Oven-Baked Pearl Couscous with Roasted Tomatoes, Chickpeas & Feta

I have served this flavorful dish as a vegetarian main dish served over baby spinach and as a side dish with rotisserie chicken, roasted cauliflower and green salad. So versatile! I also love that it is made in one pan.

The recipe was adapted from The New York Times, contributed by Melissa Clark. I used Trader Joe’s Harvest Grain Blend with Couscous with Quinoa, Orzo, and Garbanzo Beans and modified the proportions and method. Nice.

Yield: Serves 4 as a main dish or 6 as a side dish

• 1 pint (2 cups) grape tomatoes, halved (or a combination grape & small Campari- quartered)
• 1 large shallot, halved and thinly sliced
• 1/4 cup sliced scallions, for garnish (about 2 large)
• 2 T extra-virgin olive oil, plus more for drizzling
• 1 T balsamic vinegar, plus more for drizzling
• 2 to 3 large garlic cloves, finely grated or minced
• 1 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt, plus more as needed
• 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper, plus more for serving
• 3 oregano, rosemary or sage sprigs
• 2 cups vegetable stock or water (I used 1 cup chicken stock and 1 cup water)
• 1/3 cup chopped cilantro, dill or parsley, plus more for serving
• 1/2 teaspoon finely grated lemon zest (from 1/2 lemon)
• 3/4 teaspoon ground cumin
• 8 ounces pearl couscous (1 1/2 cups)(I used Trader Joe’s Harvest Brain blend)
• 1 (15-ounce) can chickpeas, drained and rinsed
• 1 1/2 cups feta, crumbled (about 6 ounces)
• 1/3 cup freshly grated Parmesan (1 1/2 ounces)( I used Parmigiano-Reggiano)

1. Heat oven to 425 degrees. (I set my oven to convection roast.)
2. In a 9×13-inch baking dish, cake pan or gratin dish (I used a ceramic 9×13 baking dish), toss together tomatoes, shallot, 2 tablespoons oil, 1 tablespoon vinegar, garlic, 1/2 teaspoon salt, pepper and rosemary, oregano, or sage sprigs. Roast until tomatoes are tender, about 15 minutes.
3. While tomatoes roast, heat the stock (or stock and water) until it boils, then stir in remaining 1 teaspoon salt, adding more to taste. (You want a well-seasoned broth here to flavor the couscous.)
4. Stir in cilantro, lemon zest and cumin.
5. Remove tomatoes from oven and fold in couscous, chickpeas and hot stock mixture. Cover pan tightly with foil, and return to oven for 20 minutes.
6. Remove foil and fold in the Parmesan and about 3/4ths of the feta (save the rest for garnish). Bake uncovered until feta starts to melt, another 5 minutes.
7. To serve, pull out and discard herb sprigs if you like, and spoon couscous into bowls. (I served it in the baking dish as a side dish.)
8. Top with remaining feta, more Parmesan, scallions, more herbs, pepper and a drizzle of olive oil and balsamic vinegar, as desired.

About Josette@thebrookcook

I live in Stony Brook, New York on Long Island. I love garlic and baking. My hobby (and love) is to try new recipes. My favorite recipe resources include The New York Times, Food and Wine, Bon Appetit, and Martha Stewart Living. Enjoy!

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