This traditional Tunisian couscous recipe is a labor of love, but the results are worth every step. Forget the idea of adding anything sweet like dried fruit—Tunisian couscous is savory and rich, with tomato paste giving the soup its signature red color. This version features a variety of meats, including chicken, meatballs, and merguez sausages. While the merguez are technically optional, including them transforms the dish into "Royal couscous"—an elevated, indulgent experience. Unlike Moroccan couscous, Tunisians soak their couscous in the red soup, creating a hearty, flavorful base.
This is Sarah’s mom’s recipe, a classic you can now make at home. If you're ready for a bold, authentic taste of Tunisia, this is the dish to master! Learn more about couscous and how different countries make it their own here.
Ingredients
For the soup
- 1 cup diced onion
- 4 tablespoons olive oil
- 4 chicken thighs
- 1 tablespoon Ras el Hanout spice mix
- 2-3 tablespoons salt or more to taste
- 2 cups peeled cubed turnips
- 2 cups peeled cubed carrots
- 2 cups peeled cubed zucchinis
- 1 15- ounce can chickpeas
- 2 cloves garlic
- ½ teaspoon harissa paste
- 1 6- ounce can tomato paste
For the couscous
- 1 ½ cups of instant couscous
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 2 teaspoons salt
- 1 ½ cups boiling water
For the meatballs
- 1 small onion
- ½ bunch flat leaf parsley
- ½ baguette or 4-5 ounces white bread
- ½ pound ground beef
- Pinch salt
- ¼ teaspoon pepper
- ½ teaspoon cumin
- 2 eggs
- 2 tablespoons tomato paste
- ⅓ cup water
- ¼ cup all-purpose flour
Merguez sausages (optional)
- 4 merguez sausages
- 1-2 tablespoons olive oil
Nutritional Facts
Instructions
- In a 12-quart stockpot sauté the onions with the olive oil for about 5 minutes on high heat.
- Season chicken with Ras el Hanout and salt. Add chicken to pot and sear on all sides. Reduce heat to medium.
- Add turnips, carrots, zucchini, chickpeas, garlic, harissa paste and tomato paste and gently mix in pot. Add water to cover.
- Bring to a boil for about 10 minutes, reduce heat to medium and let soup cook for 1 hour.
- While the soup is cooking, prepare the couscous, meatballs and merguez as follows:
- In a medium saucepan or a similar sized ceramic dish, add instant couscous. Add oil and salt and stir well with a spoon to coat the couscous. Add boiling water and stir again. Cover with a lid or a clean dish towel until the couscous has doubled in size, about 10 minutes. Fluff with fork.
- Prepare meatballs. Preheat oven to 380℉. Chop onion and parsley in a food processor.
- Soften the baguette by running water over it for about 10-30 seconds. Squeeze out the excess water and add the baguette to the food processor.
- Add ground beef, salt, pepper and cumin to the food processor and blend it all together.
- In a small bowl combine eggs, tomato paste and water, mix until smooth and red-orange throughout. In a separate bowl place flour. Shape meat into 1 ½ - 2 inch balls and dredge them in flour and then egg wash.
- Bring a large saute pan over medium high heat and coat with a layer of oil. Sauté meatballs on all sides. Place in oven for 10 minutes to finish cooking through.
- In a large saute pan over medium high heat, add merguez and cook on all sides until browned and cooked through. Alternatively cook on a grill.
- Assemble and serve. Place couscous in a large bowl or platter. Over the center pour vegetables and chicken with broth. Arrange merguez and meatballs over top and serve hot.
