Giant Couscous Cake With Roasted Pepper Sauce

By Yotam Ottolenghi

Total Time: 1 hour
Rating: 4(1,107)
Notes: Read community notes

This savory cake is very versatile in that you could substitute the couscous with other cooked grains, or make use of whatever herbs, cheeses or spices you have on hand. The options to make this cake your own are endless; leftover cooked barley or maftoul, Parmesan and Gruyère, dill or tarragon, toasted cumin or fennel seeds would all work well. Serve with a big green salad for a complete meal.

Featured in: You’ll Definitely Want to Keep This Savory Sauce on Hand

or to save this recipe.
Subscriber benefit: give recipes to anyone
As a subscriber, you have 10 gift recipes to give each month. Anyone can view them - even nonsubscribers. Learn more.
Subscribe
Share
Print Options
Include recipe photo

Ingredients

Yield:4 servings

For the Pepper Sauce

2small red bell peppers (about 12 ounces/340 grams), seeds and stems removed, quartered
1small tomato, halved
4tablespoons/60 milliliters olive oil, plus extra for drizzling
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
2large heads garlic, tops trimmed just enough to expose the cloves
1½tablespoons red wine vinegar
1teaspoon maple syrup

For the Couscous Cake

1½cups/250 grams pearl couscous
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
1⅓cups/320 milliliters boiling water
10scallions (spring onions), trimmed
7tablespoons/105 milliliters olive oil
5ounces/140 grams baby spinach (about 4 packed cups)
1scant cup/220 grams Greek-style yogurt
1scant cup/100 grams coarsely grated low-moisture mozzarella
½cup/50 grams finely grated pecorino, plus extra for serving
⅓cup plus 1 tablespoon/50 grams all-purpose (plain) flour
2large eggs
2garlic cloves, minced
1tablespoon coriander seeds, toasted and roughly crushed in a mortar and pestle
⅓cup/15 grams roughly torn fresh basil leaves, plus more for serving

Ingredient Substitution Guide

Preparation

Step 1
Heat the oven to 425 degrees Fahrenheit/220 degrees Celsius.
Step 2
Prepare the pepper sauce: Add the bell peppers and tomato to a baking sheet (tray) and toss with 1 tablespoon oil, ¼ teaspoon salt and a good grind of pepper. Drizzle the garlic heads with a little oil, wrap tightly in foil and place them to one side of the baking sheet. Roast for 35 minutes or until the pepper skins are well charred and the garlic has softened.
Step 3
When cool enough to handle, peel and discard the pepper and tomato skins. (Don’t worry if you can’t remove all the skin.) Add the peeled vegetables to a food processor. Squeeze the garlic cloves out of their papery skins (discarding the skins) and add them to the blender along with the vinegar, maple syrup, ¼ teaspoon salt and a good grind of pepper. Blitz for a few seconds, then, with the machine running, slowly drizzle in the remaining 3 tablespoons oil until incorporated and the sauce is smooth. Set aside pepper sauce.
Step 4
Meanwhile, prepare the couscous cake: Add the couscous, ½ teaspoon salt and boiling water to a medium saucepan over medium-high heat. Bring to a simmer, then cover with a lid and turn the heat to medium-low. Cook for 10 minutes, then set aside to cool.
Step 5
Place a large nonstick skillet over high heat. Toss the scallions (spring onions) with ½ tablespoon oil, then add to the pan and fry until softened and charred, turning halfway through, about 4 minutes. Set the scallions aside.
Step 6
Turn the heat down to medium-high, then add another ½ tablespoon oil and the spinach to the pan. Cook until wilted, about 90 seconds, then transfer to a large bowl. Roughly chop the scallions and add two-thirds to the bowl with the spinach. Add the couscous, yogurt, both cheeses, flour, eggs, garlic, coriander, basil, ½ teaspoon salt and a good grind of pepper to the bowl and mix everything to combine.
Step 7
Wipe out the skillet and heat 5 tablespoons oil over medium-high. Once hot, add the couscous mixture, and use a spoon to evenly distribute and smooth out the top. Turn the heat down to medium-low and cook for 20 minutes; the edges will be golden, the cake will start to set in the center and you should be able to loosen the cake from the base.
Step 8
Use a spatula to gently separate the cake from the sides of the pan, running it under the cake as well to try to loosen it from the bottom. Remove the pan from the heat and, very gently, invert the whole thing onto a large plate. Return the pan to the heat and slide the cake back into it, crispy-side up, to brown the other side. Cook for 8 minutes over medium heat, then transfer the cake to a large wooden board or serving platter.
Step 9
In a small bowl, combine the remaining scallions with the extra basil leaves and the remaining 1 tablespoon oil. Sprinkle the cake all over with the extra pecorino and top with the scallion mixture. Serve with the pepper sauce in a bowl alongside.

