This easy One Pot Sausage and Couscous is perfect for busy nights when you need a hearty and delicious meal on the table, stat. Italian chicken sausage, pearl couscous, vegetables, and Parmesan cheese seems like a simple combination but together, they create a wonderfully cozy and flavorful dish - in just 30 minutes!
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🍚 The Ultimate Weeknight Dinner
This delicious Sausage and Couscous recipe is one you'll want to keep in your back pocket for busy, hectic nights. I frequently made it while I was a busy dental student and it continues to be one of my all-time favorite meal prep recipes.
One Pot Sausage and Couscous is incredibly easy to make with minimal prep and clean-up. Plus, you can customize it with whatever's left in your fridge and pantry. With this tried-and-true recipe, you're guaranteed to get dinner on the table fast. For more 30 minute meals, you can also try my Taiwanese Turkey Rice, Gochujang Salmon, or Air Fryer BBQ Chicken Drumsticks!
And the best part of this yummy Sausage and Couscous is how delicious it is! Chicken sausage is simmered with chewy pearl couscous, onion, sweet carrots, and savory chicken broth. The Italian sausage flavor permeates throughout the whole dish and it's finished with nutty Parmesan cheese for a salty, umami finish. It's wonderfully creamy, satisfying, and delectable!
Why You'll Love It
- Quick and easy: Sausage and Couscous only takes 30 minutes from start to finish! And everything's made in just one pot, making clean-up a breeze. It's the ideal dinner for a busy weeknight or when you need a last-minute meal.
- Customizable: Use any of your favorite ingredients in this delicious recipe! It's also the perfect opportunity to use up any leftover vegetables.
- Healthy: Chicken sausage is leaner than your typical pork sausage and a great source of protein. Sausage and Couscous is also loaded with a ton of vegetables so you'll get a healthy dose of vitamins and nutrients.
🧂 Ingredients
- Chicken sausage: One of my favorite proteins to cook with (see Sausage and Kale Pasta, Sausage and Apple Stuffed Acorn Squash, and Shrimp and Grits with Andouille Sausage). You can use any flavor but I like spicy Italian sausage in this dish for more flavor.
- Onion and garlic: Classic must-haves.
- Vegetables: You can use any type of vegetable you'd like in Sausage and Couscous. My go-to for this recipe are green bell pepper, carrots, frozen corn, and frozen peas. I almost always have these on hand but use whatever's available to you!
- Couscous: I use Trader Joe's Harvest Grains Blends, which is a mix of Israeli couscous, orzo, baby Garbanzo beans, and red quinoa. I love the different textures! But any type of couscous would work in this recipe. Pearl couscous is my favorite because it has a bouncier, chewier texture.
- Chicken broth: I cook exclusively with bone broth because it's rich in collagen, supports digestion, and has anti-inflammatory components. Just make sure to use low sodium when possible.
- Parmesan cheese: Helps create a creamier finish to the "sauce" and adds delicious flavor.
- Cooking oil: Avocado oil is my favorite oil to cook, fry, and sauté with because of its high smoke point (500°F) and neutral flavor.
Substitutions & Variations
- Play around with the flavor by changing up the sausage. While Italian sausage is my favorite, lamb Merguez, smoked, or a unique-flavored chicken sausage would be delicious.
- You can use any type of vegetables you'd like. All you have to do is be aware of their cooking times to know when to add it into the pot.
- Dense or hearty vegetables that can withstand long cooking times should be added in the beginning with the onions. Some examples are carrots (if you like them soft), potatoes, kale, mushroom, leeks, butternut squash, and parsnips.
- Softer vegetables can be added right before or in the middle of simmering. These include bell peppers, broccoli, cauliflower, tomatoes, zucchini, asparagus, green beans, and spinach. If you prefer crunchier carrots, put them in this category.
- Frozen vegetables are fully cooked and can be added at the end to heat through.
- Add your favorite seasonings for more flavor. Cumin, paprika, Chinese five spice, or za'tar would be delicious.
- For a richer dish, add more cheese or replace the Parmesan cheese with feta or goat cheese crumbles.
- Nuts would add great crunch! Toasted pine nuts, almonds, walnuts, or pecans can be stirred in at the end.
- To make this gluten-free, use gluten free Israeli couscous. Also double check the sausage for potential cross contamination or inclusion of gluten products.
👩🏻🍳 How To Make The Best Sausage and Couscous
⬇️ Please scroll down to the recipe card to see full ingredient amounts and instructions.
STEP ONE: First, prep all your ingredients and get your mise en place ready. Chop all the vegetables and slice the chicken sausage on a bias.
STEP TWO: Heat a large skillet (or pot) over medium-high heat and add a splash of oil. Once hot, add the sausage and sear both sides until a crust forms. Then transfer to a plate and set aside.
STEP THREE: Use the same pan and add a splash of oil if needed. Cook the onion for 1-2 minutes until lightly translucent.
STEP FOUR: Add the bell pepper and garlic, stirring for 30 seconds until fragrant.
