Pearl Couscous With Creamy Feta and Chickpeas Recipe (2024)

Oops. Step 2 doesn’t look complete. When do the couscous and chickpeas go into the stock?

Made it tonight as written. Nice...but I think it would enjoy it more with the addition of some kalamata olives.

Thank you, Carol K., for your question on terminology. I went to my local market and searched in vain for "pearl couscous," ultimately deciding Israeli couscous would have to do, not realizing they are the same thing. Using the search engine on the NYTimes cooking site, you'll find three recipes for "pearl couscous" and 27 recipes for "Israeli couscous." I'd suggesting indexing all of these recipes with both names, to avoid this kind of confusion.

I added kalamata olives and shrimp for the last ten minutes. We couldn’t stop eating this .

Sub out of season tomatoes for roasted fennel, cauliflower or turnips. Save yourself complication and add brightness by subbing balsamic for the lemon juice from the lemon you just zested. I would also lower the zest by about half since its pretty potent stuff.

@hazelfield.....Step 3 is where the couscous and garbanzos (aka chickpeas) go it. You don't cook the couscous separately. The hot stock you add to the pan after it has everything in it (save the feta) will be enough liquid to cook the couscous during baking.

This recipe is transcendent. Truly, one of the best recipes from NYT I've ever made (and I've made a lot). Would be fabulous with a piece of chicken or salmon, though I was happy to snarf it up on its own. Cooking the stock with the cilantro, lemon, and cumin is integral. Could easily substitute a grain like farro for the couscous, though I doubt it would make any meaningful improvements. Excellent!

This was dinner tonight. I used water plus the dregs of a jar of chicken Better Than Bouillon as my liquid, a palmful of dried thyme instead of the fresh oregano, and some parsley as the finishing herb. I’d do this again, but I’d probably skip the parm. I couldn’t taste it (totally lost the flavor under the feta), and it didn’t add anything texturally, either. If I felt the need for an umami hit, I’d add a splash of either soy sauce or fish sauce to the liquid.

After reading other notes, I added toasted pine nuts and squeezed the zested lemon over the top. The brightness of the lemon juice was the proverbial icing on the cake.

I made this with quinoa instead of cous cous. I also added 2 cups of finely chopped kale to the hot broth. I extended the cooking time to 30 min. I omitted the baked-in feta and just used it for garnish. It came out delicious. I great cold lunch salad.

Are "pearl couscous" the same as the boxed "Israeli couscous" I see at Trader Joe's?

Add a shallot to roast with the tomatoes. Add the scallions at the end with the fresh herbs. Used fresh parsley and oregano since that's in my winter garden. Can't wait to try it with cilantro and some green chili. Maybe a little miso in the broth for a little umami. Can see where this could be a full meal with grilled or rotisserie chicken in it. Yummy.

Jimmy: Re your question about when couscous and chickpeas are added, see Step 3 as now posted. "Remove tomatoes from oven and fold in couscous, chickpeas and hot stock mixture. Cover pan tightly with foil, and return to oven for 20 minutes."

We made this dish using what we had on hand, so we made some changes that worked well for us. First, we used roasted red bell peppers instead of tomatoes; second, we added merguez sausage (sautéed separately, sliced and folded in to couscous mix) and, since we had abandoned any pretext of having a vegetarian dish, we used chicken broth. Served it with harissa. This makes it sound like a different dish, but we never would have thought of it without having this nice recipe as a starter.

When none of your local markets have any pearl couscous and you don't want to get it from Amazon, orzo works pretty well (had to bake an extra 5 minutes). I will make it with the couscous once I find some. The lemon is a must, such a nice bright flavor. Winner.

I love it when recipes live up to the hype! I made necessary substitutions: farro instead of couscous (precooked briefly in the stock), 1 tsp dried dill, no cilantro, opted for 3 fresh rosemary sprigs, with half the tomatoes being frozen cherries from last fall’s late harvest. Everything else as written; delicious! I look forward to making it this summer with more fresh herbs. Will try suggestions of adding a Parmesan rind and Kalamata olives. This is a keeper with room to add your own touches.

Liked the recipe a lot but I wouldn't add the extra tsp of salt if using Better Than Boullion. A bit too salty in the end.

Gorgeous. Added a sprinkling of breadcrumbs for those final five minutes in the oven. Sublime dish.

I made this in an under-equipped kitchen with ingredients from a lackluster grocery store and it was still excellent. I used orzo and an extra 1/2 cup water and it was perfect.

I added broccoli to the tomatoes and roasted them together. Used about 1/4 of a preserved lemon and omitted the salt. Used homemade chicken stock. Halved the recipe; made 3 servings. Easy and tasty recipe. Next time I'll consider adding shrimp.

Could you substitute quinoa for the pearl couscous?

Wow! This was a knockout NYT recipe, deep flavor, delicious! We will be making it again (and again).

Made per the recipe using fresh oregano and cilantro. This was not a ‘yum!’ At first bite, but it tasted better with each bite and I even went back for seconds. My husband didn’t like it though, so it probably won’t go into our rotation.

Super yummy! Cooked exactly as noted and it came out great!

This will feed so many more than 4!We added felafels and pita. Enough leftover for 8 more servings.

This is delicious. I followed the recipe exactly except for throwing in a handful of spinach at the end.

I am not vegetarian myself, but would you have to sub out the parmesan for another cheese for strict vegetarians as parmesan cheese is made using rennet? I know the rules can vary from person to person based on their personal reasons for going vegetarian, so probably best asked of any vegetarian dinner guests.

Adding Kalamata olives and squeezing the lemon juice over the dish before serving was what brought the joy for me.

If it matters, this isn't couscous. It's Pearl Pasta. Couscous is a grain.

super delicious and easy to be creative with! I added leeks and shallots to the tomatoes, extra stock and 4 boneless chicken thighs-- the completed dish was a beautiful, colorful feast!