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Home » easy » One-pot Couscous with Shrimp, Zucchini and Corn

One-pot Couscous with Shrimp, Zucchini and Corn

Published: Aug 25, 2017 · Modified: Mar 10, 2022 by Louisa Clements · This post may contain affiliate links

This post may contain affiliate links

A quick summer meal! This recipe for one-pot couscous with shrimp, zucchini and corn is fresh and flavourful with cherry tomatoes and fresh basil. 

One pan couscous with shrimp, corn and zucchini. | livinglou.com

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35 minutes minutes 21 Comments

One pot dishes are all the rage on the internet, but I’ve found that a lot of them aren’t really the best quality. (Honestly, call me crazy but I don’t want to have boiled meat in my one pot pasta).

I started working on this recipe way back at the beginning of May and it was the first summer recipe I created and I think it might be my favourite. I’ve been waiting until August to post this recipe because corn, zucchini, tomatoes and basil are all in season (finally!).

I have hit a serious, serious case of writer’s block. I think this might the worst block I’ve had in a couple of years (or maybe ever?). I spent a long time trying to figure out what I was going to write about in this post, but honestly, I think I need to write about this block to actually work through it.

Sometimes it’s hard to pinpoint why you’re having a creative block, but after spending a ton of time creating, I know myself well enough to know what’s going on.

One-pot couscous with shrimp, corn and zucchini. | livinglou.com

Stress = writer’s block. Exhaustion = writer’s block. If I look back on old posts, I always had writer’s block during exams, when I was A) exhausted and B) stressed out. Which is basically what I have been feeling like all summer.

If I look back on May-August, there has been a lot of change and a lot of extra stress in pretty much all areas of my life. By the time Friday hits, I feel like I’m running on empty. When you run a blog (on top of working long hours) there really isn’t a ton of time to take breaks, but you have to take them for your own sanity.

I’ve learned what I need to do in order to feel balanced and centred when things rev up a notch (or seven). But I have totally failed in taking my own advice because I’ve been burning the candle on both ends for far too long (ahem, for 4-months straight). It can be so hard to carve out the time, but I know that I feel more rested and have more clarity in pretty much everything.

One-pot couscous with shrimp, corn and zucchini. | livinglou.com

Sometimes I just want to know what it feels like not to be tired all the time, you know? I realize that 90% of the population probably feels the same way and I’m not alone in this by any means. But when you don’t even have time to grocery shop for three weeks you know it’s hit a bit of an extreme.

The best thing about this one-pot couscous recipe is that it is so incredibly fast to make because each ingredient individually takes minutes to cook.

Shrimp cook up in just a couple of minutes, couscous literally takes five minutes to cook and then finely chopped zucchini, cherry tomatoes and corn are all basically done before you have a chance to blink. I’m telling you, this recipe has been a staple for me throughout this fast-paced summer.

My plan for this weekend involves a lot of resting and relaxing. I think it’s time to recharge before the fall, don’t you?

One-pot couscous with shrimp, corn and zucchini. | livinglou.com

One-pot Couscous with Shrimp, Zucchini and Corn

Author: Louisa Clements
4.06 from 35 votes
A quick summer meal! This recipe for one-pot couscous with shrimp, zucchini and corn is fresh and flavourful with cherry tomatoes and fresh basil. 
Pin Print
Prep: 15 minutes minutes
Cook: 20 minutes minutes
Total: 35 minutes minutes
Servings: 4 servings

Ingredients

  • 2 tablespoon olive oil
  • 340 g / 12 oz raw frozen shrimp, shelled and thawed
  • 225 g / 8 oz cherry tomatoes, halved
  • 1 clove garlic, minced
  • ¼ teaspoon red pepper flakes
  • 1 zucchini, finely diced
  • 1 cob of corn, kernels only
  • ½ teaspoon salt, divided
  • 1 ½ cups water
  • 1 ¼ cup couscous
  • ¼ cup chopped fresh basil
  • 2 tablespoon lemon juice