STEP FIVE: Pour in the chicken broth, along with the carrots, couscous, and sausage. Turn the heat to high and bring to a boil. Then adjust the heat so it's at a rolling boil and stir often. Cook for 10-15 minutes until grains are soft and most of the liquid has been absorbed.
STEP SIX: Next, turn off the heat and stir in the Parmesan cheese and frozen vegetables. The cheese should instantly turn any remaining liquid into a creamy sauce. Season to taste and serve.
💭 Top Tips
- Cut the sausage on a very dramatic diagonal (called "on a bias"). This creates more surface area so when you're searing them, it'll create more caramelized bits! Those browned bits on the bottom of the pan (called "fond") also gets picked up by the broth so it's flavor all around!
- The sausage is the base of flavor in this dish, so make sure to use one you like! For example, spicy Italian sausage will create a bold flavor while mild Italian or sausages with fruit will result in a sweeter flavor.
- Make sure to cook Sausage and Couscous uncovered without a lid! As it's simmering, the couscous will plump up and the broth with reduce to create a "sauce". Adjust the heat as needed - the broth should be at a constant simmer or boil but if the couscous is cooking too quickly, reduce the heat.
- Turn off the heat when there's still a thin layer of broth remaining. Once you add the cheese, it'll create a silky smooth and creamy sauce that's absolutely irresistible.
🥡 Storing & Freezing
Storing: Let the Sausage and Couscous cool completely. Then store it in an air-tight container in the refrigerator for up to 5 days.
Freezing: This is a great meal to double and freeze for a quick and delicious meal in the future! Let it cool completely, then store in a freezer-safe container or zip-top bag in the freezer for up to 3 months. You can reheat straight from frozen.
Reheating: Microwave in 1 minute intervals until heated through. Alternatively, you can heat it up in a pot on the stove over medium heat. Add a splash of broth if it looks dry.
Make Ahead: Sausage and Couscous stores and reheats very well, so this is a great meal prep or make-in-advance recipe. I'd recommend cooking it 1-2 days in advance for freshness.
📖 Recipe FAQs
Health looks different to everybody, but chicken sausage is a great source of protein. It also has less fat and calories than traditional pork sausage. However, it's still a processed ingredient so I try to be mindful of how frequently I'm consuming chicken sausage.
It looks like a grain but it's technically a pasta made from semolina flour. Moroccan couscous is the smallest variety, followed by Israeli (or pearl) couscous, then Labanese couscous.
Couscous has a very mild flavor so it'll soak up whatever you pair it with. If I'm cooking couscous on its own, I like to use chicken or vegetable broth for more flavor. Otherwise, a one pot or skillet recipe like this will inherently add a ton of flavor to couscous!
🍽 Looking For More One Pot Recipes?
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📋 Recipe
One-Pot Sausage and Couscous
Ingredients
- 1-2 tablespoon cooking oil I use avocado oil
- ½ lb chicken sausage thinly cut on a diagonal; about 3 links
- ¼ onion chopped
- 1 bellpepper chopped
- 2-3 cloves garlic minced
- ¾ cup chopped carrots
- 1 cup couscous (see notes)
- 2 cups chicken broth
- ⅓ cup frozen corn
- ⅓ cup frozen peas
- ¼ cup grated Parmesan cheese
- Salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
- Add half the oil into a large pot or skillet over medium-high heat. When hot, add sausage and sear 2-3 minutes each side (in batches if necessary). Transfer to a plate and set aside.
- Add remaining oil and onion with a pinch of salt, cooking until translucent on the edges, about 2 minutes. If you'd like softer carrots, add those now too. Then add bellpepper and garlic, cooking for additional minute.
- Add carrots if you haven't already, couscous, broth, cooked sausage, and season generously with salt and pepper. Bring to a boil and cook on high, uncovered, for 10-15 minutes, stirring frequently for even cooking. The liquid should be almost completely absorbed at this point.
- Turn off the heat. Stir in corn, peas, and Parmesan. Season to taste.
Notes
- Chicken sausage: You can use any flavor but I like spicy Italian sausage in this dish for more flavor. But the sausage is the main flavoring component so make sure to use one you like!
- Couscous: I use Trader Joe's Harvest Grains Blends, which is a mix of Israeli couscous, orzo, baby Garbanzo beans, and red quinoa. I love the different textures! But any type of couscous would work in this recipe. Pearl couscous is my favorite because it has a bouncier, chewier texture.
- You can use any type of vegetables you'd like. All you have to do is be aware of their cooking times to know when to add it into the pot.
- Dense or hearty vegetables that can withstand long cooking times should be added in the beginning with the onions. Some examples are carrots (if you like them soft), potatoes, kale, mushroom, leeks, butternut squash, and parsnips.
- Softer vegetables can be added right before or in the middle of simmering. These include bell peppers, broccoli, cauliflower, tomatoes, zucchini, asparagus, green beans, and spinach. If you prefer crunchier carrots, put them in this category.
- Frozen vegetables are fully cooked and can be added at the end to heat through.
- To make this gluten-free, use gluten free Israeli couscous. Also double check the sausage for potential cross contamination or inclusion of gluten products.
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