Make this One Skillet Shrimp with Couscous for a delicious and flavorful dish that’s packed with lean protein and nutritious veggies!
A medley of additional vegetables bring fresh and healthy flavors to this seafood dish, and you’ll love how easy it is to prepare. As filling as it is tasty, this can be made in one dish in just 30 minutes!
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💚 About This Recipe
With all of the nutrition you need for a complete meal, this one skillet shrimp and couscous is a fantastic weeknight dinner! All made in the same dish in just 30 minutes, you'll love how easy it is to prepare this shrimp couscous recipe.
Filling couscous comes together with the lean protein of shrimp and nutrition from mushrooms, peas, and bell peppers. With everything included, you won't even have to make a side dish!
Similar to this Shrimp Curry with Broccoli and Rice, this is a quick and healthy dinner that the whole family will love.
Love shrimp? Try this Air Fryer Shrimp recipe for a quick, easy, and flavorful weeknight dinner packed with lots of lean protein!
🧂 Ingredients Needed
- onion - white or yellow onion works great to add a slight bite to the flavor palette.
- bell pepper - I like to use red bell pepper for a pop of color, but any color bell pepper will work.
- chicken broth - vegetable broth can be substituted, but you may need to add more flavor in that case.
- salt and pepper - for seasoning.
- cumin - provides a warm flavor and a hint of nuttiness.
- shrimp - buy your shrimp peeled and de-veined for super easy prep.
- sweet peas - give the dish extra color and nutrition.
- mushrooms - for another shortcut, look for pre-sliced mushrooms. White button mushrooms are what I tend to go for.
- couscous - this North African ingredient can be substituted for rice or quinoa if desired.
🔪 Instructions
- Finely chop the onion.
- Do the same to the bell pepper.
- Add the chopped onion and pepper to a skillet and cook until softened.
- Add chicken broth, salt, and pepper, then bring to a boil.
- Add the shrimp and simmer until they're just about cooked.
- Stir in peas and mushrooms and cook another minute or so.
- Add the couscous.
- Remove from heat and cover, then allow the couscous to sit for 5 minutes before fluffing with a fork.
❔ FAQs
Though it's often classified as a grain similar to rice, couscous is technically a pasta made from semolina flour. In cooking, it often functions similarly to a grain as a base for other ingredients. Grocery stores differ in where they keep it, so if you can't find it with the pasta check near the rice (and vice versa).
There are many ways to add some flavor to couscous. Season it with your favorite spices and herbs, add a protein or veggies, or add other ingredients like nuts or even dried fruits.
When paired with other ingredients like nutrient-rich veggies, couscous is a great source of nutrition. It's rich in fiber and can help you feel fuller for longer.
By the way, did you happen to notice the beautiful wooden cutting board in the process photos and the finished photos? That cutting board is from Forest Decor, a U.S. based company that makes exclusive, one-of-a-kind, handcrafted olive wood products from sustainably harvested, naturally food-safe Tunisian Chemlali olive trees, which are known for their exceptional quality and exquisite grain patterns.
Every item they sell—from their olive wood cutting boards to coasters, wooden gift items, olive wood kitchenware, and more—is hand carved by the Forest Decor team of talented artisans. Check them out and browse their large selection of items. They make perfect gifts for birthdays, weddings, anniversaries, holidays, or any special occasion!
Did you know?
Couscous is a small pasta. There are other small pasta types as well, and any of them could work in this recipe!
💭 Expert Tips and Tricks
- A single 14.5 oz can of chicken broth is slightly less than 2 cups, so you can use water for the remainder of the liquid to avoid opening a second can.
- Using the broth to cook the onion and bell pepper is a great way to avoid using oil. If you like, you can drizzle a bit of olive oil into your skillet instead.
- If you're cooking your shrimp from frozen, it's best to plan ahead and let it thaw in the fridge overnight.
📌 This shrimp couscous recipe is the perfect way to feed your family a nice healthy meal in just 30 minutes. Using just one skillet also majorly cuts down on
clean-up!
💡 Substitutions and Variations
- Use 1 cup of chopped frozen onion to save time on prep.
- Feel free to omit the cumin if you like. You can also add other spices like paprika or garlic powder for additional flavor.
- Diced chicken or pork can be used instead of the shrimp. Cooking times may need to be lengthened.
🔊 What readers are saying...
"What a fantastic way to enjoy shrimp and couscous. I love shrimp and am always looking for something new!!!"
- Heidy
🥫 Storage and Reheating
Keep your shrimp and couscous in an airtight container in the fridge for 3-4 days. Reheat it in the microwave for a minute at a time, stirring in between to heat all the way through.
