Moroccan-Style Beef & Chickpea Stew
with Pearl Couscous & Cilantro
- Wheat
This quick 20-minute meal of cinnamon- and cumin-seasoned beef packed with tender chickpeas and caramelized tomato paste was inspired by the cuisine of North Africa. Serve this satisfying stew over springy, nutty pearl couscous, and finish with a sprinkle of cilantro just before serving for pops of color and herbaceous flavor.
Ingredients
1 unit
Chickpeas
1 tablespoon
Fry Seasoning
½ cup
Israeli Couscous
(Contains: Wheat)
1 unit
Tomato Paste
1 teaspoon
Cumin
2 unit
Chicken Stock Concentrate
2 clove
Garlic
½ teaspoon
Cinnamon
10 ounce
Ground Beef
¼ ounce
Cilantro
Not included in your delivery
1 teaspoon (tsp)
Cooking Oil
teaspoon (tsp)
Salt
teaspoon (tsp)
Black Pepper
Nutrition Values
Utensils
Cooking Steps
• Wash and dry produce. • Peel and mince garlic. Roughly chop cilantro.
• Bring couscous, half the garlic, half the stock concentrates, and 3⁄4 cup water (11⁄2 cups for 4 servings) to a boil in a small pot over medium-high heat. Once boiling, cover and reduce heat to low. Cook until tender, 6-8 minutes. • Keep covered off heat until ready to serve.
• Heat a drizzle of oil in a large, preferably nonstick, pan over medium-high heat. Add beef*, cumin, Fry Seasoning, half the cinnamon (all for 4 servings), salt, and pepper. Cook, breaking up meat into pieces, until mostly browned, 2-4 minutes. TIP: If there’s excess grease in your pan, carefully pour it out. • Add tomato paste and remaining garlic. Cook, stirring, until tomato paste is slightly darkened and beef is cooked through, 1-2 minutes more. • Add chickpeas and their liquid, remaining stock concentrate, and 1⁄4 cup water (1/3 cup for 4). Cook, stirring occasionally, until stew has slightly thickened, 2-3 minutes.
• Divide couscous and stew between shallow bowls in separate sections. Garnish with cilantro and serve. TIP: If you have a lemon on hand, cut into wedges and serve on the side for added brightness and acidity.
Ground Beef is fully cooked when internal temperature reaches 160°.
Customer reviews
Review summary
Updated on Feb 2026- Flavor: Many enjoyed the unique spice blend, especially the cinnamon, though some found it needed more seasoning or depth.
- Ease of prep: Customers praised how quick and simple this meal was to prepare, with several noting it was surprisingly easy.
- Suggestions: Consider adding vegetables like zucchini or bell peppers for more texture and nutrition; some suggested doubling the spices 🌶️.
- Portions: Several mentioned wanting more couscous to balance the stew; a few found the overall portion satisfying.
- Texture: The mix of tender chickpeas, beef, and springy couscous created an interesting texture profile that many appreciated.
Reviews from our home cooks
This was fantastic, and we'd love to see more recipes like it. I'm usually hesitant on chickpea recipes because I've tried so many (HF and otherwise) that have just been kind of awkward in the past, but this one worked very well. I liked the spicing, too.
This is good. I will get it again. Wife even ate it but she is still not sold on couscous. I really enjoyed the chickpea with the meat. The spice was on point.
Unique flavors, easy and fast to cook. I was surprised how much I liked this one. My only complaint is I wish there were more couscous.
This stew was outstanding. I've never thought of adding cinnamon to meat before!! But it was so yummy.
Added an extra pound of beef and made a good amount of food. Yummy and felt clean and healthful. Easy to prepare too, would definitely get again
Possibly the most super-easy recipe you've offered! And tasty flavors to boot. Yum!
Amazing how simple and easy and so tasty. Loved the spices and flavoring.
Too much meat to chickpea/couscous in this recipe for us. I would really like to have seen some more veggies in this and less chick peas - say some chopped up zucchini you can fry up with the beef, and/or more onion and some green pepper as well just to give it a little extra volume. I think also more couscous/less meat - in fact we would love a half-portion meat option as we often find ourselves adding veggies in to make the food less meaty.
I would have never cooked anything like this before I had Hellofresh. That's one thing I enjoy about this Service is that I get to try all kinds of different Recipes
Something new and flavorful. For a 4-person serving, I think it really needs another bag of couscous. We had quite a bit of stew leftover but not nearly enough couscous for 4 people.
