Chermoula Sauce for Vegetables

Chermoula Sauce is an interesting herb-based sauce that adds such a pop of amazing flavor to many different kinds of vegetables! We enjoyed this on steamed green beans and carrots, but see lots more options below for vegetables to eat with Chermoula Sauce.

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I don’t think there are any awards for interesting sauces to perk up your side dishes, but if there were I’d nominate this Chermoula Sauce for Vegetables! And when I say interesting, what I mean is we couldn’t stop eating it, all the while remarking how plain steamed green beans and carrots had been transferred into something amazing by the tasty Chermoula sauce.

If you’re a fan of fresh herbs and you’ve never tried this interesting herb sauce, you have to make some soon! And if green beans and carrots aren’t really your thing, you can look below for a lot more fun vegetable options that you could serve with this delicious sauce!

What is Chermoula Sauce:

Chermoula (also spelled Charmoula) is sometimes referred to as cilantro pesto, and it’s a North African sauce made of chopped herbs and spices. It’s often served as a sauce on fish, but it’s also used on vegetables and meats. Chermoula is similar to Chimichurri Sauce, which is a South American sauce served on meat.

What ingredients do you need?

(This is only a list of ingredients; please scroll down for complete printable recipe. Or if you use the JUMP TO RECIPE link at the top of the page, it will take you directly to the complete recipe.)

• French-style green beans
• carrots
• large clove garlic
• coarsely chopped cilantro
• coarsely chopped flat leaf parsley
• extra-virgin Olive Oil (affiliate link)
• fresh-squeezed lemon juice, I used my fresh-frozen lemon juice
• hot or Smoked Paprika (affiliate link)
• ground cumin (affiliate link)
• salt and fresh ground black pepper to taste

Can you make Chermoula Sauce without cilantro?

If you’re not a cilantro fan, there are versions of Chermoula Sauce that use more parsley and less cilantro, and even some versions with only parsley. Feel free to make those changes and adapt the sauce ingredients to your own taste.

More vegetables to serve with Chermoula Sauce:

• Sweet Potatoes and Mushrooms
• Roasted Broccoli and Cauliflower
• Spicy Grilled Eggplant
• Air Fryer Peppers and Onions
• Easy Roasted Asparagus
• Easy Grilled Vegetables
• Roasted Green Beans and Peppers
• Air Fryer Carrots with Moroccan Spice Mix
• Roasted Cauliflower with Garlic

How to make Chermoula Sauce for Vegetables:

(This is only a summary of the steps for the recipe; please scroll down for complete printable recipe. Or if you use the JUMP TO RECIPE link at the top of the page, it will take you directly to the complete recipe.)

1. This recipe will look prettiest if you use the thin French-style green beans, although I’m sure regular beans will also taste great.
2. Start by trimming the ends of the green beans and then cutting the carrots into thin strips that are the same thickness as the beans. (I cut the carrots slightly shorter than the beans.)
3. I used this wonderful vegetable steamer that I inherited from my stepmother Norma, but if you don’t have a steamer you can rig one up with a small metal colander inside a pan.  The pan you use for steaming needs to have a lid. 
4. Start steaming the carrots first, because they take longer to cook.
5. While the carrots cook, start assembling the parsley, cilantro, garlic, and spices for the sauce.
6. Once carrots have steamed for about 3 minutes, add the beans and steam for 4-5 minutes more.
7. The vegetables should still be slightly tender-crisp; check one after four minutes to see how they’re doing.
8. To make Chermoula Sauce, use a food processor to chop the garlic, parsley, and cilantro (or more parsley), then add the olive oil, lemon juice, paprika, ground cumin, and salt, and pulse until it’s well combined and chopped.
9. Drain the cooked veggies for a couple of minutes, then toss then with about half the Chermoula sauce.
10. Arrange the vegetables on a serving platter and drizzle over the rest of the Chermoula sauce. Serve hot or warm.

