Spiced Cranberry Walnut Couscous

Couscous is a traditional ingredient used throughout the Mediterranean, and it makes a quick and versatile whole grain side dish. It has a light, fluffy texture and is easily adaptable to a variety of flavor profiles. It's also ready in about 15 minutes! One of my favorite variations is Spiced Cranberry Walnut Couscous—a warm, fragrant dish featuring layers of flavor and texture. It’s perfect for busy weeknights when you want something fast and easy to serve with chicken, fish, or roasted vegetables.

Is couscous healthy? You bet!

Couscous, despite its resemblance to grains, is a tiny pearl of pasta made from semolina flour. And while semolina is made from wheat, the unique milling process used to produce semolina actually preserves more of the nutritional value than with traditional flour. It’s higher in protein, fiber, and folate than finely milled flours, and a respectable source of high quality carbohydrates on the Mediterranean diet.

One of the best features of couscous is that it cooks very quickly. It is added to boiling water or broth, then the pan is immediately covered and removed from the heat. As it sits, it absorbs the liquid and becomes moist, fluffy, and delicious. It only has to sit for about 5 minutes before it’s ready, making it an ideal whole grain side dish for busy weeknights.

There are two main types of couscous, and you want to be sure to get the correct one. This recipe uses Moroccan couscous, which has a smaller, finer grain than the much larger Israeli pearl couscous, which won’t work with this cranberry walnut couscous recipe. Moroccan couscous is usually labeled simply “couscous,” while its counterpart is labeled “pearl couscous.” 

I buy whole wheat couscous whenever I can, since it usually has a slightly higher fiber content than regular couscous. However, it’s not enough of a difference to worry about if you can’t find the whole wheat variety.

Ingredients and substitutions

Extra virgin olive oil - Avocado or canola oil also work.

Shallot - I dice my shallots pretty finely so they don’t interfere with the texture of the couscous. Yellow or red onions are also fine here.

Ground cumin - In this particular recipe, ground coriander is a good substitute for ground cumin.

Cinnamon - I use ground Saigon cinnamon. Nutmeg would also be an acceptable substitute.

Low sodium chicken broth - I always cook with low sodium chicken broth, which allows me to more finely tune the sodium level in my dishes. If you are not using low sodium chicken broth, omit the added salt from this recipe. I test all my recipes with Simple Truth Organic Low Sodium Free Range Chicken Broth from Kroger brand stores. You can also use vegetable broth or even water in this recipe. 

Fine sea salt - If using kosher salt, use a scant ½ teaspoon (meaning a little less than ½ teaspoon). If using table salt, use ¼ teaspoon.

Whole wheat couscous - If you can’t find the whole wheat variety, the regular version is fine.

Low-sugar dried cranberries - Dried cranberries often contain a ridiculous amount of sugar. I’ve sometimes been able to find dried cranberries sweetened with apple juice, but most of the time I just use Ocean Spray Lower Sugar Dried Cranberries. For this cranberry walnut couscous, you can also use dried cherries or chopped dried apricots.

Roughly chopped walnuts - Pecans work too. I don’t toast them in this recipe because I like to keep it quick and easy, but if you have a couple of minutes to toast your nuts then I am fully supportive!

Tips for the perfect spiced cranberry walnut couscous

Make sure your shallots are soft before adding broth. Undercooked shallots will interfere with the texture of your couscous, and you want to make sure they infuse a sweet, mellow onion flavor into this dish. Make sure they are soft and translucent before adding the remaining ingredients. 

Get the couscous off the heat as soon as you’re done stirring it in. The goal is for the couscous to steam, not cook. Even 20 seconds of cooking time can turn your couscous to mush. Whole wheat couscous will hold up a little better, but not much.

Fluff it well with a fork before serving. As soon as you take the lid off your pan, get in there with a fork and really fluff it up. It’ll stick together like glue otherwise. I also recommend getting your couscous into a serving dish quickly after fluffing, so it doesn’t settle back together.