Making pearl couscous in slow cooker

Question

I've been using a slow cooker to make casseroles lately and would like to try using it to make Israeli couscous. I can't find anything online that tells me how to do this. The reason I would like it to sit is so that it will absorb the herbs and spices I make it with. Most recipes just have you add it in the last 10 mins. That doesn't seem long enough to absorb enough flavor. Anyone have any idea how to achieve what I'm looking to do?

Letting it sit in liquid longer will likely turn it to mush. — SnakeDoc, Mar 12 '17 at 22:56

score 3 · Answer 1 · answered Mar 13 '17 at 22:53

I got it to work! I added chicken stock and zucchini and cooked on high until zucchini started to soften. I added sautéed onions, garlic, spinach and let sit for a while so stock would absorb flavors. Then I added canned tomatoes and cooked sausage. I let the liquid get hot and then added the couscous. I let it cook for 20-30 mins. It took longer than I thought for it to soften. It's not "fluffy" but that's not what I was going for. I wanted more of a casserole feel. Then I added some cheese and feta after I turned the heat off. I ended up having to add a lot of salt, but it tastes great!

Glad you found something that worked. – CMB92 Mar 13 '17 at 23:05 — CMB92, Mar 13 '17 at 23:05

score 1 · Answer 2 · answered Mar 13 '17 at 15:26

While I agree with the others on it turning to mush if you cook it too long, there is a way to get your desired effect of absorbing more flavor.

What does the couscous absorb really quickly? Liquid! So, let's make some flavored liquid, aka stock.

You can buy stock or make it on your own and add whatever herbs, veggies and spices you like. Then, replace stock for water in the recipe.

This concept is similar to cooking risotto with chicken stock.

score 0 · Answer 3 · answered Mar 13 '17 at 15:21

Couscous is a pasta. Like any other pasta, couscous would be overcooked and mushy if you cooked it in a slow cooker for any duration longer than 10-15 minutes. Even 15 minutes may be too long. I would stick to the recipe. You'd be surprised how well spices and seasoning adhere to couscous-- especially if the seasonings are steamed with the couscous.

Making pearl couscous in slow cooker

3 Answers3