Apple Herbed Couscous in Roasted Pumpkins
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Apple Herb Couscous in Roasted Pumpkins is an extra special side or vegetarian main dish perfect for the season. It is a stunning, beautiful, and healthy addition to fall and winter meals like Thanksgiving and Christmas.
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Herbed Couscous Ingredients
Here is a quick list of the ingredients you will need to make this delicious side dish. Ingredient measurements are in the printable recipe card at the bottom of this post.
- Small baking pumpkins, hollowed and seeded
- Aromatics: Onion, garlic, celery, thyme, sage, salt and pepper
- Fresh apple, chopped
- Cooked couscous
- Walnuts, toasted and chopped
- Pure maple syrup for flavor and added sweetness
How to Roast Pumpkins
Gather small pie pumpkins or sugar pumpkins, one per person, olive oil, and salt.
Step 1: Cut the Pumpkin
Cut off the top 1/3 of the pumpkin.
Step 2: Scoop
Scoop out the seeds and strings using a sharp spoon or a melon baller.
Step 3: Bake
Add the pumpkins to a baking sheet and drizzle with olive oil. Brush the oil over the pumpkins and the top, inside and out. Sprinkle with salt.
Bake at 400°F for 10 minutes or until partially cooked. It will continue to cook later after it’s stuffed with couscous.
Roasted pumpkins are also delicious as a serving bowl for Pumpkin Curry Soup too!
How to Make Herbed Couscous
Step-by-step instructions are in the recipe card below, but here is a quick overview:
- Roast the pumpkins until partially cooked.
- Meanwhile, cook the couscous in chicken stock.
- Heat olive oil in a skillet, add onion, garlic, celery, and apple. Saute until tender, then stir in thyme, minced sage, and maple syrup.
- Combine the cooked couscous and sauteed vegetables. Stir in the nuts and season to taste.
- Fill the partially cooked pumpkins evenly with the stuffing and place in a shallow baking dish or parchment-lined baking sheet. Cover with aluminum foil and bake for 15 minutes. Remove the foil and bake an additional 10 minutes, or until the pumpkin is fork-tender but still retains its shape. Serve immediately.
Roasted Pumpkin Make Ahead Tip
To roast the pumpkin ahead of time, cut, scoop and oil the squash. Then, cover tightly and refrigerate until ready to bake (up to 12 hours). Sprinkle with salt just prior to baking (salt draws out moisture). Don’t add it ahead of time!
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Pumpkin Stuffed with Herbed Apple Couscous
Ingredients
- 4 small baking pumpkins about 1 lb, hollowed and seeded
- medium onion chopped
- 1 clove garlic minced
- 1 cup celery chopped
- 1/2 cup apple chopped
- 1/2 teaspoon thyme dried
- ¼ cup minced sage
- 2 cups cooked couscous cook with chicken stock
- 1/2 cup walnuts toasted and chopped
- 2 tablespoons maple syrup
- 1 teaspoon salt plus more to taste
- 1 teaspoon freshly ground pepper plus more to taste
Instructions
- Hollow out pumpkins and remove seeds. Drizzle the inside of each pumpkin shell with olive oil, salt, and pepper. Bake in a 400 degree oven for 10 minutes while making the couscous. Remove from the oven and reduce the temperature to 350 degrees.
- Cook the couscous, in chicken stock, according to package instructions to yield 2 cups cooked couscous. Cooking with chicken stock instead of water adds wonderful flavor. Set aside.
- Heat a skillet with 1 tablespoon olive oil over medium-high heat. Add onion, garlic, celery, and apple. Saute until tender, then stir in thyme, minced sage, and maple syrup.
- Stir the cooked couscous into the apple onion mixture in the skillet. Stir in the toasted walnuts and season to taste with salt and pepper.
- Evenly fill the partially cooked pumpkins with the stuffing mixture and place it in a shallow baking dish or parchment-lined baking sheet. Cover with aluminum foil and bake for 15 minutes. Remove the foil and bake an additional 10 minutes more, or until the pumpkin is fork-tender but still retains its shape. Serve immediately.
Nutrition
Nutritional information is only an estimate. The accuracy of the nutritional information for any recipe on this site is not guaranteed.
We loved this!