Turkish-Spiced Chickpea Couscous Bowls
with Spinach, Tomato & Lemony Yogurt Sauce
- Wheat
- Milk
While we love chickpeas no matter how they come, our number-one fave way to eat them is crisp-roasted. And here, they’re the star of this hearty, colorful bowl. You’ll coat them in our savory Turkish-inspired spice blend, then pop them in a hot oven until they’re—what? Crispy! You’ll spoon the chickpeas over a bowl of tender, garlicky couscous strewn with wilted spinach, fresh tomatoes, and a squeeze of lemon. Drizzle as much tangy, lemony yogurt sauce as you like on top for a bright pop. It’s a vegetarian dinner idea we just knew you’d love.
Ingredients
1 unit
Veggie Stock Concentrate
1 unit
Chickpeas
½ cup
Israeli Couscous
(Contains: Wheat)
5 ounce
Spinach
½ unit
Lemon
4 tablespoon
Yogurt
(Contains: Milk)
4 ounce
Grape Tomatoes
1 tablespoon
Turkish Spice Blend
1 teaspoon
Garlic Powder
Not included in your delivery
teaspoon (tsp)
Salt
1 teaspoon (tsp)
Cooking Oil
teaspoon (tsp)
Black Pepper
Nutrition Values
Utensils
Cooking Steps
• Adjust rack to top position and preheat oven to 425 degrees. Wash and dry produce. • Drain and rinse chickpeas; pat very dry with paper towels. Toss on a baking sheet with a drizzle of oil, Turkish Spice Blend, salt, and pepper. Roast on top rack until crispy, 18-20 minutes. (It’s natural for chickpeas to pop a bit while roasting.)
• Meanwhile, zest and quarter lemon. Quarter tomatoes. • In a small pot, combine couscous, stock concentrate, ¾ cup water, ¾ tsp garlic powder (1½ cups water and 1½ tsp garlic powder for 4 servings), and a pinch of salt over medium-high heat. (You’ll use the rest of the garlic powder later.) Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to low and cover. Cook until tender, 6-8 minutes. Keep covered off heat until Step 5.
• While couscous cooks, place spinach and 1 TBSP water (2 TBSP for 4 servings) in a large microwave-safe bowl. Cover tightly with plastic wrap. Microwave on high until wilted, 2-3 minutes (3-4 minutes for 4). • Carefully remove plastic wrap and season with salt and pepper; stir to combine. TIP: No microwave? No problem! Heat a drizzle of oil in a large pan over medium-high heat. Add spinach and cook, stirring, until wilted, 3-4 minutes.
• In a small bowl, combine yogurt, remaining garlic powder, and a squeeze of lemon juice. • Add water 1 tsp at a time until sauce reaches a drizzling consistency. Taste and season with salt and pepper.
• Fluff couscous with a fork; stir in spinach, tomatoes, a squeeze of lemon juice, and lemon zest to taste; season with salt and pepper. TIP: Stir in 1 TBSP butter for a richer flavor!
• Divide couscous between bowls; top with chickpeas. Drizzle with sauce and serve with any remaining lemon wedges on the side.
Customer reviews
Review summary
Updated on Feb 2026- Flavor: Many loved the Turkish spices, but some found them overpowering; adjust seasoning to taste for a balanced flavor 🌶️.
- Ease of prep: Quick and simple to make, though some had trouble getting the chickpeas crispy in the oven.
- Suggestions: Consider pan-wilting spinach instead of microwaving for better texture; try air frying chickpeas for extra crispiness.
- Portions: Several found the dish light; adding more couscous or a protein like chicken could make it more filling.
- Texture: Some enjoyed the mix of textures, while others found the spinach made the dish too watery.
Reviews from our home cooks
The recipe calls for way too much water in the couscous (3/4 cup). It ended up being like a couscous slurry, and with the wilted spinach was like eating a slime soup with roasted chickpeas (the amount of seasoning called for for the chickpeas was also kind of overpowering) and tomatoes awkwardly thrown in. Really off-putting and the first HelloFresh I've ever thought was kinda gross. I think with the measurements corrected this could be good?
Too much spinach, not enough couscous. Also the suggestion of mixing it in the small pot doesn't work because it doesn't fit. Maybe change it to adding the tomatoes to the pot and then adding the couscous, tomatoes, and chickpeas to the bowl with the spinach to mix. Chickpeas are better mixed in rather than just being on top.
Love the crunch from the chickpeas, and even though the couscous vegetable mix is very similar to that in the haloumi dish it picks up different flavors with the chickpeas and the yogurt
The chickpeas turned out gross. Some were hard and some were soggy. I don't understand how it went so sideways but it was a disaster. I retried the recipe but put the chickpeas in the air fryer and it turned out amazing. The flavors are so good
This was delicious. I'm not the biggest fan of wilted spinach and picked mine out, next time I think I'd replace it with kale, but overall this was incredibly easy and yummy
Chickpeas needed more time than indicated -- we might air fry them next time.
Seasoning is not too appealing. Spicy but bland. Great idea though and will be used in different configurations / flavors. Would suggest a more Indian/Tamari spice flavor. *(Don't microwave your spinach. Just wilt it in pan under a bit of salt)
Absolutely loved this dish and will happily cook it again. Our only complaint was we felt the portions were a bit small.
Wish the chickpeas could get crispier. Will need to play with the recipe. Great light flavor all around
I cut the chicken into bite size pieces before cooking. I also used half the spice packet on the chickpeas and half on the chicken. Very tasty!
