Couscous
56kcal1.1g protein5.9g fat0.5g carbs*Estimates computed from the ingredient list; cost uses average US supermarket prices. Not a substitute for packaging measurements or your receipt.
Contains gluten, dairy
Restrictions
Containsgluten · dairyIt is in an ingredient you cannot leave out.
Diets
No porkNo alcohol
Worked out from the ingredient list. It knows nothing about brands, shared equipment or cross contamination, and it is not a certification — if you have an allergy, you still have to read the label.
Ingredients
Servings:
| 1 cup |  couscous (instant) |
| 1 cup |  chicken stock (or water) |
| 1 tbsp |  butter (or olive oil) |
| ½ tsp | salt |
Optional
Not counted above. The dish works without them.
| 1 unit |  lemon (zest and a squeeze) |
| 2 tbsp |  parsley or mint (chopped through) |
| ⅓ cup |  raisins + almonds (the sweet-savory direction) |
Steps
- Toast2 mincouscous in the butter, stirred, until fragrantthe granules turned through the melted butter until they smell faintly of toast — two minutes that keep the finished couscous in separate grains instead of a mat, plus the flavor the box version never mentions is available
- Rest6 minboiling stock + salt poured over, lid on, OFF the heat, 5 minutesthe liquid over the couscous, covered, burner off — instant couscous cooks by absorption alone, and the five covered minutes are the entire cooking; peeking releases the steam doing the work
- Prep2 minforked loose, never spoonedfluffed with a fork's tines from the edges in — a spoon compresses what the fork separates — finishers folded through; twelve minutes from cupboard to table, which is why this entry exists: it is the answer to 'there is no starch for dinner' in the time the mains rest