Roasted Beet and Carrot Couscous with Chickpeas and Labneh is stunning to look at and satisfying to devour. This vegetarian main dish combines roasted red beets, carrots and smoky chickpeas with fluffy couscous and kale. A mixture of lemon juice and olive oil adds moisture and flavor, and a generous dollop of labneh adds freshness, tang and additional protein. Sliced almonds bring just the right amount of crunch to round it all out. Roasted Beet and Carrot Couscous with Chickpeas and Labneh comes together much faster than you’d think so it’s definitely doable for weeknights.
Beet Season
It’s the time of year when I want the comforting earthiness of roasted beets. Their vibrant color helps ward off the wintertime blues. To save time, I’m all about buying pre-roasted beets to use in Roasted Beet and Carrot Couscous with Chickpeas and Labneh.
When I got a craving for roasted beets this week, I also had some baby carrots that needed using up. I knew I wanted some labneh to go with the beets, and that I wanted to use fresh dill.
Roasted carrots go really well with beets, and the complimentary colors make the dish visually appealing. Adding some smokey chickpeas gave the dish additional protein, and a little wilted kale was the final piece of the color puzzle.
Fluffy Couscous — Weeknight Friendly
I love couscous for it’s fluffy texture, but I love it even more because it’s so easy to prepare. Just put a serving of dry couscous in your serving bowl, microwave the water to boiling and pour it on. I add some olive oil and lemon juice to the boiling water so the couscous has more flavor.
Throw a dish towel over the top and forget about it while you prepare the rest of the dish. Don’t let the towel dip into the bowl or it will absorb the water before the couscous does.
Roasted Beet and Carrot Couscous — A Sheet Pan Dinner
The rest of the preparation involves marinating the chickpeas and roasting them with the carrots and kale. Rinse and drain the chickpeas. Mix some olive oil and the seasonings in a small bowl and add the chickpeas. Mix well and allow to marinate on the counter while you roast the carrots.
Next, line a baking sheet with parchment paper. This will come in handy when you want to transfer everything to the serving bowl later.
Put the carrots on the baking sheet and drizzle with olive oil. Toss to coat and season with salt and pepper. If you don’t have baby carrots like the ones I’ve shown here, just cut your carrots to be about that size.
The carrots need to roast for about 10 minutes before you add the chickpeas.
Using the bowl that you used to marinate the chickpeas, add some chopped kale and toss with the leftover oil and spice mixture. When the carrots and chickpeas are just about done (another 6 minutes), add the kale on top. Return to the oven for about 3 minutes.
The Fun Part – Fluff the Couscous
Remove the dish towel from your couscous and use a fork to fluff it up.
Roasted Beet and Carrot Couscous with Chickpeas and Labneh
Now all you have to do is put everything together. Carefully pick up the edges of the parchment paper and use it to transfer the carrots/chickpeas/kale to your serving bowl. If you are making enough for 2 people, just transfer half to each bowl.
Top with beets.
Sprinkle with chopped fresh dill and sliced almonds. Toss gently. Add a generous dollop of labneh on the side. Finish with one last squeeze of lemon juice.
Stop to take a picture to share on Insta because yes, you just made that gorgeous bowl of food!
Equipment
- baking sheet lined with parchment paper
- 2 clean dish towels
Ingredients
- 1 can chickpeas, rinsed and drained
- 4 tbsp extra virgin olive oil, divided
- 1 tsp cumin
- 1/2 tsp smoked paprika
- 1/2 tsp garlic powder
- salt and pepper
- 8 baby carrots (or 1.5 cups of cut carrots)
- 2 medium cooked beets, cut into bite-sized chunks
- 2/3 cup couscous
- 1 cup water
- 2 tbsp lemon juice, plus extra for finishing
- 1 cup chopped lacinato kale (see notes for curly kale)
- 1/2 cup labneh
- 1 tbsp fresh dill, chopped
- 2 tbsp sliced almonds
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 425℉. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Rinse and drain a can of chickpeas, set aside. Divide the uncooked couscous between two serving bowls and set aside.
- In a small mixing bowl, combine 2 tbsp of olive oil and 1 tbsp of lemon juice with the cumin, smoked paprika and garlic powder. Use a fork to whisk and mix well. Season with salt and pepper. Add the chickpeas and stir to thoroughly coat. Set aside.
- Place the carrots on the baking sheet, drizzle with 1 tbsp olive oil, toss to coat and season with salt and pepper. Bake for 10 minutes.
- While the carrots are roasting, heat 1 cup of water in a microwave-safe measuring cup with a pour spout until boiling (90 seconds). Carefully remove measuring cup from microwave and immediately add 1 tbsp olive oil and 1 tbsp lemon juice, whisking quickly with a fork to incorporate. Immediately pour half of the water over each serving of uncooked couscous, just until everything is wet and almost floating. You may not need all the water. Cover each bowl with a dish towel and set aside to soak.
- Remove the carrots from the oven. Using a slotted spoon, add the marinated chickpeas to the baking sheet, leaving the residual olive and spices behind. Return the baking sheet to the oven for 6 more minutes.
- Add the chopped kale to the mixing bowl with the olive oil and spice leftovers. Toss to coat. Once chickpeas have baked for 6 minutes, remove the baking sheet from the oven and add the kale on top of the chickpeas and carrots. Return to over and bake for 3 more minutes (if you are using curly kale, it will only take 2 minutes to wilt). **NOTE – if you are using curly kale, you really don't need to bake it. Just add the marinated kale to the final bowl with the cooked ingredients.
- While the kale is wilting, remove the dish towels from the serving bowls and fluff the couscous with a fork.
- Remove the baking tray from the oven. Carefully lift the parchment paper and use it to transfer the carrots/chickpeas/kale to the serving bowls. Divide the beets, dill and sliced almonds between each bowl and use a spoon and fork to toss gently.
- Add 1/4 cup of labneh to the side of each bowl. Finish each bowl with a generous squeeze of lemon juice and serve. Don't forget to take a picture of the gorgeous dish you just made to share on Insta!
Nutrition
Wait…What’s Labneh?
If you’ve not experienced labneh yet, this recipe for Roasted Beet and Carrot Couscous with Chickpeas is the perfect way to do it.
Labneh is strained Greek yogurt, so if you can’t find labneh in the store (look near hummus and tzatziki, not the yogurt), just use plain Greek yogurt as a substitute.
Not only is labneh a totally under-used condiment, it’s a great source of healthy protein too. Once you see how luxurious labneh is in Roasted Beet and Carrot Couscous with Chickpeas, you’ll be begging for more ways to use it. Here are some ideas:
