A cozy one pan creamy feta, tomato, and chickpea Israeli couscous casserole – the perfect comfort food for spring!
Creamy Feta, Tomato, and Chickpea Israeli Couscous Casserole

This is like bowl food meets baked ziti meets SPRING!!!

Except without ziti or pounds of cheese or, errrm, a bowl.

Do you follow?

(PS: THIS IS WHAT HAPPENS WHEN YOU PLAY DISNEY PRINCESS CANDYLAND TWELVE TIMES A DAY. Your mind turns to complete and utter absolute mush.

Case in point.)

Creamy Feta, Tomato, and Chickpea Israeli Couscous Casserole

So, yeah. Remy is obsessed with that game and I think we literally played it once an hour yesterday. It’s teaching her how to take turns and play fair and not be a sore loser and all that good stuff, but it’s also basically a torture device. Pretty reliably you’ll be one move away from winning and then you’ll pull a picture card that sends you back to the beginning of the board. Like, it happens at least once a game. Sometimes three times.

It’s maddening.

Remy thinks it’s hysterical.

Annnnnndddd that basically sums up life with a toddler.

Creamy Feta, Tomato, and Chickpea Israeli Couscous Casserole

So if I never make any sense again, now you’ll know why!

Anyway, this casserole. It’s so lovely for this transitional time of year when half the country is in spring, half is still getting two feet of snow, and no one knows what the season is anymore. It has a lot of bright fresh flavors (cherry tomatoes! lemon! fresh herbs!) that make it taste like spring, but it’s also baked with a blanketing of cheesy creamy comfort on top of a bed of carbs.

If you’re looking for a make-ahead (vegetarian) casserole for Easter (or any other spring celebration), this would be perfect. Eat it as a main dish or serve it as a side, depending on your menu needs. Or just have it on hand for quick weeknight dinners, as we do.

Creamy Feta, Tomato, and Chickpea Israeli Couscous Casserole

Creamy Feta, Tomato, and Chickpea Israeli Couscous Casserole
 
A cozy one pan creamy feta, tomato, and chickpea Israeli couscous casserole - the perfect comfort food for spring!
Yield: 4-6 servings
Ingredients
  • 1 pint cherry tomatoes, halved lengthwise
  • ¼ cup thinly sliced scallions
  • 2 tbsp olive oil
  • 1 tbsp balsamic vinegar
  • 2 large garlic cloves, minced
  • 1½ tsp kosher salt, plus more to taste
  • ½ tsp black pepper, plus more to taste
  • 3 oregano sprigs
  • 2 cups vegetable broth
  • ⅓ cup minced parsley
  • ½ teaspoon finely grated lemon zest
  • ¾ teaspoon ground cumin
  • 1½ cups Israeli couscous
  • 15 oz can chickpeas, drained and rinsed
  • 4 oz feta, crumbled
  • ⅓ cup grated parmesan cheese
Instructions
  1. Heat oven to 450F.
  2. In a 9-inch baking pan or gratin dish, toss together the tomatoes, scallions, olive oil, vinegar, garlic, ½ tsp salt, black pepper, and oregano sprigs. Roast until the tomatoes are caramelized and tender, about 15 minutes.
  3. Meanwhile, heat the vegetable broth with the remaining tsp salt until boiling. Stir in the parsley, lemon zest, and cumin.
  4. Remove the pan with the tomatoes from the oven. Remove the oregano sprigs. Stir in the couscous, chickpeas, and hot broth mixture. Cover tightly with aluminum foil and return to the oven. Bake for 20 minutes.
  5. Remove the foil and top with the feta and parmesan. Return to the oven and bake for another 5 minutes or until the cheese starts to melt and brown.
  6. Serve warm.
Notes
Recipe from Melissa Clark via The New York Times

 

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10 Responses to Creamy Feta, Tomato, and Chickpea Israeli Couscous Casserole

  1. Kate Berkey says:

    I was looking for a casserole recipe for the whole family and I stumbled on this article. I read and followed the instructions carefully and I made it deliciously! Every member of my family is so happy! Thanks for this

  2. Kate says:

    It’s beautiful! And Candyland is hated by my kids for the same reason you dislike it.

  3. Pam says:

    I remember the Candyland days! My kids loved playing it too. Don’t worry – the board games we get to play now (when your kids are teenagers) are way more fun!

    The casserole looks healthy, hearty, and delicious! Love all that feta on there.

  4. Mallory says:

    Probably a silly question, but do you cook the couscous first or does it cook in the broth?

  5. Sarah says:

    Ok. This may be a dumb question, but will regular couscous work instead of Israeli? Asking because I live in a backwater-nowhere that doesn’t have Israeli couscous. (At least that I can find; if it’s out there, then I apologize to my backwater-nowhere. Now it’ll just be backwater.)

    • joanne says:

      I haven’t tried it myself but regular couscous may get a bit mushy because the cooking time for regular couscous is much shorter. You could also try orzo or any other small pasta shape!

  6. Catherine says:

    How much parsley? I see « ? cup ». Thank you for the recipe.

  7. BRENDA PASIEKA says:

    Made this last night and it was so good, will be making this one again. thank you

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