This easy couscous recipe by barefoot contessa is a quick and flavorful side dish made with buttery shallots, toasted pine nuts, and sweet currants. It’s light, fluffy, and pairs well with roasted meats or grilled vegetables. You can swap currants for raisins or add fresh herbs for extra flavor. Ready in just 15 minutes!
Ingredients Needed
- 55g unsalted butter
- 3–4 shallots, finely chopped (about 75g / ¾ cup)
- 700ml chicken stock, preferably homemade
- ½ tsp kosher salt
- ½ tsp freshly ground black pepper
- 260g couscous
- 75g toasted pine nuts
- 40g currants
- 2 tbsp chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
How To Make Couscous With Pine Nuts
- Sauté Shallots: Melt the butter in a large saucepan over medium-low heat. Add the shallots and cook for 3 minutes until soft and translucent.
- Boil Stock: Pour in the chicken stock, add salt and pepper, then bring to a boil.
- Cook Couscous: Turn off the heat, stir in the couscous, cover the pan, and let sit for 10 minutes.
- Fluff & Serve: Stir in the pine nuts, currants, and parsley, then fluff with a fork to combine. Serve hot.
Recipe Tips
- Use hot stock: Always pour boiling stock over the couscous to help it absorb liquid evenly and stay fluffy.
- Cover tightly: After adding the couscous, cover the pan immediately to trap steam, which helps soften it perfectly.
- Toast the pine nuts: Toast them in a dry pan until golden for a richer, nuttier flavor.
- Fluff gently: Use a fork instead of a spoon to separate the grains without making them clumpy.
- Adjust seasoning last: Taste after fluffing and add more salt, pepper, or a squeeze of lemon if needed.
How To Store & Reheat Leftover
- Refrigerate: Store leftover couscous with pine nuts in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 4 days.
- Reheating: Rehear leftover couscous with pine nuts in a microwave for 30 seconds at a time, stirring in between, or reheat in a pan with a splash of stock.
Nutrition Facts
Serving Size: 1/6 of recipe
- Calories: 290
- Total Fat: 15g
- Saturated Fat: 5g
- Cholesterol: 15mg
- Sodium: 250mg
- Potassium: 150mg
- Total Carbohydrate: 35g
- Dietary Fibre: 2g
- Sugars: 5g
- Protein: 7g
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Barefoot Contessa Couscous With Pine Nuts
Description
This easy couscous recipe by barefoot contessa is a quick and flavorful side dish made with buttery shallots, toasted pine nuts, and sweet currants. It’s light, fluffy, and pairs well with roasted meats or grilled vegetables. You can swap currants for raisins or add fresh herbs for extra flavor. Ready in just 15 minutes!
Ingredients
Instructions
- Sauté Shallots: Melt the butter in a large saucepan over medium-low heat. Add the shallots and cook for 3 minutes until soft and translucent.
- Boil Stock: Pour in the chicken stock, add salt and pepper, then bring to a boil.
- Cook Couscous: Turn off the heat, stir in the couscous, cover the pan, and let sit for 10 minutes.
- Fluff & Serve: Stir in the pine nuts, currants, and parsley, then fluff with a fork to combine. Serve hot.
Notes
- Use hot stock: Always pour boiling stock over the couscous to help it absorb liquid evenly and stay fluffy.
- Cover tightly: After adding the couscous, cover the pan immediately to trap steam, which helps soften it perfectly.
- Toast the pine nuts: Toast them in a dry pan until golden for a richer, nuttier flavor.
- Fluff gently: Use a fork instead of a spoon to separate the grains without making them clumpy.
- Adjust seasoning last: Taste after fluffing and add more salt, pepper, or a squeeze of lemon if needed.
Barefoot Contessa Couscous With Pine Nuts