A nice change of pace from your typical pasta salad, this Moroccan-Spiced Carrot Couscous Salad uses Israeli couscous as its base and simmers together in a single skillet with shredded carrots, minced garlic, ground cumin and paprika. Once cooked, it is finished off by stirring in fresh chopped Italian parsley and red wine vinegar before serving.
Like most pasta salads, this deliciously golden hued vegetarian couscous salad can be served warm, or made ahead and served right from the refrigerator or at room temperature—my personal favorite.
Moroccan-spiced carrot couscous
How Many Calories and WW Points in this Couscous Salad?
According to my calculations, each serving has about 140 calories.
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How to Make Moroccan-Spiced Couscous Carrot Salad
Step 1: Gather and prepare all ingredients.
Ready to make the couscous
Step 2: Heat oil in a large skillet (affiliate link) over medium heat. Add the couscous, stirring occasionally until it toasts lightly, about 3 minutes.
Toasting the pearl couscous
Step 3: Stir in the carrots and continue to saute until they begin to soften, about 3 minutes.
Stir in the carrots and saute until they start to soften
Step 4: Stir in the water, paprika, cumin, garlic, salt and pepper. Cover skillet and allow to simmer until the couscous is tender and all the liquid is absorbed, about 10 minutes.
Add in the water, spices and garlic and simmer until liquid is absorbed
Step 5: Turn off the heat and stir in the parsley and red wine vinegar. Taste and add salt and pepper if necessary.
Stir in the parsley and red wine vinegar
Step 6: Store any leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator.
Low-fat carrot couscous salad
Recipe Notes
Be sure to use the larger Israeli couscous (aka Pearl couscous) when making this dish. Israeli couscous is much larger than regular couscous—about the size of lentils or small peas. Toasting the couscous will help it keep its shape after simmering.
In this photo, there is Israeli couscous (Tri-color) on the left and regular couscous on the right.
Israeli (Pearl) couscous (tricolor) (left) and regular couscous (right)
Serving Suggestions
This family-friendly side dish is perfect for vegetarians, makes a great picnic or potluck salad and pairs well with anything from the grill—from burgers, to spicy chicken thighs to salmon or shrimp or pork kebabs.
Carrot couscous salad
Ways to Use Leftovers
Store any leftover couscous salad in an airtight container in the refrigerator. Enjoy this carrot couscous right from the fridge, warmed to room temperature, or gently warmed in the microwave (affiliate link).
Turn this into a main course meal with the addition of your favorite protein. Just mix in a little shredded or chopped chicken breast, canned flaked tuna, shrimp, etc.
To brighten the flavor of your leftover couscous, stir in a dash of red wine vinegar before serving.
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Moroccan Carrot Couscous Salad
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 8 ounces Israeli (Pearl) couscous
- 10 ounces shredded carrots
- 3 cups water
- 1 teaspoon paprika
- 1 teaspoon ground cumin
- 1 teaspoon minced garlic
- Salt and pepper, to taste
- 3 tablespoons chopped Italian parsley
- 2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
Instructions
- Heat oil in a large skillet (affiliate link) over medium heat. Add the couscous and stir occasionally until it toasts lightly, about 3 minutes.
- Stir in the carrots and continue to saute until they begin to soften, about 3 minutes.
- Stir in the water, paprika, cumin, garlic, salt and pepper. Cover skillet and allow to simmer until the couscous is tender and all the liquid is absorbed, about 10 minutes.
- Turn off the heat and stir in the parsley and red wine vinegar. Taste and add salt and pepper if necessary.
- Store any leftover carrot couscous salad in an airtight container in the refrigerator.
Equipment
Recipe Notes
Recipe source: Almost from Scratch: 600 Recipes for the New Convenience Cuisine (affiliate link) by Andrew Schloss
*Points® calculated by WW. *PointsPlus® and SmartPoints® calculated by Simple Nourished Living; Not endorsed by Weight Watchers International, Inc. All recipe ingredients except optional items included in determining nutritional estimates. SmartPoints® values calculated WITHOUT each plan's ZeroPoint Foods (Green plan, Blue plan, Purple plan) using the WW Recipe Builder.
If you like this Low-Fat Moroccan Carrot Couscous Salad, you might also like
- Mediterranean Chicken Couscous Salad
- Citrus Couscous Salad
- Crock Pot Couscous Stuffed Peppers
- Simple Shredded Carrot Salad
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Dorothy Wilhelm
Very easy to make and quite tasty. Loved the carrots, but I did add a little more garlic and a little onion to mine! Thanks
Martha McKinnon
Thanks Dorothy!