Sweet Potato Couscous with Crispy Sage Leaves

Perfect as a hearty side dish or vegetarian main course, this sweet potato couscous with crispy sage leaves is the perfect easy fall recipe! It has just 10 ingredients and comes together quickly with roasted sweet potatoes, fluffy quick-cooking couscous, and a brown butter drizzle on top. Add some no-knead Dutch oven bread and marinated grilled chicken to bulk up the meal even more!

This is a REALLY nice light, vegetarian meal OR a Thanksgiving side dish that gets gobbled up (pun!) every time I take it somewhere, truly.

We're talking about fluffy couscous layered with roasted sweet potatoes, walnuts, and crumbled cheese. The whole thing is drizzled with brown butter and THEN crispy herbs (fried in the butter, HELLO), and the whole thing together is absolutely delightful.

Ingredients and Ingredient Variations

• Sweet potatoes, peeled and diced for roasting. This can be done in advance! I've also made this recipe with cubed butternut squash and it's really yummy that way, too.
• Couscous makes the bulk of this recipe; I use plain quick-cooking coucous that is usually done in under 5 minutes once the water boils. You can also use orzo, ditalini, or another small pasta if you prefer. To make this gluten free, sub brown or wild rice.
• Fresh sage and rosemary that get fried with the butter and crumbled on top right before serving. I like the combo of herbs, but you can just use sage leaves if you prefer.
• Toasted walnuts or pecans go so well with the crispy sage leaves. Pecans are my favorite in this dish, but I've also used pine nuts and they're delicious for their mild, buttery flavor and texture.
• Crumbly cheese for topping. This is optional! I love crumbled feta on this dish, but have also used blue cheese which is really delicious. You can skip the cheese entirely if you prefer.

See the recipe card below for full ingredient list and quantities.

Step by Step Instructions

Roast the Sweet Potatoes

1. Preheat the oven to 425F and arrange the sweet potatoes on a baking sheet. Drizzle with the olive oil and sprinkle with salt and the nutmeg.

2. Roast the sweet potatoes for 20-30 minutes until they are golden at the edges and cooked through, stirring halfway so the cubes brown evenly on all sides.

While the potatoes are roasting, measure the water for the couscous, per the package directions. Cook the couscous completely with ½ teaspoon salt, and leave it in the pan with the heat turned off.

How to Make Crispy Sage Leaves

3. Place the butter in a small skillet over medium heat with the herbs, and let the butter melt and foam as the herbs sizzle and crisp.

4. After the herbs have crisped for about a minute, add the pecans or walnuts, if using, and let them sizzle with the herbs as the butter continues to brown.

5. Transfer the herby butter mixture to a small dish to stop the cooking process (so the nuts don't burn).

6. Now, everything is ready: potatoes, couscous, buttery herbs, and any toppings you're using.

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Assemble the Sweet Potato Couscous

Time to assemble! I love a wide platter for this so when serving, every scoop has all the ingredients. Start with spreading all the couscous on the platter.

Then top with the sweet potatoes.

Over the sweet potatoes, add the brown butter and crispy herbs and nuts - drizzle it evenly over the entire dish.

Finally, sprinkle the crumbled cheese (again, optional!) all over the sweet potato couscous, and top everything with some flaky salt and black pepper for good measure.

Pro Tips and FAQs

Serving Suggestions

This is a great vegetarian dish to serve on its own, but I also love it with some extra protein or another vegetable to add to the meal a bit.

• Easy green salad with bright vinaigrette
• Salmon with crispy skin is LOVELY served on top of this couscous
• Quick broiled asparagus makes a great green addition
• Roasted tofu cubes add more protein and tons of flavor

Leftovers and Make Ahead

Leftovers are yummy in the fridge for several days; I like them served cold but you can microwave for just 30 seconds to warm things up just a little bit.

To prep this recipe, cook the couscous and sweet potatoes in advance and store them separately in the fridge for up to three days. Make the crispy herbs and brown butter right before assembling and serving.

More Yummy Recipes for Fall

Recipe

Sweet Potato Couscous with Crispy Sage Leaves

Lindsay Howerton-Hastings

Crispy roasted sweet potatoes over fluffy couscous topped with a delightful herby brown butter and crispy sage leaves. Truly what more do you need?

5 from 8 ratings

Print Recipe Pin Recipe

Prep Time 15 minutes mins

Cook Time 30 minutes mins

Course Main Course, Side Dish

Cuisine American

Servings 6 servings

Equipment

• ▢
  Chef Knife
• ▢
  Measuring Cups And Spoons
• ▢
  Baking Sheets

Ingredients

  

1x2x3x

• ▢ 1 large sweet potato peeled and diced to ½ inch pieces
• ▢ 2 tablespoons olive oil
• ▢ 1 ½ teaspoons kosher salt divided
• ▢ ¼ teaspoon ground nutmeg
• ▢ 1 cup uncooked couscous (see note)
• ▢ ½ stick butter salted preferred
• ▢ ½ cup fresh sage leaves
• ▢ 1 sprig fresh rosemary stem removed and leaves chopped
• ▢ ¼ cup pecans or walnuts chopped
• ▢ ¼ cup crumbled blue cheese or feta cheese optional

Instructions

 

• Timing note: We’re doing three separate things here: sweet potatoes, couscous, and brown butter mixture. If you don’t already have the couscous made, start the sweet potato mixture first, then start and set a timer for the couscous, and make the brown butter herb mixture while the sweet potato and couscous are finishing.
• Roast the sweet potatoes. Preheat the oven to 425F and arrange the diced sweet potatoes on a baking sheet. Drizzle with the olive oil and sprinkle with ½ teaspoon salt and the nutmeg. Roast for 20-30 minutes until the sweet potatoes are golden and tender. Stir every 10 minutes while roasting.
• Meanwhile, cook the couscous to package directions with ½ teaspoon salt. Fluff with a fork and set aside to cool slightly.
• Make the herby brown butter. Melt the butter in a small sauce pan over medium heat with the fresh herbs – whole sage leaves and chopped rosemary. Let the herbs sizzle for 2 minutes, then add the chopped nuts. Let the herbs and nuts fry together for about 2 minutes more until lightly golden, but not burned. Transfer the brown butter with the herbs and nuts to a separate dish to stop cooking. Stir ½ teaspoon salt into the butter mixture.
• Assemble the dish on a serving platter by layering the couscous and sweet potatoes, then drizzling with all of the butter mixture. Sprinkle with the crumbled cheese and add some extra salt and pepper right before serving. This is best slightly warm or at room temperature. YUM.

Notes

Serving: I love this as a side dish for Thanksgiving or any large meal, but it’s also great for lunches or as a salad served over any greens you like.

Make-Ahead: This dish can be made entirely in advance and served cold. I prefer it at room temperature, so take it out of the fridge an hour or so before serving. Some extra flaky salt and a few wedges of lemon will help wake it back up.

Couscous: I like instant couscous for this dish since it’s done in 5 minutes. Just keep an eye on the package directions when you’re planning this dish so you know how long your couscous will take to cook fully.

Leftovers: Leftovers keep in the fridge for 4-5 days and are delicious.

Herbs: I love this with the rosemary and the crispy sage leaves, but you can skip the rosemary if you prefer to only use one herb.

Tried this recipe?Let me know how it was!

This recipe was originally published in November 2012 and has been updated with new images and instructions for clarity.