What's On the Side: Butternut Squash Stew served over Pearled Couscous

I loved this side dish so much, I decided it deserved a post all its own. Though the following recipe supposedly makes four servings, I'd say it makes at least double that amount. Long story short, I think I'll be eating a lot of butternut squash and pearled (Israeli) couscous this week for lunch. But that's okay -- I think it's delish!

Butternut Squash Stew served over Pearled Couscous (printer-friendly version)

makes 8 servings

2 tablespoons olive oil

2 yellow onions, chopped

2 cloves garlic, minced

1/4 teaspoon ground cayenne

1/8 teaspoon ground nutmeg

1/8 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1 can organic diced tomatoes

1 butternut squash, peeled, halved lengthwise, seeded, and diced into 3/4" pieces

3 cups organic vegetable broth

1 teaspoon salt

1 can garbanzo beans, drained and rinsed

1. Cook the couscous in a rice cooker (I cooked up a massive amount -- 2 cups couscous in 3 cups water and 1 cup veggie broth.) Alternately, cook the couscous on the stovetop according to the manufacturer's instructions. If you cook the couscous on the stovetop, you can wait until after you have started to cook the butternut squash stew to start cooking the couscous. (Using a rice cooker takes a significantly longer amount of time, but it's nice to set it up and forget about it.)

2. In a large stockpot, heat the olive oil over medium heat. Saute the onions in the oil until softened and translucent, about 5 minutes.

3. Stir in the minced garlic, cayenne, nutmeg, and cinnamon. Cook until fragrant, about 1 minute.

4. Add in the diced tomatoes (including the juices), diced butternut squash, vegetable broth, and salt. Bring the stew to a simmer.

5. Once the stew begins to simmer, stir in the garbanzo beans.

6. Place the lid on the stockpot and cook for 10 minutes.

7. Uncover the pot and continue to cook until the squash is fork tender. (The recipe says this should take about 10 minutes, in my experience it took at least double, if not triple, that amount of time.)

8. Once the stew is ready, make a bed of the pearled couscous on a long platter, and spoon the butternut squash stew over it. Serve immediately.

(adapted from this Food & Wine recipe)