Instructions

  • Heat a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add olive oil and cook shrimp for 1-2 minutes per side until opaque and light pink. Remove to a plate and set aside.
  • Reduce heat to medium-low, add tomatoes, garlic and red pepper flakes. Cook for 5 minutes, or until tomatoes start to break down and garlic is fragrant. Add zucchini and ¼ teaspoon of salt, cook for 3-5 minutes. Add corn, continue cooking another minute.
  • Reduce heat to low, pour in water, couscous and remaining salt. Cover and steam couscous for 3-5 minutes.
  • Remove from heat, stir in basil, lemon and reserved shrimp.
Did you try this recipe?Leave a comment + rating and let me know what you think!
Filed Under: Dinner Recipes, easy, fish, Pasta, quick recipes, Summer
Nutrition Facts
One-pot Couscous with Shrimp, Zucchini and Corn
Amount Per Serving
Calories 391 Calories from Fat 81
% Daily Value*
Fat 9g14%
Saturated Fat 1g6%
Trans Fat 1g
Cholesterol 214mg71%
Sodium 977mg42%
Potassium 487mg14%
Carbohydrates 51g17%
Fiber 4g17%
Sugar 4g4%
Protein 26g52%
Vitamin A 532IU11%
Vitamin C 30mg36%
Calcium 158mg16%
Iron 3mg17%
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet. Nutrition information is an estimate and is provided for informational purposes only. If you have any specific dietary concerns, please consult with your healthcare practitioner.

Let me know if you give this one-pot couscous with shrimp a try in the comments below.

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4.06 from 35 votes (28 ratings without comment)

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Comments

  1. Aven

    August 26, 2024 at 4:17 pm

    This is a quick, delicious summer meal
    ★★★★★

    5 stars

    Reply
    • Louisa Clements

      September 02, 2024 at 1:15 pm

      So glad you enjoyed, Aven! This is one of my favorites to use up all that delicious summer produce! Thank you for taking the time to leave a review, it is much appreciated!
      Reply
  2. Amanda

    July 31, 2023 at 2:47 pm

    This looks incredible! Can you use frozen or canned corn?
    Reply
    • Louisa Clements

      August 13, 2023 at 11:09 am

      Hi Amanda, you could use canned or frozen corn! I think frozen may be best in this case. Let me know how it goes!
      Reply
  3. Tracy Doughty

    June 26, 2023 at 3:02 pm

    Made this for tea tonight and it was absolutely delicious, I can see it becoming a firm favourite

    5 stars

    Reply
    • Louisa Clements

      August 13, 2023 at 11:11 am

      I am so glad that you all loved this, Tracy! Thank you for letting me know and for leaving a review, it is so appreciated!
      Reply
  4. Mary Beth

    August 25, 2022 at 6:15 pm

    This is delicious! I opted to use the larger pearl couscous—will definitely make again.
    ★★★★★

    5 stars

    Reply
    • Louisa Clements

      August 28, 2022 at 12:37 am

      I am so glad you enjoyed this recipe, Mary Beth! Thank you for taking the time to let me know!
      Reply
  5. charles buchanan

    May 21, 2022 at 11:13 am

    Delicious and filling

    5 stars

    Reply
    • Louisa Clements

      July 16, 2022 at 10:27 am

      So glad you enjoyed, Charles!
      Reply
  6. Mainecarder

    September 03, 2020 at 11:24 am

    Love this! Great dish to make when my garden gets ahead of me. Good with cooked chicken too.
    ★★★★★
    Reply
    • Louisa Clements

      September 17, 2020 at 4:00 pm

      So glad you enjoyed this recipe! Love the idea of adding chicken as well, thank you for letting me know!
      Reply
  7. Aliki

    August 17, 2019 at 5:37 pm

    So delicious!! I'm obsessed with basil, so I used basil infused olive oil, so good! Thank you for sharing this recipe!!
    ★★★★★

    5 stars

    Reply
    • Louisa Clements

      September 15, 2019 at 1:34 pm

      That sounds delicious, I'm so glad you enjoyed this recipe!
      Reply
  8. Molly Kumar

    June 25, 2019 at 8:26 am

    Such a delicious and flavorful recipe. I'm always looking for ways to add more flavors to our everyday meal and this would be fantastic.
    ★★★★★

    5 stars

    Reply
    • Louisa Clements

      June 26, 2019 at 9:18 am

      Thanks Molly, I hope you enjoy!
      Reply
  9. Barbara

    June 23, 2019 at 2:56 pm

    I've made this a bunch of times and finally commenting- I LOVE it! Super easy and tasty. I personally like to use whole grain couscous and throw in a can of black beans to make it more filling. Thanks for the recipe :)
    ★★★★★

    5 stars

    Reply
    • Louisa Clements

      June 24, 2019 at 2:47 pm

      Thank you Barbara! I'm so glad that you enjoy this recipe--thank you for letting me know! Love the idea of black beans in here as well.
      Reply

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Hi, I'm Louisa Clements & welcome to Living Lou. I've been creating simple, fresh & flavorful recipes for the modern kitchen for 14 years.
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