Spicy couscous casserole with feta and cinnamon

Ingredients for 4 servings:

• 200 g couscous
• e.g. vegetable broth
• 2 cloves garlic
• ½ onion(s)
• 3 tbsp tomato paste
• 4 m.-sized tomatoes
• 1 bell pepper(s)
• 250 g carrot(s)
• 1 small eggplant(s)
• 1 small zucchini
• some salt
• some pepper
• 1 tsp herbs (herbs of Provence)
• ½ tsp cinnamon powder
• 2 tsp harissa
• 200 g feta cheese
• Vegetable fat or rapeseed oil

Instructions

Working time approx. 30 minutes; Cooking/baking time approx. 15 minutes; Total time approx. 45 minutes

Prepare the couscous according to the package instructions, using vegetable stock instead of water (I do this to give the couscous a bit of flavor). Finely chop the garlic and onion and sauté in a little vegetable fat or rapeseed oil. Dice the bell pepper and fry it along with the tomato paste. Dice the carrots, eggplant, zucchini, and tomatoes and add them to the pan. Fry everything for about 5 minutes. Season with salt, pepper, herbs, and cinnamon. Mix everything with the couscous. Finely dice half of the feta and fold it in (I love using feta because it’s significantly lower in calories than other cheeses and adds a spicy, salty note to any dish). Transfer everything to a baking dish and sprinkle with the remaining feta. Finally, bake the casserole for about 15 minutes at 180°C fan/convection oven. Notes: If you prefer it less spicy, 1 tablespoon of harissa will suffice. Don’t be surprised if the feta doesn’t melt completely. This is perfectly normal and also the reason why you should either crumble it or cut it into very small cubes when baking.