Moroccan Lamb Couscous is full of flavour and is delicious and an easy option in our dinner recipes. Simply add Moroccan seasoning as you brown the mince and your dish will become a family favourite.
Blue Cheese Mac and Cheese, Tomato Mac and Cheese, Turkey Chilli Con Carne, Ground Beef Casserole, are all delicious dinner recipes you can serve or pair with a side dish like our skin on roast potatoes or horseradish mashed potatoes for a complete meal!
Or for a recipe with similar ingredients try the Taco Soup with Black Beans!
Recipe Highlights
I use Moroccan seasoning for this recipe from the cooking aisle at the shops. The intent of this recipe is for a quick and easy recipe that doesn't take too long to bring together. For that reason when I make this I buy the seasoning ready made. I encourage you to try that for a minimal fuss dinner.
What is Moroccan seasoning made of?
Moroccan seasoning is a spice blend with aromatic flavours. Traditionally it is a combination of chicken flavour, garlic, sugar, onion, paprika, rosemary, turmeric, capsicum, coriander, cumin, ginger, salt and pepper.
Over the years it has become so popular that it is readily available and quite common to find.
Moroccan seasoning goes well on all types of meat dishes. From beef to pork, lamb to chicken and fish. Once you have started using this spice you will find so many uses for it!!
What spices are in Moroccan food?
Moroccan food generally has an aromatic taste to it. This is from the combination of spices that go into it.
You will come across a few other traditional flavours in Moroccan cooking and recipes, such as:
- paprika
- cumin
- cinnamon
- saffron
- white pepper
As much as there are spices like paprika which have a reputation of being gung ho, it is important to note that this is not a hot dish. It has maximum flavour, for sure, but it doesn't have heat in the spices.
Moroccan lamb couscous is a delightful way to experiment with flavours that are not spicy
How to make Moroccan Lamb Couscous
Making Moroccan Lamb Couscous is easy to do. You need to have your ingredients prepped and ready, for a fast cook.
The photo below shows you everything which you will need to make this recipe.
You will note that there is not a lot of prep time needed as we are using ingredients that are ready to go from the get go. I prefer frozen peas to tinned ones as the tinned ones are a browner shade of green plus frozen peas retain their texture really well. Mushy peas on the other hand tend to mush even further! Lots of mush is sometimes too much!
Actually there is one ingredient not shown above that is also an added bonus. When making the couscous, you can use water and a little salt or for maximum flavour, alternatively, you can use chicken or vegetable stock. You will also need a small knob of butter as once the dried couscous has been tipped into the boiling stock, you need to fluff it with a fork as it cooks. At this time if you add a small amount of butter, it will melt and your couscous will take on this additional delicious flavour.
You could easily serve this recipe with rice also. But there is something a little authentic about the pairing of the aromatic Moroccan seasoning with the small fine grains of couscous. So I encourage you to give it a go, you will enjoy the new flavours if you haven't tried them before.
How to make couscous for Moroccan lamb
Making couscous for Moroccan lamb is easy. As there is so much flavour and texture in our lamb mix, I prefer to keep the couscous really simple and basic.
If you were one of those picky eaters as a kid who separated out all of your food before eating it, you will appreciate where I am coming from in encouraging you to have plain couscous on the side. I was never too fussy with food like that, but I enjoy the different textures a dish can offer and if you mix the couscous into the lamb mix you tend to loose that.
Not that there will be too much more room in your pot! My french pan is 3.2 litres and just fits all the ingredients in when we are cooking.
Plus there is something super nice about having some wholewheat pita bread, some greek yoghurt, a scoop of couscous then moroccan lamb piled on top (mix and eat, not cook, mix and eat).
To me, the best moroccan lamb couscous recipe is the one that has a good balance between flavour and texture.
The photo above shows you the cooked couscous to go with lamb ready for plating everything together!
Simple Moroccan couscous recipes
Another reason to keep the meat and couscous separate is that it will keep and reheat from the fridge really easily and you won't have any mushy food even after a few days.
Further point also that I wanted to make is the type of couscous to go with lamb. As the ground lamb has a soft round texure, we want to contrast that with our couscous. For this recipe, the plain regular couscous is perfect to use as even when cooked it has a texture that contrasts with the yummy deliciousness of the moroccon lamb. Pearl couscous is too close in texture to the meat, peas and beans that are in the dish to provide that cross textural taste sensation (so let's not use that for this one).
It also pays to consider the couscous flavour. There is no need for this recipe to get a flavoured couscous. You know the ones that have been done for you and then you heat and eat. They would provide too much of an overload of flavour to the dish, so stick with the generic one.
Frequently Asked Questions
How long to cook Moroccan lamb couscous?
This is a fast recipe for convenient week night cooking.
It will take less than 15 mins from the time you turn the stove on till your Moroccan lamb is cooked. Take a few extra minutes to grill some pita bread, fluff your couscous and spoon out some greek yoghurt. It is a complete meal when you have those additional extras (and a delicious one at that!)
The mince will brown in less than 5 mins. From there all you need to do is add all of your remaining ingredients and then get your fork ready!
Can you freeze Moroccan Lamb couscous?
You can absolutely freeze this recipe. Moroccan lamb couscous not only freezes well, it also reheats well.
If meal prepping your way into the Monday-Friday each week is your thing, then this recipe will be right up your alley.
