous
- 2 cups chicken stock or 2 cups of water
- Olive oil or butter
- 3 tablespoons butter, divided
- Garlic Powder
- Salt
- Pepper
- Parmesan cheese
- Italian Parsley
How to make couscous from scratch:
First in a medium saucepan, bring the broth, olive oil, one tablespoon of butter and seasonings to a boil. These ingredients will resemble boiling water.
Then add the cup of dry couscous one at a time into the boiling mixture. Next stir quickly to combine, cover and let sit for 5 minutes. Then remove from heat and turn off heat as it will not longer be needed for this recipe.
How do you fluff up couscous?
After this time, remove the couscous from the pan and add couscous to a large bowl. Next add the rest of the butter (I cut mine up so that it will melt quicker), parmesan cheese and parsley.
Use a fork to fluff the couscous until the butter is melted by the couscous steam and everything is evenly combined. This may take a minute or two.
Pro Tip: Make sure you don’t use a spoon, because it will make the couscous clump together rather than keeping it light and fluffy.
Then adjust the seasonings to taste. You can add salt and/or pepper until it suites your tastes. Then the couscous is ready to serve to your family!
This recipe makes a large portion and will easily feed 6-8 people depending on portion size. This works great for my family, but if you prefer a smaller amount, you could easily cut the recipe in half.
Generally, I use whole wheat couscous for this recipe, but you can use any types of couscous.
Make sure you check the amount of liquid instructed for the brand of couscous you buy. My couscous was a 1:1 ratio, but each type may be different.
What to serve with couscous:
Here are some of my favorite recipes to serve with this delicious and easy couscous side dish.
- Crock Pot Smothered Pork Chops
- Honey Soy Pork Tenderloin Crock Pot Recipe
- 15 Minute burger sliders recipe
- Grilled Balsamic Glazed Chicken
- Easy Skillet bbq pork chops
What do you think? Do you love this 15-minute parmesan couscous as much as we do? I’d love to hear what you think!
Print this easy couscous recipe below:
How to make Couscous Recipe
Ingredients
- 2 cups whole wheat couscous
- 2 cups chicken stock
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 3 tablespoons butter (divided)
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon pepper
- 1/2 cup Parmesan cheese
- 2 tablespoons fresh Italian parsley (roughly chopped)
Instructions
- In a medium size pot, bring the broth, olive oil, one tablespoon of butter and seasonings to a boil.
- Add the couscous, stir quickly to combine, cover and let sit for 5 minutes.
- Transfer the cooked couscous to a large bowl.
- Add the rest of the butter (I cut mine up), Parmesan cheese and parsley.
- Using a fork to fluff the couscous until the butter is melted and everything is evenly combined. This may take a minute or two. Make sure you don’t use a spoon, because it will make the couscous clump together rather than keeping it light and fluffy.
- Adjust the seasonings to taste. You can add more salt and or pepper until it suites your tastes.
- This makes a large portion and will easily feed 6-8 people depending on portion size. This works great for my family, but if you prefer a smaller amount, you could easily cut the recipe in half.
- Also, I used whole wheat, but you can use any kind of couscous. Make sure you check the amount of liquid instructed for the brand of couscous you buy. My couscous was a 1:1 ratio, but each type may be different.
Recipe Notes
Nutrition Facts
If you enjoy this quick and easy side dish, try some of our other recipes for easy side dishes:
- The Easiest Spanish Rice Recipe
- Crock pot Green Bean Casserole Recipe
- Crock Pot Ranch Beans Recipe
- Apple Snickers Salad
- Cucumber Onions Salad Recipe
- Crock Pot Rice Recipe
- Homemade Cornbread Mix
- Grilled Green Beans Side Dish Recipe
- How to Make Baked Potatoes in the Microwave
- Easy Fried Rice Recipe
- Easy Macaroni Salad
- The Best 90 Second Bread
So delicious. It made SO much! We will be eating this for a few days . Great recipe .
I love this. I hadnt cooked couscous much before and my husband wasn’t that fond of it. I used vegetarian stock cubes instead of chicken, only because I like the taste more. We had this tonight with mushrooms sautéed in olive oil and balsamic vinegar and it was a big success. My husband loved it. I didn’t tell him it was couscous until after he tasted it!!!!! Thanks, I could live on this. Yum!!!