Ratings

4 out of 5

1,107 user ratings

Have you cooked this?

Private Notes

Leave a Private Note on this recipe and see it here.

Cooking Notes

Dan3 years ago

Nice idea but this recipe looks/sounds a lot better than it tastes. The pancake is ok, but not very exciting. The sauce is too sweet—I might make it again and use it for something else, but would omit the maple syrup and add some heat to it instead, either hot sauce or just roast a couple chiles along w the sweet peppers.

Pat Kelsall3 years ago

There is a quick way to remove skins from sweet peppers, as soon as you tske them out of the oven, put them in a closed container, ( eg a ziplock bag,paperbag or a covered bowl ), leave them for a few minutes, the skins come off easily then.

Susan3 years ago

I made this today but with a lot of substitutions. I used quinoa instead of couscous which worked great, protein instead of carbs! I did not have spinach nor Greek Yogurt but I substituted ricotta for yogurt. When I prepared the pepper sauce I used assorted mini peppers and one jalapeño. I didn’t bother to take the skins off and it mixed up just find in my small food processor. I also browned in on top of stove briefly then baked in oven at 350 for the designated time in a cast iron skillet.

Peter3 years ago

Unusually for an Ottonlengi recipe, I had all the ingredients on hand. Definitely needs the sauce as an accompaniment. Be interesting to replace the couscous with potatoes and make a funky latke.

Chowchap3 years ago

Large is an inaccurate measurement for a skillet. Please indicate diameter size.

Taylor3 years ago

This recipe absolutely did not work as advertised. The cake wouldn't cook through and then burnt to a crisp on the bottom. Save yourself the trouble and put the cast iron in the oven to bake instead.

SD3 years ago

Also, used a combo of brown rice and quinoa. Dry measurements were half c brown rice and full c quinoa. Cooked amount was perfect. I let the cooked grains sit out to get dry and chewy like one would for fried rice. I think it made a big difference in texture. GF flour used for the regular flour as well. And like so many others I started stovetop in a cast iron and finished under the broiler. Really delicious. Oh and that pepper sauce is great! Used more vinegar because we enjoy that tanginess.

Julie Buckley3 years ago

This was a terrific meal, however, I have one criticism. Perhaps double the sauce portion?!

SH in SF3 years ago

Roasted garlic skins should be added to the stock pot

Arromanches3 years ago

Ottolenghi fan girl here - I have all the cookbooks except for Flavor. Have been to a few of the restaurants in London and always swoon. Eh, this was not as good as expected, and I didn't make substitutions. The pepper sauce, however, is a keeper. Perhaps to simplify, just make the couscous, stir in some spinach and cheese (I do think Gruyere would be better than the mozzarella and Pecorino), top with some sauce and save yourself an additional thirty minutes.

Wild Bill3 years ago

Always looking for ways to use sweet Italian peppers and tomatoes this time of year. Made the sauce, skipped the cake. Substituted 6 ounces by weight of flame roasted peppers that I had on hand, skipped the maple syrup and dialed the vinegar back to one teaspoon. Quite nice. Yield was about 13 ounces by volume.

Robin3 years ago

I had the same issue and could not flip. I also used cast iron. When I couldn't flip, I put in the oven on broil and achieved a nice darkening on the top.

Julia3 years ago

This was good comfort food. A bit of work for what it is, but I'll try it again with more experimentation. I wish I'd served it with a fried egg on top and will do that next time.

Rebecca3 years ago

Lisa, though I haven't had a chance to make this yet, my read is that either a blender or a food processor will work. Just add all of the ingredients to whichever machine you have, or the one you dislike washing the least!

Nancy Davis3 years ago

The recipe suggests "other grains." Contrary to popular belief, couscous is NOT a grain, but a pasta.

