What do you get when you combine the perfect blank-canvas starch with beef and sauteed onions? This couscous with beef is an amazing quick and easy side that’s just right for Purim or any festive meal!

If someone challenged me to eat a whole pan of this… challenge accepted!! I love working with Israeli couscous (also known as pearl couscous). It’s a wonderful blank canvas and there are so many easy and delicious things you can do with it. Sometimes I sauté vegetables and mix them in; sometimes I serve it plain with spices. For the Purim seudah, I wanted to elevate it and make it a bit more elegant, so I added meat and the result was the perfect festive side dish. The meat brought it up a notch, but it was still really easy to make — it can even be made ahead of time and frozen, which means one less thing to worry about in the days leading up to Purim.

toasting couscous with sauteed onions — Toasting the couscous with the onions before cooking prevents it from getting soggy and locks in the flavor.

For the meat in this dish, the easiest and most economical is often beef stew cubes. I don’t usually like using this type of meat, as I find it’s often not of the highest quality, but if I go to the butcher and see that it looks good and not too fatty, I will use it. If the stew meat doesn’t look great, I will buy a small chuck roast or minute roast and cut that up instead.

pieces of meat for couscous with beef in a 9x13 pan

To rewarm couscous with beef, cover tightly and place in a low-temp oven until heated through. Fluff with a fork before serving.

If you’re looking for another great Purim side dish idea, try my sheet pan meat bourekas!

Watch a video of me making this dish here!

Israeli Couscous with Beef

This couscous with beef is an amazing quick and easy side that's just right for Purim or any festive meal!

Print Recipe

Ingredients

1½ lbs. beef stew or chuck meat, cut into bite-size pieces
2 Tbsp oil, divided
1 tsp onion powder
1 tsp paprika
Salt and pepper, to taste
1 medium onion, finely diced
1 8.8-oz bag Israeli couscous
2 cups water (plus more if needed)

Instructions

Preheat oven to 350°F.
Place meat cubes in a 9×13 pan. Add 1 tablespoon oil and spices. Toss well. Cover pan tightly and bake for 3 hours or until fork tender.
Meanwhile, in a frying pan, heat remaining tablespoon oil over a medium flame. Add onion and sauté for 10-15 minutes, until golden brown.
Add couscous and toast for 5-7 minutes, stirring frequently. Transfer to a 9×13 pan. Add water and cover tightly. Bake for 20-30 minutes, until water is fully absorbed. (If couscous appears dry, add up to ½ cup more water and mix. The water will absorb as the couscous cools, keeping it moist.) Fluff with a fork.
Add meat (and any juices in the pan) to the couscous. Mix to combine.