Couscous with Sweet Potato and Orange

This easy couscous recipe with roasted sweet potato and orange makes the perfect wholesome lunch for any day of the week. It is full of flavour and texture, and packed with vitamins and antioxidants.

Ideal as a rich, sustaining sort of grain bowl, it is built on inviting colours: the bright orange of the sweet potato, the creamy white of the couscous, the red flecks of cranberry and the fruit of the oranges, in the salad and in the dressing alike.

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What you need to make this sweet potato and orange couscous:

Sweet potatoes — they bring a vivid orange colour and a natural sweetness; roasted in the oven, they turn tender and lightly caramelized.
Couscous — the salad's light base; it does not cook, it swells for five minutes in boiling water then is loosened with a fork. Too much water and it turns to paste.
Oranges — chopped into segments in the salad and squeezed into the dressing, they bring freshness and fruity acidity.
Dried cranberries — their touch of sweet tartness and red colour stand out against the white couscous.
Toasted pecans — the crunch and roasted flavour that balance the softness of the sweet potatoes and couscous.
Olive oil — used to roast the sweet potatoes and to bind the dressing, adding richness to the whole dish.
Cumin, thyme and nutmeg — they season the roasted sweet potatoes with a warm, spiced note.
Salt and pepper — to season the salad and the sweet potatoes.
Balsamic vinegar — it brings the acidity that balances the sweetness of the orange juice in the dressing.
Dijon mustard — it emulsifies the dressing and gives it a little bite.
Garlic — a sharp little kick in the dressing.

Why this sweet potato and orange couscous must be on your menu!

Ready in 45 minutes: the sweet potatoes roast on their own in the oven while the couscous needs no cooking at all.
It swells in five minutes in boiling water, just enough time to make the dressing.
A complete, nourishing meal: full of vitamins and antioxidants from the sweet potatoes, oranges and cranberries.
It works just as well as a lunch as it does a side dish.
Easy to adapt: the couscous can be swapped for cauliflower rice, white or brown rice, barley, Israeli couscous or quinoa, and the sweet potatoes for squash, carrots, sautéed potatoes or turnips.
The orange dressing can give way to a homemade ranch sauce or a tahini sauce.
Wins over the sceptics: dried cranberries and pecans are not everyone's taste at first.
This salad has what it takes to change minds by the first bite.

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Couscous with Sweet Potato and Orange

Couscous with cranberries, pecans and orange segments, served with cumin-roasted sweet potato and an orange dressing.

Prep 20 min

Cook 25 min

Total time 45 min

Course: Sides Cuisine: Mediterranean Keyword: Sweet potato couscous Calories:

Ingredients

Servings: 4 servings

Instructions

The sweet potatoes — Preheat the oven to 220 °C (428 °F). Toss the sweet potato pieces with the olive oil, cumin, thyme and nutmeg on a parchment-lined tray. Season with salt and pepper.
The sweet potatoes — Roast for about 25 minutes, or until tender and coloured.
The couscous — Meanwhile, mix the couscous and the boiling water in a large bowl. Cover and leave to swell for 5 minutes.
The couscous — Loosen with a fork. Pour in a tablespoon of olive oil, season with salt and pepper.
The dressing — Mix the orange juice, balsamic vinegar, mustard, garlic and olive oil into a smooth dressing.
Assembly — Add the cranberries, oranges and pecans to the couscous.
Assembly — On a plate, arrange the salad with the sweet potatoes beside it. Spoon over the dressing.

Nutrition (per serving)

Tips

Cover the bowl for the five minutes of swelling: it is the steam that does the work.
Loosen the couscous with a fork, not a spoon, or it clumps.
Toast the pecans in a dry pan for a few minutes before adding them; their flavour changes entirely.
Assemble at the last moment so the couscous does not drink the dressing.

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