This delicious one-pot wonder is our fuss-free alternative to risotto.
Instead of rice we use giant couscous, which we pair with chickpeas and spinach, along with coconut cream to create a silky smooth sauce.
Enjoy!
Notes:
- It’s important to use full-fat coconut milk, otherwise the cream will not set at the top of the tin. You can also try slightly shaking the tin when you take it off the shelf at the supermarket. If you can feel the cream sloshing around the tin, then there’s a chance the cream will never set. You can also refrigerate the tin which will help the cream set.
- We use either two tins of 400g (14oz) chickpeas or one 700g (25oz) jar of chickpeas. Both should yield roughly the same amount of chickpeas when drained.Not all wine is vegan so we always recommend checking the label just to be sure! If you don’t want to cook with wine, you can simply leave it out.
Things to know:
- As you might be able to tell, this dish is inspired by risotto. And – just like a risotto – a crucial component of this dish is the seasoning. When we season to taste at the end, we usually go for a generous amount of salt and pepper to bring out all the flavours – but as always, trust your palate!
- Giant couscous is also known as Israeli couscous or Pearl couscous. Interestingly, it resembles pasta more than couscous!
- Not all wine is vegan so we always recommend checking the label just to be sure! If you don’t want to cook with wine, you can simply leave it out.
Creamy Giant Couscous With Chickpeas + Spinach
Ingredients
- olive oil
- 1 onion, peeled + finely chopped
- 4 garlic cloves, peeled + finely chopped
- 270 g giant couscous
- 250 ml vegan-friendly white wine
- 1 litre vegetable stock
- 4 tbsp nutritional yeast
- salt + pepper
- 150 g baby spinach
- 2 x 400 g tins of chickpeas, drained (see notes)
- 1 lemon
- 1 x 400 ml tin of full-fat coconut milk, see notes
Method
- Add a splash of olive oil to a large pan or shallow casserole dish on a medium heat. As soon as the oil is hot, add the onion and cook for 6-8 minutes or until it begins to caramelise.
- Next add the garlic and cook for 1-2 minutes or until it begins to brown.
- Now add the giant couscous. Cook the couscous for a minute, stirring regularly, then turn the heat up and pour in the white wine. Cook the wine long enough until almost all the liquid has evaporated, which should take about 3-4 minutes.
- Pour in roughly 3/4 of the vegetable stock, followed by the nutritional yeast and a pinch of salt. Stir and bring to a boil, then lower the heat and simmer gently with the lid on for 12-15 minutes, or until the couscous is tender. If necessary, top up with more vegetable stock until the couscous is ready and give it a stir every few minutes to prevent the couscous sticking to the bottom of the pan.
- Remove the lid and stir in the spinach until it has wilted, then add the chickpeas, zest from half of the lemon and juice from the whole lemon.
- Scoop out the coconut cream which has set at the top of the tin of coconut milk and add most of it to the pan, reserving four dollops of the cream for topping later (save the leftover coconut water for smoothies!)
- Give everything a really good stir, then season to taste with salt and pepper (we’re usually fairly generous with the salt!) and heat through for a minute or so, until the sauce thickens a little.
- To serve, spoon the couscous into bowls or plates, then top with a dollop of coconut cream, olive oil and a pinch of salt. Enjoy!
1 Comment
Do you provide the nutrition facts per guidelines?