Vegetable Curry with Couscous

This hearty vegetable curry is made with chickpeas, cauliflower, carrots and peppers, with raisins for a burst of sweetness, and served over tender couscous. It’s a delicious and satisfying vegan meal you’ll want to make again and again!

Rice is generally my go-to curry accompaniment, but lately I’ve bean all about couscous and using it in as many delicious ways as possible, whipping up dishes like vegetable tagine, Moroccan couscous, and even couscous soup.

It occurred to me that couscous would make a great stand-in for rice in a curry, and boy was I right! You could probably serve just about any curry with couscous and it would be delicious, but I created this curry recipe specifically with couscous in mind. It features a delicious medley of spicy flavors, including lots of veggies and even a burst of sweetness from raisins.

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Ingredients You’ll Need

Olive oil. Other high heat oils such as vegetable oil or corn oil could be substituted, if needed.
Onion.
Carrots.
Red bell pepper. Swap this out with another color of sweet bell pepper (yellow or orange) if you’d like!
Garlic.
Spices. You’ll need a mix of garam masala, curry powder, ground cumin, and ground ginger. You can find them all in the spice aisle of most grocery stores.
Crushed tomatoes.
Canned tomatoes.
Canned chickpeas.
Cauliflower.
Raisins. These will add a burst of sweetness to the curry. Other dried fruits can be substituted. Dried cherries, currants, or even apricots would work!
Couscous. You should be able to find dried couscous near either the pasta or rice at the supermarket. I used basic semolina couscous for this recipe, but feel free to switch things up. You could use whole wheat couscous or Israeli couscous (also known as pearl couscous). Need a gluten-free option? Skip the couscous and use rice or quinoa instead!
Salt.
Fresh cilantro. Not a fan of cilantro? Swap it out with flat leaf parsley!

Tip: If you like your curries to have a little heat, try adding some cayenne pepper or your favorite hot sauce.

How It’s Made

The following is a detailed photo tutorial on how to make this dish. Scroll all the way down if you’d like to skip right to the recipe!

Carrots, peppers, and onions cooking in a pot.

Start by heating your oil in a large pot, then adding diced onion, sliced carrots, and diced bell pepper. Cook the mixture for about ten minutes, just to start softening the veggies up.

Carrots, peppers, onions, and spices cooking in a pot.

Stir in minced garlic along with all of your spices. Cook the mixture briefly, just until the garlic and spices become very fragrant. Keep stirring as it cooks to prevent anything from burning.

Now add the crushed and diced tomatoes, chickpeas, cauliflower florets and raisins. Bring the sauce to a boil, then lower the heat, cover the pot and let it simmer until the cauliflower is tender. Prepare the couscous according to the package instructions while the curry cooks.

Vegetable curry simmering in a pot on the stove.

Remove the lid and let the curry simmer for a few minutes longer, giving the sauce a change to thicken up. When it’s nice and thick, remove the pot from heat and season it with salt. You can give it a taste-test and make any other seasonings adjustments you like at this point.

Bowl of Vegetable Curry with Couscous with a blue pot in the background.

Serve the curry over the couscous, and give each serving a sprinkle of fresh cilantro. Dig in and enjoy!

Leftovers & Storage

If possible, store the curry and couscous separately in airtight containers in the fridge. The curry can be reheated in the microwave or in a pot on the stove. The best way I’ve found to reheat couscous is by placing it in a microwave-safe bowl, covering it with a wet paper towel, and microwaving it for a few minutes until hot.

More Curry Recipes

Like this recipe? If so, please stop back and leave me a review and rating below if you try it! Also be sure to follow me on Facebook, Pinterest or Instagram, or subscribe to my newsletter for more recipes like this one!

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Cuisine African-Inspired, American

Prep Time 10

Cook Time 40

Total Time 50

Ingredients

2 tablespoons olive oil
1 medium onion, diced
2 medium carrots, sliced
1 medium red bell pepper, diced
4 garlic cloves, minced
2 teaspoons garam masala
2 teaspoons curry powder
1 teaspoon ground cumin
½ teaspoon ground ginger
1 (14.5 ounce/411 gram) can crushed tomatoes
1 (14.5 ounce/411 gram) can diced tomatoes
1 (15.5 ounce/439 gram) can chickpeas, drained and rinsed
1 small cauliflower head, broken into florets (about 2 cups of florets)
½ cup raisins
Salt, to taste (I used 1 teaspoon)
1 ½ cups dried semolina couscous
2 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro

Instructions

Coat the bottom of a large pot with the oil and place it over medium heat. Allow the oil to heat up for a minute, then add the onion, carrots, and bell pepper. Sweat the vegetables for about 10 minutes, stirring occasionally, until they begin to soften.
Stir in the garlic, garam masala, curry powder, cumin, and ginger. Cook the mixture for about a minute, stirring constantly, until it becomes very fragrant.
Stir in the crushed tomatoes, diced tomatoes, chickpeas, cauliflower, and raisins. Raise the heat to high and bring the liquid to a boil.
Lower the heat until the sauce is cooking at just a low simmer, then cover the pot. Let it simmer for about 20 minutes, covered, until the cauliflower is tender. Uncover the pot every few minutes to check the level at which it is simmering and give it a stir.
While the curry simmers, cook the couscous according to the package directions.
Once the cauliflower is tender, uncover the pot and let the curry simmer for about five minutes longer, just to thicken up the sauce.
Remove the pot from heat and season the curry with salt to taste. Adjust any other seasonings to your liking.
Divide the couscous and curry into bowls, topping each with a sprinkle of cilantro.
Serve.

Nutrition

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