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CHOW: Recipes: Browned Butternut Squash Couscous

Browned Butternut Squash Couscous Recipe

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Browned Butternut Squash Couscous
Difficulty: Easy | Total Time: About 50 mins | Makes: 8 cups

Cumin-scented butternut squash, almonds, and scallions flavor this simple, healthy whole-wheat couscous dish.

This recipe was featured as part of our Fall Ingredients photo gallery.

INGREDIENTS
  • 3 tablespoons olive oil
  • 3 cups small-dice butternut squash
  • 2 teaspoons ground cumin
  • Salt
  • Freshly ground black pepper
  • 2 1/4 cups vegetable broth or water
  • 1 1/2 cups whole-wheat couscous
  • 3 thinly sliced medium scallions
  • 1/2 cup coarsely chopped roasted, salted almonds
INSTRUCTIONS
  1. Heat oil in a large frying pan over medium heat. When it shimmers, add squash and cumin, season with salt and pepper, and stir to combine. Cook until squash is browned and fork tender, about 30 minutes; set aside.
  2. Bring broth or water to a boil, pour over couscous, stir in reserved squash, cover, and set aside until couscous is tender and liquid has been absorbed, about 5 to 10 minutes. Stir in scallions and almonds.
    Write a review | 15 Reviews
POST A COMMENT |15 Comments

COMMENT

  • Hi karykat.

    I followed this tip to soften the squash:

    http://www.chow.com/food-news/55381/how-to-prepare-a-winter-squash/

    Then I just cut off the skin with a knife.

    Deborah from CHOW

  • karykat, you can refer to this video for harder skinned squash: http://www.chow.com/food-news/54731/how-to-cut-hard-squash/. For butternut squash, cut off the stem and very bottom. Then cut the "neck" from the base, and if the squash is tender enough, peel with a "Y" shaped vegetable peeler.

    Amy Wisniewski, CHOW

  • This sounds very good.

    But, any tricks on chopping the squash to make this easy?

    I always think that sounds hard. Heavy to break open and peel.

  • This recipe was truly a breeze to make, and was delicious to boot. My only suggestion would be to use more squash than is called for, maybe 4 or 4 1/2 cups; that would balance out the squash-to-couscous ratio, for my personal taste anyways.

    (Full disclosure, I work at CHOW, but am a beginner cook.)

  • oh - chinese five spice would be yummy, too

  • For those not digging the cumin, try:

    Coriander, nutmeg and/or a touch of cinnamon
    Thyme and/or sage

  • Any other suggestions as to a cumin substitute? We don't like cardamom either!

  • I make a very similar dish using ginger and a tiny bit of cardamom in place of the cumin, littlerockcb.

  • What can you use in place of the cumin? My husband & I are not cumin fans.

  • Hi sharonanne. We've reformatted the recipe, for hopefully easier reading.

    Deborah from CHOW

  • I find it easier to use recipes with an ingredients list so here's my revision:

    3 Tablespoons of olive oil
    3 cups small-diced butternut squash
    2 teaspoons ground cumin
    2 ¼ c vegetable broth or water
    1 ½ c whole-wheat couscous
    3 thinly sliced medium scallions
    ½ cup chopped, roasted salted almonds

    Heat oil in a large frying pan over medium heat. When it shimmers, add squash and cumin,...+READ

    I find it easier to use recipes with an ingredients list so here's my revision:

    3 Tablespoons of olive oil
    3 cups small-diced butternut squash
    2 teaspoons ground cumin
    2 ¼ c vegetable broth or water
    1 ½ c whole-wheat couscous
    3 thinly sliced medium scallions
    ½ cup chopped, roasted salted almonds

    Heat oil in a large frying pan over medium heat. When it shimmers, add squash and cumin, season with salt and freshly ground black pepper, and stir to combine. Cook until squash is browned and fork tender, about 30 minutes; set aside. Bring broth or water to a boil. Pour couscous over broth, stir in reserved squash, cover, and set aside until couscous is tender and liquid has been absorbed, about 5 to 10 minutes. Stir in scallions and almonds.-COLLAPSE

  • I finally made this tonight and it's lovely. I use whole wheat couscous which has a little bit more flavor than regular couscous. I didn't have almond on hand, so I used toasted walnuts instead.

  • Yes, quinoa would work, and it would probably taste better. You will probably need to simmer the quinoa in the broth for a few minutes before adding the squash though, since quinoa takes about 10-15 min to cook vs 5-10 min for cous cous. I'm not a fan of bland cous^2.

  • I was wondering what gluten free grain would be a good subsititute for the couscous? Would Quinoa work?

  • cOULD YOU USE FARRO INSTEAD OF COUSCOUS?