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The Mint Pesto is the star in this Sheet Pan Vegetable Couscous! This recipe is healthy and flavorful and made with just one pan and one pot, so you'll have a simple and delicious meal with quick and easy clean up! Packed full of protein and fiber, veggies and spices, and it's vegan and dairy free, so it is a perfect meal when you are trying to eat clean. Whether you need a meal you can prep for the week, or a quick and nutritious dinner, this recipe is sure to become one of your favorite go-tos!
What is a Sheet Pan Dinner?
A sheet pan dinner is a meal made with the goal of cooking most of the meal ingredients all together on one baking sheet to reduce cleanup time and effort. It makes for an incredibly easy and time saving dish! In this recipe, we are using one sheet pan for the roasted veggies and one pot for the couscous. If you line the baking sheet with parchment paper, you will simply have to throw that away and do a quick rinse on the sheet for any sneaky bits and then wash the pot. SO. Easy.
This Moroccan Couscous, is made with a variety of root vegetables, chickpeas and spices. Together, they are all roasted on one pan and then served on a bed of couscous. It is topped with dates that add a subtle sweetness and Pistachio Mint Pesto that brings yet another fresh and flavorful layer. You truly won't believe how much flavor you get from so little time and energy!
What is Mint Pesto?
Mint Pesto is a sauce made from grinding pistachios with mint leaves and then adding olive oil. It could be also called a pistachio pesto with mint. It is fresh, minty, nutty and a teeny bit sweet. Because it is vegan, vegetarian, gluten free, dairy free and sugar free, it is the perfect topping for any meal, and will accommodate many dietary restrictions. It goes perfectly on anything from pizzas, to grilled lamb, or as in this recipe, with a roasted vegetable couscous. I think you will love it!
If you love this Mint Pesto, check out my recipe for Mint Simple Syrup. It is a perfect minty addition to your tea, or hot chocolate, or smoothie, or anything you would like to add a bit of minty fresh sweetness to!
How to make Vegetarian Couscous
This recipe is so simple. If you know how to cut and roast vegetables, you can do this! If you don't know how, I will be happy to share the process with you.
When you are cutting the vegetables, the most important thing is to make sure you cut them all about the same size. This allows them to cook evenly. Obviously they are all different shapes, so don't stress if they aren't exact, just try cut roughly the same size. You can see how I cut them in the picture above.
Another thing is to make sure that the vegetables are in one layer. If the pan is too crowded, with multiple layers of veggies on top of each other, they will steam. We don't want that, we want them to roast. Again, refer to the picture above. Use a nice, big sheet pan lined with parchment paper. Finally, make sure they are evenly coated with oil and spices. Then just pop them in the oven until they are browned and tender.
To make the couscous, simply bring the vegetable stock to a boil, and then add the couscous and stir. Then, remove from the heat, cover it and let it sit for 5 minutes. That is it! Top the couscous with the veggies, add a dollop of Mint Pesto and serve!
What is a Tagine
A Tagine is a clay cooking vessel with a base and a top that allows food to slowly cook. A traditional North African meal gets its name from the vessel in which it is cooked, therefore a, "Tagine" is also a meal slow cooked with vegetables and spices and commonly served with rice or couscous and flatbread.
How to Cook in a Tagine
Because this dish is full of the spices and flavors and textures of a traditional North African meaI, I love serving this meal in a tagine. It can be prepared on a sheet pan and presented in a tagine, or the tagine itself can be used to cook this meal. Both are delicious and beautiful options.
Cooking in a tagine is more in the style of a crock pot of slow cooker. You may cook over low heat on the stovetop, in which case you should use a diffuser that sits on the burner and diffuses the heat to eliminate any hot spots and create a more evenly heated surface. Alternatively, you may cook on low heat in the oven. The temperature should never be above 325ยฐF in order to protect the integrity of the vessel.
Before you use your tagine for the first time, make sure you know if it is designed for cooking, or for serving. Usually the more simple ones are used for cooking, while the more ornate and colorful tagines are for display, or serving only.
If you are using a new tagine that has not yet been used, make sure you season it properly. This takes a bit of planning ahead, but only needs to be done once.
If you choose to use a tagine for this recipe, just note that your vegetables will be softer and more stew like than they would be if roasted on a sheet pan. Both ways are delicious, but offer two different texture experiences.
How to Prepare your Tagine
- Start by soaking your tagine (base and lid!) in water for at least 2 hours. Make sure that it is completely submerged.
- After at least 2 hours, remove it from the water and dry it completely.
- Rub all of the un-glazed parts with olive oil.
- Place it in a cold oven and set the temperature to 300ยฐF. Leave it in the oven for 2 hours, and then turn off the heat and let it cool completely in the oven. Cracking in the glaze is normal and nothing to worry about.
- Wash and dry the tagine with water (no soap!) by hand and then lightly rub it with olive oil.
- Store until you are ready to use.
The Best Meal I Ever Had...
I traveled to Morocco after college and was surprised by my experience there. Innocently ignorant, (and this is why I think everyone should live abroad at some point!) I had no idea how amazing the food was in Morocco. I will never forget one meal in particular that I had there. We were seated on big pillows on the floor and served at a low table. It was the most amazing spread of Couscous and figs and olives. And Mint Pesto and Mint tea! It was colorful and flavorful and absolutely magical. To this day, it is my all time, without a doubt, favorite meal. This is my attempt to recreate this meal and although it can never be the same, it is still so good! I hope you enjoy it!
More Delicious Recipes
- Orzo Pesto Salad- A fresh and light pasta salad with pistachio mint pesto.
- Sticky Ginger Pomegranate Chicken- Sticky, gingery, pomagranatey deliciousness!
- Candied Pineapple and Jalapeรฑo Sliders- Little flavor bombs!
- Honey Polenta Fries with Gorgonzola Sauce- A delicious and unique spin on french fries!
If you make this meal, I would love to hear from you in the comments below! Thank you so much and thank you for visiting Mollie in Montana~*โฅ๏ธ
๐ Recipe
Sheet Pan Moroccan Couscous with Mint Pesto
Ingredients
- 1ยฝ Cup Couscous
- 2 Cups Vegetable Stock
- ยฝ teaspoon Turmeric
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 Sweet Potato
- 5 asparagus stalks
- 1 Cup Brussel Sprouts sliced in half
- 1 Cup Carrots
- ยฝ Red Onion
- 2 Beets
- 1 Head of Garlic
- 1 Can Garbanzo Beans
- ยผ Cup Cilantro, roughly chopped
- 2 tablespoon Italian Parsley, roughly chopped
- 2 tablespoon Olive Oil
- 6 Medjool Dates, chopped
- 1 teaspoon Cinnamon
- 1 teaspoon Cumin
- 1 teaspoon Coriander
- 1 teaspoon Cardamom
- ยผ teaspoon Ground Cloves
- 1 teaspoon Ground Ginger
Pistachio Pesto
- ยฝ Cup Shelled Roasted Pistachios
- 2 Cups Fresh Mint Leaves
- ยฝ Cup Olive Oil
Instructions
- Preheat Oven to 425ยฐF. See notes for cooking in a Tagine.
- Chop the Asparagus, Sweet Potatoes, Carrots and Beets into 1 inch chunks.
- Peel Garlic cloves.
- Place all Garlic, Vegetables and garbanzo beans on a sheet pan lined with parchment paper.
- Drizzle everything with 3 Tablespoons Olive Oil and add Cinnamon, Cumin, Cardamom, Cloves, Ginger and Coriander and mix together so that everything is coated.
- Roast in Oven for 20 minutes, then remove and stir. Return to oven for 15 more minutes, until vegetables are tender.
Couscous
- Add Vegetable Stock, Turmeric and salt to saucepan and bring to a boil.
- Add Couscous, Stir, Cover and remove from heat.
- Let it sit for 5 minutes and then remove lid and fluff with a fork.
Pistachio Pesto
- Place Pistachios in food processor and process for about 10 seconds until nuts are coarsely chopped.
- Add Mint Leaves and pulse several times until mint is very roughly chopped.
- Drizzle Olive oil in as food processor is running, for about 10 seconds.
- Add salt to taste. Add salt slowly because the roasted pistachios will most likely be salted. You can always add more salt, but it is hard to fix and overly salted dish! ๐
Putting it all together...
- Place Couscous in a bowl and top with Vegetables.
- Add Chopped Dates.
- Top with Dollops of Pistachio Mint Pesto and Garnish with Cilantro and Italian Parsley and pistachios.
- Serve and Enjoy!
Notes
Recipe Notes and Options
- If you choose to cook in a tagine, add 3 additional Tablespoons of olive oil to the vegetables. Then place them in the tagine and add 1 cup of Water.
- If you would like to cook it on the stovetop, make sure you use a diffuser to set between the burner and the stovetop and set the heat to medium low. Bring tagine to a simmer (with the lid on). This make take 15-20 minutes. Once it is simmering, leave the lid on a simmer for about an hour or until the vegetables are tender and the liquid has reduced.ย
- To cook in the oven, set temperature to 325ยฐF and cook for approximately one hour with the lid on, until vegetables are tender and liquid has reduced. Serve over couscous as directed and enjoy!ย
- This recipe is so versatile! If you don't care for Brussel Sprouts, leave them out and add more asparagus, etc. Feel free to personalize the veggies to everything that you love! If you choose to cook in a tagine, you may add more root vegetables such as parsnips.
- Just make sure that the size of all veggies is as consistent as possible, so they cook evenly.
- Also, if you are making the sheet pan variation, make sure the vegetables are spread in one even layer on the pan so they roast instead of steam!
- Enjoy! ๐
Did you make this recipe? Let me know! :)