Top tips
Here are my top tips and tricks so that you can master the recipe from the get go:
- Frozen peas are fine to use!
- Store bought Moroccan seasoning is fine and saves combining spices.
- Add a little oil to your pan before adding the garlic and mince.
- You can use a wok or fry pan to make this recipe.
- There is flavour in this dish but not heat in the spices.
- The cook time is less than 15 mins.
- Cook temperature is medium.
- Add the carrots last so they are still a little crunchy!
- Use vegetable or chicken stock when cooking the couscous.
- Use a small amount of butter to fluff couscous for extra flavour.
- This is an EASY recipe
Related Recipes
For further ideas for delicious meals that you will love, check out these recipes:
- Slow Cooker Lemon Garlic Chicken
- Mushroom Chicken Thighs (slow cooker)
- Chicken Thighs in Creamy Garlic Wine Sauce (one pot recipe)
- Blue Cheese Mac and Cheese (vegetarian recipe)
- Beef Bean Pasta Bake (family favorite)
- Minestrone Soup (packed with veggies)
- Meatball Tomato Soup (one of my favourites)
- Zucchini Grilled Cheese (vegetarian recipe)
Adrianne xx
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Moroccan Lamb Couscous
Ingredients
- ½ tbs olive oil
- 500 grams lamb mince
- ½ tablespoon garlic minced
- ⅓ tbsp Moroccan spice Note 1
- ½ tsp pepper
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ½ tablespoon dried onion
- 400 grams black beans drained and rinsed
- 400 grams corn kernels drained and rinsed
- 400 grams lentils drained and rinsed
- 1 cup frozen peas Note 3
- 3 carrots thinly sliced
- 1 cup dried couscous
- 1 cup chicken stock
- 10 grams butter Note 2
- parsley to garnish
- whole wheat pita bread to serve
- low fat greek yoghurt to serve
Instructions
- Heat ½ tbs of olive oil in a large pan on a medium heat.
- Add garlic and let sizzle,
- Spoon in lamb mince, season with Moroccan seasoning, salt, pepper and dried onion,
- Cook mince till brown using a flat spoon to break up and ensure no clumps of meat.
- Add black beas, corn, lentils and peas, stir to combine.
- Sprinkly carrot slices over lamb mix and gently push into the mix, replace lid, turn heat to low and let simmer till the carrots are just cooked,
- Add the stock to a medium saucepan, bring to the boil and then pour in couscous. Use a fork to stir, fluffing as you go (the couscous!) add butter and stir till melted and combined
- Heat pita bread in sandwich press or separate pan on the stove for 3-4 minutes each side
- Serve with fresh parsley, greek yoghurt and pita bread
Notes
- Note 1: you can purchase Moroccan spice in the cooking aisle of the supermarket with the other herbs and spices. It is easy and tastes great. For a week night meal, you can't beat using this to save time. Perhaps a weekend is a better time to cook if you want to make the spice from scratch.
- Note 2 don't worry about measuring the butter too pedantically. You need a bit to make the couscous taste better, but the actual amount won't vary the taste too much.
- Note 3 to minimize the risk of extra water in the dish (we don't want that as it will dilute the flavours) I cook the peas in a microwave safe jug for 2 mins before adding them to the pan.
- Note 4 when it comes to the lentils, black beans and corn, there is no real order in which to add them. They are all have a reasonably similar cook time. The lentils are the most fragile, but in general once we have browned the minced and added our veggies we are really only cooking to heat them through.
- Note 5 For the carrots, it is nice to have them still be a little firm when you are eating them. If you slice them super thinly and then add them right at the end for a couple of mins and the put the lid on the pan again you will see that it won't take long for them to cook at all.
- Note 6 the pita bread is best served a little warm, you can do this in the oven, microwave or for the easiest method, on the stove in a separate pan
- Note 7 I don't recommend trying to use the microwave to cook the couscous. Weird as I am a total microwave user and fan. The reason being couscous is best cooked in boiling liquid and stirred throughout the cook time. If you use the microwave it means both the dried couscous and the stock go into the container at the same time resulting in hard, rubbery couscous. It will literally only take a few minutes for the saucepan to boil to cook you couscous. So I recommend using this technique (albeit involving another saucepan to wash up!)
Nutrition
Look at all of the pretty colours that we have in this dish!
It would be pretty boring if we were eating boring old brown food all the time (aka my Easy Chunky Beef Stew)!!
One of the reasons why this dish is fun and family friendly is that you get to build your own plate.
Take some wholewheat pita bread, tear it in half. Pop some greek yoghurt on, spread your couscous on top of that then spoon out your Moroccan lamb. (Ermagawd, yummmmm I say!)
Irina says
I am drooling over your pictures Adrianne! This Lamb Couscous spiced with a special blend sounds delicious! I am gonna make it tonight! Thanks for sharing.
Adrianne says
No worries Irina, I am glad that you love it. Happy to hear your feedback. Appreciate the positive vibes.
Kate says
I've never heard of this before but it sounds amazing and so colorful! Thanks I'll have to give it a try.
Adrianne says
Sounds great Kate, hope you love it!
Rachael Stray says
Oooh this looks and sounds delicious! It’s nice to see the lighter side of lamb too rather than in a heavier dish like a casserole or roast.
Adrianne says
Same here Rachael! Although I do still love a good lamb roast every now and than. Cheers for your feedback!