Budget Couscous for a Crowd menu
Budget Couscous for a Crowd — Feed Twenty for Very Little
Nothing feeds a crowd more cheaply or more generously than a single vast platter of couscous — it is how Morocco has fed extended families, weddings and whole neighbourhoods for centuries. This budget menu scales one seven-vegetable couscous to feed twenty, rounded out with a few big bowls of salad and a crate of seasonal fruit. The grain is cheap, the vegetables do the heavy lifting, and a little meat goes a very long way. Below are the courses, a scaled shopping list and a timeline. See the recipes and a how-to on steaming couscous in bulk.
The menu
To start
Big bowls of shared salad
A few large bowls of zaalouk, taktouka and carrot salad set along the table for everyone to help themselves.
Centrepiece
Seven-vegetable couscous (one giant platter)
One enormous mound of steamed grain crowned with pumpkin, carrot, turnip, courgette, cabbage and chickpeas — the whole meal in one dish.
With the couscous
A little meat and plenty of broth
A modest amount of lamb, beef or chicken flavours the whole broth; the vegetables and grain feed the numbers.
Optional
Tfaya topping
A pot of sweet caramelised-onion-and-raisin tfaya for those who like the sweet-savoury touch.
To finish
Crate of seasonal fruit and mint tea
Whatever fruit is cheapest and in season, piled up, with big pots of mint tea.
Drink
Mint tea in quantity
Brew mint tea by the potful — the cheapest and most traditional way to round off a crowd meal.
Shopping list
- A large bag of couscous grain (medium)
- A modest joint of lamb, beef or a couple of chickens (one goes a long way)
- Pumpkin, carrots, turnips, courgettes and cabbage (in quantity)
- Dried or tinned chickpeas (bulk)
- Onions, tomatoes, ginger, turmeric and saffron
- Aubergines, peppers and carrots (for the salads)
- Raisins and honey (for optional tfaya)
- Butter or smen (to finish the grain)
- A crate of seasonal fruit
- Green tea and large bunches of mint
Prep timeline
-
Day before
Make all the salads in big batches; soak the chickpeas if using dried.
-
Morning of
Build the meat-and-vegetable broth in the largest pot you have; begin steaming the grain.
-
Through the day
Steam the couscous two or three times, adding vegetables to the broth in stages.
-
1 hour before
Make the tfaya; mound the grain onto your biggest platter and arrange the vegetables.
-
To serve
Ladle broth over, set out the salads and fruit, and brew tea by the potful.
Host's tips
- Couscous is the cheapest way to feed a crowd well — the grain and vegetables carry the meal, so you need very little meat.
- Borrow or hire the biggest couscoussier you can; steaming in one go is far easier than juggling pots.
- Make salads and soak pulses the day before to spread the workload.
- Serve the broth separately in jugs so people moisten their own portions and nothing goes to waste.
- Buy whatever fruit is cheapest and in season for dessert — simplicity is the point at this scale.
Questions about this menu
How do I cook couscous for twenty people?
Build a large meat-and-vegetable broth in a big pot, steam the grain over it in two or three stages, and finish with butter. One giant platter, a little meat, plenty of vegetables and broth feeds a crowd cheaply.
How much meat do I need for a crowd couscous?
Very little. A modest joint or a couple of chickens flavours the whole broth; the grain, chickpeas and vegetables provide the bulk. This is what makes couscous so economical for large numbers.
Can I make couscous ahead for a party?
Steam the grain in advance and give it a final butter-and-steam before serving. The salads are better made a day ahead, and the broth can simmer while guests arrive.
What is the cheapest way to feed a large group Moroccan food?
A single seven-vegetable couscous. It is the traditional communal dish precisely because it stretches a little meat and a lot of cheap vegetables and grain across many people.
Do I need a couscoussier for big batches?
It makes bulk steaming far easier, so borrow or hire the largest one you can. In a pinch, a big steamer over a stockpot works, but avoid boiling the grain, which turns it heavy.
Learn to cook this menu with a local in Marrakech
Every dish here is taught, hands-on, in a Marrakech cooking class — or taste them across the medina on a guided food tour.