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Yield: 6 servings

Chermoula Sauce for Vegetables

Prep Time 10 minutes

Cook Time 8 minutes

Total Time 18 minutes

Chermoula Sauce for Vegetables is an absolutely amazing sauce for serving over vegetables; try it in this interesting way to serve carrots and green beans!

Ingredients

• 1 lb. French-style green beans, ends trimmed
• 1/2 lb. carrots, trimmed into sticks the same thickness as beans (I cut the carrots slightly shorter than the beans)
• 1 large clove garlic, slightly chopped
• 1 cup coarsely chopped cilantro
• 1/2 cup coarsely chopped flat leaf parsley
• 3 T extra-virgin olive oil
• 2 T lemon juice (I use my fresh-frozen lemon juice)
• 1/4 – 1/2 tsp. hot or smoked paprika
• 1/4 – 1/2 tsp. ground cumin
• salt and fresh ground black pepper to taste

Instructions

1. Add a few inches of water to a steamer (or large pot with a steamer insert) and bring to a boil.
2. While water is heating, trim the ends of the green beans, and cut carrots into sticks about the same thickness as the beans.
3. When water starts to boil and steam, add the carrots and steam for 3 minutes.  Then add green beans and steam for 4-5 minutes more, or until all the vegetables are tender-crisp.
4. While the vegetables are steaming, chop the garlic a few times and wash, dry, and coarsely chop the cilantro and parsley.
5. Add garlic, cilantro, and parsley to food processor fitted with the steel blade and pulse until the herbs and garlic are starting to look finely chopped.
6. Then add the olive oil, lemon juice (I use my fresh-frozen lemon juice), paprika, and ground cumin and pulse until all ingredients are combined.  (I’d start with the smaller amount of paprika and cumin and taste to see if you want more.)  Season the sauce with salt and pepper to taste.
7. When the vegetables are done, drain for a few minutes and then place them in a bowl and toss with about half the sauce.
8. Arrange vegetables on a serving platter and spoon over the rest of the sauce.  Season with salt and fresh ground black pepper as desired, and serve hot or warm.
9. Make-Ahead Tips:  The sauce can be made one day ahead and stored in the refrigerator.  Let it come to room temperature before using in the recipe.

Notes

This recipe makes enough Chermoula Sauce for any vegetable recipes that makes 4-6 servings. If you want to make enough for another vegetable dish the next day, the sauce can definitely be doubled. It will keep well in the fridge for a day but probably not too much longer than that.

Recipe from Fine Cooking with minor adaptations by Kalyn.

Nutrition Information

Yield

6

Serving Size

1
Amount Per Serving Calories 148Total Fat 7gSaturated Fat 1gTrans Fat 0gUnsaturated Fat 6gCholesterol 0mgSodium 274mgCarbohydrates 20gFiber 6gSugar 8gProtein 4g

Nutrition information is automatically calculated by the Recipe Plug-In I am using. I am not a nutritionist and cannot guarantee 100% accuracy, since many variables affect those calculations.

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Low-Carb Diet/ Low-Glycemic Diet / South Beach Diet Suggestions:
This recipe for Chermoula Sauce with carrots and green beans would be limited to phase 2 or 3 for the original South Beach Diet, and the carrots might make this too high in carbs for traditional low-carb diets, although if you check the net carbs you might be surprised. And of course you can use even more beans and fewer carrots if you prefer or serve the sauce over lower-carb vegetable combinations recommended in this post..

Find More Recipes Like This One:
Use Side Dishes for more recipes like this one. Use theDiet Type Index to find recipes suitable for a specific eating plan. You might also like to follow Kalyn’s Kitchen on Pinterest, on Facebook, on Instagram, on TikTok, or on YouTube to see all the good recipes I’m sharing there.

Historical Notes for this Recipe
This recipe for vegetables served with Chermoula Sauce was posted in 2011. It was last updated with more information in 2024.

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