Mexican Vegetable couscous is a tasty and healthy fusion recipe made by combining Mexican ingredients with couscous from the Maghreb region. A simple vegan dish that can be served in the main course as well as a side dish.
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Couscous is one of the ingredients that I always keep in my pantry and often take out when I feel like making something that's easy, tastes good, and is nutritious too.
The fact that couscous doesn’t have any taste of its own and absorbs all the flavors you put in, makes it a perfect choice of ingredient for experimenting with different flavors.
Couscous is originally from the Maghreb region, not Mexico but the combination of Mexican ingredients with couscous is great. That's also the reason why you will find a lot of Mexican couscous recipes on the internet.
If you want to check more ways to add couscous to your plate, don't miss to check my recipes for vegan couscous fritters and Moroccan spiced couscous salad.
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Ingredients required
To make this vegan couscous recipe, the following ingredients are needed:
- Instant couscous
- Vegetables: In this recipe, I have added broccoli and bell pepper. You can also add cauliflower, green peas, carrot, or whatever is available.
- Beans: I have used black beans and kidney beans. Any type of beans can be used in this recipe.
- Sweet corn kernels: Frozen/ canned. If using fresh corn then boil them before adding to the dish.
- Tomato
- Onion: Preferably red
- Garlic
- Avocado
- Lemon
- Jalapeno: Fresh/ pickled. If jalapeno is not available, use any chili pepper.
- Fresh herbs: I have used parsley but cilantro can be added too.
- Vegetable stock: Avoid using water instead of stock otherwise couscous may taste very bland.
- Seasonings: Salt, pepper, and chili flakes. Other seasonings like dried oregano, chives, etc can be used too. If not seasoned properly the dish will not have enough flavors as couscous doesn't have any flavor of it's own.
- Olive oil
How to make Mexican couscous?
- Put the couscous in a large bowl. Pour boiling stock/ water and cover the bowl for at least 5 minutes. After 5 minutes, remove the lid and fluff couscous with a fork.
- Heat oil in a pan. Add minced garlic and onion. Sauté until the onion turns translucent. Add broccoli florets and sauté until it's cooked but still crunchy.
- Add corn kernels and sauté for 5 minutes.
- Once the corn is cooked add bell pepper and cook for 2-3 minutes.
- Next, add tomatoes, chili flakes, salt, and pepper. Mix and cook until tomatoes turn soft.
- Add kidney beans and black beans. Sauté for a few minutes.
- Add couscous. Mix everything and switch off the gas.
- Finally, add parsley, lemon juice, avocado, and jalapeno. Mix everything. Enjoy!
How to cook instant couscous?
Put the couscous in a large bowl. Pour boiling salted water/ stock and cover the bowl with a lid. Let it remain like that for at least 5 minutes. After that fluff with a fork and use in your recipe.
Couscous water ratio
The couscous-boiling water ratio should be 1: 1.5. This means if you are using 1 cup of couscous add 1.5 cups of boiling water/ stock.
Is couscous gluten-free?
No, couscous is made from semolina, and semolina is made from durum wheat. So, couscous is not gluten-free.
Gluten-free substitutes of couscous
If you are looking for gluten-free options to make this recipe then replace couscous with quinoa or brown rice.
More vegan Mexican recipes
If you too love Mexican food and looking for some easy to make vegan Mexican recipes then don't miss to check the following recipes:
More vegan dinner recipes
Step by step photo instructions
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Recipe
Mexican couscous recipe
Ingredients
- 2 cups instant couscous
- 3 cups vegetable stock/ water
- 1.5 cups boiled/ canned kidney beans
- 1.5 cups boiled/ canned black beans
- 1.5 cup frozen sweet corn kernels
- 3 large cloves of garlic minced
- 1 medium-sized red onion finely chopped
- 2 cups broccoli florets
- 1 medium-sized bell pepper finely chopped
- 1 large tomato chopped
- 1 avocado chopped
- ½ cup parsley/ cilantro roughly chopped
- 1 teaspoon chopped jalapeno fresh/ pickled
- Juice of 1 lemon adjust as per taste
- 1.5 teaspoon red chili flakes adjust as per taste
- Ground black pepper as per taste
- Salt as per taste
- ½ tbsp olive oil
Instructions
- Boil vegetable stock/ water with some salt in a pot.
- Put couscous in a large bowl. Pour boiling water/ stock on couscous and cover the bowl with a lid. Let it stay like that for at least 5 minutes. After that remove the lid and fluff the couscous with a fork. Keep it aside.
- Heat oil in a pan. Add minced garlic and onion. Saute until the onion turns translucent.
- Add broccoli florets and saute for around 3-4 minutes.
- Add corn kernels and saute for another 5 minutes.
- Once the corn is cooked add bell pepper and cook for 2-3 minutes.
- Next, add tomatoes, chili flakes, salt, and pepper. Mix and cook until tomatoes turn soft.
- Add kidney beans and black beans. Saute for a few minutes.
- Add couscous. Mix everything and switch off the gas.
- Finally, add parsley, lemon juice, avocado, and jalapeno. Mix everything. Enjoy!
Notes
- Use quinoa or boiled rice if you don't have couscous.
- This dish can be served in the main course as well as a side dish. If serving in the main course, it will be sufficient for around 5 people. If serving as a side dish it can be served to around 10 people.
- Feel free to use any vegetable that's available to you.
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