Martha4 months ago

I'm glad I stuck with the pearled couscous, which had a nice texture. In the sauce, I added Thai chilis to the roasting pan, didn't peel the veggies, decreased syrup to 1/4 tsp, and added smoked paprika. For the cake, I added more scallions, basil, an extra egg; used gruyere+cheddar+parm (on top); and went with the broiling method for 8 minutes rather than flipping the cake. This recipe is fun and yummy! I plan to play with the flavors. Maybe balsamic glaze instead of the tomato/pepper sauce?

maggie5 months ago

I didn’t realize until eating, this is essentially spinach lasagna, but with a nicer texture (the couscous is very satisfying in the mix). The sauce was good, but would have been just as happy (happier?) with some harissa on top. Was a nice dinner, not quite the mind-blowingly tasty I’m used to from Ottolenghi.

nilssons2 years ago

I made half a recipe for two people, and it was very well received. Made a full recipe of sauce, which was truly delicious. Skipped the maple syrup in the sauce and it was perfect. Didn't have coriander seeds so I subbed a teaspoon of ground, but next time I might add more. Will add more spinach and basil next time, I think. The cooking times we perfect. To flip, I slid the cake out onto a plate, crispy side down, and topped it with another plate before flipping over.

Melissa2 years ago

I love the looks of this, but have a serious aversion to bell peppers. Any thoughts on a substitute sauce to make?

Liza2 years ago

I cut this in half and made with parsley instead of basil (he did say you could substitute :-). Prepared in a 10" interlocking frittata pan so I didn't worry about the sliding and inverting part of the preparation (although it released so well from the pan it wouldn't have been an issue). Half recipe cooked nicely in 19 minutes total (14 & 5). Served with the pepper sauce (I omitted the syrup as some suggested) and YO's tahini sauce that is in several of his cookbooks. Keeper for us.

Dennis Baxter2 years ago

Has anyone done this with vegan substitutions? I have a family that has recently become vegan and we are looking for new satisfying meal ideas.

MHF2 years ago

This recipe worked pretty well for me; my main goal was to use up the half bag of (expired) pearl couscous living in my pantry. It reminds me of a Spanish tortilla, with the same flipping technique as SE's version (which I've made a few times). I didn't have coriander seeds so I used cumin seeds. I used a mix of cheddar and monterey jack rather than mozz. And as per all the other reviewers I didn't add the maple syrup into the sauce until last (and then I did it by taste). Messy but tasty!

Stefanie2 years ago

I substituted almost everything. I used leftover black rice for my grain (delightfully chewy), bok choy instead of spinach, and a mix of cheeses. I thought I had yogurt and when I didn't I just added more cheese and some coconut milk instead. And you know what? It was fabulous! I did 20 or so minutes on the stovetop and about 15 minutes in the oven at 350, using a cast iron the whole way. I got the flip about halfway right. Great for dinner w/a salad and brekkie the next day w/a fried egg.

Dana2 years ago

Flavors are great, but technique is overly complicated. I made it like a frittata. I subbed gruyere for other cheeses, didn’t bother w scallions, sprayed the All-Clad 12” skillet w non-stick spray, per other commenters I cut the oil—I used 4 tbsp, suggest 3–cooked it on the stove, then popped it in broiler for 7-8 minutes. 2 notes: do NOT use regular couscous, use pearl/Israeli couscous. And not all heads of garlic are the same. It’s 2 small or 1 large (remaining sauce is good on fish)

Sally2 years ago

Delicious! several steps involved--but each step is easy. Recipe states it serves 4--these would be large servings. For us, we cut recipe down to half.

Rebs2 years ago

Whole family, including toddlers, loved this. Added a little paprika (0.5 tbs?) to the couscous, omitted the maple syrup, and tried to save a little time by broiling the peppers and tomato (No need, can make the sauce as the couscous cooks, so it still took me an hour to pull this together). Would love to add a little heat to the sauce next time we're eating without the little ones.

Sand2 years ago

This works fine with quinoa instead of couscous. And not sweet, but savory and a bit hot!

Carolyn Chambers3 years ago

Too much work. About the same effort as making a moussaka. The red pepper sauce is excellent. Forget the couscous cake.

Paige3 years ago

OMG! I am obsessed with this recipe. Did not make the pepper sauce since I don't have a food processor or blender.... but I am in looove with the couscous cake! It reminds me of a risotto al fritto, especially if you don't brown the underside. Keeps it moist on the inside (especially since 1 1/2 cups of couscous does not make a "giant" cake) Excited to try this method with other ingredients in the cake!

Sandra3 years ago

Made this tonight after wanting to for a long time. It was delicious but an absolute mess. Couldn't get it out of the pan and it didn't cook all the way through. Wish I had read all of the brilliant notes before I got started. Putting it under the broiler would have made all the difference. Loved the sauce. Added some smoked paprika for a little more flavor depth.

Private notes are only visible to you.