Easy Eats: Nourishing Couscous Lamb Bowls

Chunks of juicy lamb suspended over a delightful couscous and veggie almost-minestrone concoction... This is the epitome of winter comfort food, cooked in just one pan.

Sam ParishChef
  • prepare
  • cook
  • 4 servings
  • Easy
Cous cous lamb bowls
Caption:Cous cous lamb bowlsPhoto credit:Sam Parish

Ingredients

  • 2 Tbsp olive oil
  • 1 brown onion, chopped
  • 1 stick celery, chopped
  • 2/3 cup (150g) pearl couscous
  • 2 garlic cloves, sliced
  • 1 Tbsp cumin seeds
  • 1 x 390g can four-bean mix, rinsed and drained
  • 1 x 400g canned chopped tomatoes
  • 1 vegetable stock cube, crumbled
  • 2-3 potatoes (I use red rascal)
  • Parmesan rind (optional)
  • 400g lamb leg steaks
  • 1 sprig rosemary
  • 3 leaves cavelo nero or spinach, shredded
  • Lemon, chopped parsley and garlic crostini to serve

Instructions

  1. Heat oven to 200C.
  2. Heat oil in a deep sided wide saucepan or frying pan set over medium heat. Add onion and celery and cook, stirring, for 2 minutes or until softened.
  3. Add couscous, garlic and cumin and cook, stirring, for 3 minutes or until couscous is lightly toasted and garlic is aromatic.
  4. Add beans and stir to coat then add tomatoes, potatoes, stock cube, parmesan rind and 2 1/2 can-fulls of water (about a litre). If you’re preparing this ahead of time, you can stop here and continue the rest of the prep at dinner time.
  5. Bring mixture to a gentle simmer for 5 minutes. Meanwhile, thread whole lamb steaks onto two long metal skewers so that they can sit over the pan (alternatively use a rack that can sit over the lip of the pan.) Scatter with salt, pepper and rosemary.
  6. Balance skewered lamb over pan and transfer to the oven.
  7. Bake for 20-25 minutes or until lamb is golden and potatoes are just cooked through. Set lamb aside to rest then stir cavelo nero through the couscous mixture and cover with a lid to cook for 5 minutes.
  8. To serve, spoon couscous into bowls. Squeeze over lemon, and top with sliced lamb, chopped parsley and crostini.

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