Moroccan-Style Beef with Couscous

 

My friend Jen shared this recipe on Facebook, and it REALLY hit the spot for me. I changed it a bit by increasing the amount of carrots and couscous and doubling the amount of meat, because I didn’t think that 1 pound of meat could really feed 6 people – I ended up with too many leftovers, but I regret nothing! Next time, I would use 1 pound of meat, but still increase the amount of carrots, and double the couscous to make two meals for our family. I’m definitely making this again, it was delicious! 

1 lb. lean ground beef (see note above) 

1 whole yellow onion, thinly sliced 

½ cup sliced carrots, in ¼” slices (I used more) 

¾ tsp. ground cumin 

¾ tsp. ground cinnamon 

½ tsp. ground coriander 

¼ tsp. ground cayenne pepper (I used less) 

2 cups low-sodium chicken broth 

¼ cups raisins (I used golden raisins) 

1 whole lemon, zested 

3 Tbsp. tomato paste 

¼ tsp. salt 

15-oz. can of chickpeas, drained and rinsed 

½ cup fresh cilantro, chopped 

1 Tbsp. lemon juice 

1 ½ cups cooked couscous (I made twice as much in all, but only made enough for one evening at a time) 

Heat a large skillet/pan over medium-high heat with a tablespoon of oil and swirl to coat. Add the ground beef to the pan, stirring to crumble, and cook until no longer pink. Remove the beef from the skillet into a bowl and drain away the fat. Set the beef aside. 

Add another tablespoon of oil to the skillet if needed and swirl to coat. Add the sliced onion and cut carrots, and sauté for 4 minutes. Add the spices (cumin, cinnamon, coriander and cayenne) and sauté for 30 seconds while stirring constantly. 

Add the ground beef back into the skillet along with the chicken broth, raisins, lemon zest, tomato paste, salt and chickpeas. Bring to a boil and then reduce the heat to a simmer (medium-low) for 5-10 minutes or until the mixture has thickened. Remove the skillet from the heat and stir in the fresh cilantro and lemon juice. Serve with couscous.