One-pan creamy tomato and eggplant pearl couscous

A weeknight-friendly risotto-ish take on pearl couscous

Hello! Welcome back! Skip all the rambling and scroll right to the bottom of this post for a printer-friendly PDF of the recipe only.

---

I love pearl couscous. I love it as an alternative grain in a pasta or bulgur salad, I love it as a side dish, I love it baked with a protein (à la my dijon and shallot chicken thigs with pearl couscous). But what I recently discovered on a use-what-you’ve-got, clean-out-the-fridge-and-pantry kinda night was that pearl couscous can also be cooked sort of like risotto to create a lush comfort meal — all in one pan.

Tell me more

Unlike a traditional risotto, made with arborio or carnaroli rice, which requires lots of active cooking time spent slowly ladling in broth to achieve the perfect consistency, this is more of a set it and forget it type of risotto. We quickly cook up our veggies and flavor-enhancing alliums, lightly toast our pearl couscous, add in a ton of broth, cover, and let it do its thing. Once everything is cooked, a heaping helping of grated parm and a drizzle of cream adds just the right luxurious finishing touch.

The couscous has a toothsome, pleasantly chewy texture that has me repeatedly going back for another spoonful, while the eggplant and tomatoes almost melt into the sauce. It is just divine.

Before we start

• Pearl couscous is sold in most grocery stores. You may also find it labeled as giant couscous or Israeli couscous, depending on where you’re shopping. Although similar in name, it’s different from Moroccan couscous, which is smaller and has a bit of a rougher/fluffier texture. Pearl couscous resembles a small ball-shaped pasta in texture.

• I like to use broth here for extra flavor, but you can also sub in some dry white or red wine for part of the broth to add in even more delicious notes. To do this, I’d add in 1/2 cup wine after the couscous is toasted, but before the rest of the broth is added. Let it cook off for a second before proceeding.

• You’ll need a big skillet for this. I used my Great Jones Deep Cut (if you’ve been here for a while, you know I love it), which is 10 inches, but a 12-inch skillet would be even better. If you have a shallow Le Creuset braiser (jealous! It’s on my Christmas list), that would be perfect here, too.

The recipe

Cook time: 1 hour

Serves: 4