You can also freeze this dish for 3 months or so. I recommend allowing it to thaw in the fridge for several hours (or overnight) before reheating.
🍴 What To Serve With This Dish
Even though this shrimp with couscous has everything you need for a full and complete meal, you may want to serve it with a side dish if you're feeding a larger crowd.
For additional veggie goodness, pair with Baked Eggplant Fries or this easy Garlic Butter Microwave Broccoli. Elevate this dish by serving it alongside these Easy Drop Biscuits or sophisticated Stuffed Acorn Squash.
✔️ More Shrimp Recipes You'll Love
- Shrimp Scampi without Wine - No wine is required to make this comforting, restaurant-quality shrimp scampi!
- Bang Bang Shrimp Tacos - Add a seafood twist to your next Taco Tuesday dinner.
- Shrimp Grilled Cheese - Tired of the same old grilled cheese? Add some shrimp to take your sandwiches to the next level.
- Cajun Shrimp Lasagna - This recipe from The Stay at Home Chef is a flavorful and bold take on seafood lasagna!
More Seafood Recipes
- Brazilian Fish Stew - a quick and easy fish stew that is simmered to perfection in 30 minutes with very little effort!
- Potato Crusted Cod - quick and easy fish dinner with a yummy potato chips topping!
- Easy Crab Cakes (with option for imitation crab) - they taste like they're from a fancy restaurant, but they are quick to prepare and cook! Serve these easy crab cakes straight from the stove or place on a bun.
- Thai Salmon - this tender baked salmon served in a creamy and flavorful coconut curry sauce make the perfect weeknight dinner!
One Skillet Shrimp and Couscous
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📋 Recipe Card
One Skillet Shrimp with Couscous
Ingredients
- 1 onion
- 1 red bell pepper
- 2 cups chicken broth
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon pepper
- ½ teaspoon cumin
- 1 pound shrimp (peeled, deveined, tail-off)
- 1 cup sweet peas
- 1 cup mushrooms (roughly chopped)
- 2 cups couscous
Instructions
- Chop the onion and red bell pepper until you have about 1 cup of each. n.1 onion, 1 red bell pepper
- Place the dd the onion and red pepper into a large skillet and saute over medium high heat until softened, about 3-4 minutes. You can add a little of the chicken broth in this step if the mixture seems dry.
- Add the chicken broth, salt, pepper, and cumin. Bring to a boil.2 cups chicken broth, ¼ teaspoon salt, ¼ teaspoon pepper, ½ teaspoon cumin
- Add the shrimp and simmer until the shrimp are almost cooked, about 2-3 minutes.1 pound shrimp
- Add the peas and mushrooms and cook for another 1-2 minutes.1 cup mushrooms, 1 cup sweet peas
- Stir in the couscous, remove from heat and cover.2 cups couscous
- Let stand for 5 minutes, then fluff with a fork and serve.
Notes
- You can use 1 cup frozen chopped onion instead of fresh to save time.
- One 14.5 ounce can of chicken broth is slightly less than 2 cups. You can either tap into a second can, or you can just add a little water to make up the difference.
- I like to saute in chicken broth to avoid using oil, but if you prefer you can definitely add about 1 tablespoon of olive oil to the skillet and saute the onion and red bell pepper in the oil.
- Skip the cumin if that is not a flavor that your family enjoys.
- I bought a bag of frozen shrimp that I thawed overnight in the refrigerator prior to using in this recipe.
- Shrimp can be a little pricey, but you can substitute diced chicken or pork in this recipe. They will take a little longer to cook than the shrimp so you will need to adjust your cooking time accordingly.
- Note that for the photos I used whole wheat couscous because that was all they had at the grocery store, but I think regular couscous works better in this recipe. (Every other time I made this I used regular.) I just wanted to mention that because your result may look a little different but rest assured that this recipe was originally developed and tested with regular couscous and it was delicious.
Video
Nutrition
Nutritional information is an estimate. The nutritional values for your final dish may vary based on measuring differences and products used.
Update Notes: This post was originally published in June 2013, and was republished with tips, step by step photos, and a recipe change in September 2023.
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Nikki says
I am loving this one skillet meal. It's full of great lean protein and lots of flavor. It's perfect for a weeknight meal.
Sisley says
Adding the shrimp really made this next level!
justine says
New to making cous cous so this was a huge help. Easy to understand and texture was perfect.
Kristin King says
So glad to hear that!
Sandhya S says
Loved your Shrimp with Couscous recipe—delicious and quick, perfect for weeknight dinners!
Heidy L. McCallum says
What a fantastic way to enjoy Shrimp and couscous. I love shrimp and am always looking for something new!!!