Roasted Veggie Couscous Salad (Print Version)

Colorful couscous with roasted vegetables and lemon dressing, perfect as a light main or side dish.

# What You'll Need:

→ Vegetables

01 - 1 medium zucchini, diced
02 - 1 red bell pepper, diced
03 - 1 yellow bell pepper, diced
04 - 1 small red onion, cut into wedges
05 - 1 cup cherry tomatoes, halved
06 - 2 tablespoons olive oil
07 - 1/2 teaspoon salt
08 - 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

→ Couscous

09 - 1 cup couscous
10 - 1 cup vegetable broth or water
11 - 1 tablespoon olive oil
12 - 1/4 teaspoon salt

→ Lemon Dressing

13 - 1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
14 - Juice and zest of 1 lemon
15 - 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
16 - 1 garlic clove, finely minced
17 - 1/2 teaspoon honey or maple syrup
18 - Salt and pepper, to taste

→ To Finish

19 - 1/4 cup fresh parsley, chopped
20 - 2 tablespoons fresh mint, chopped (optional)
21 - 1/3 cup crumbled feta cheese (omit for vegan option)
22 - 2 tablespoons toasted pine nuts or slivered almonds (optional)

# Steps to Follow:

01 - Preheat oven to 425°F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
02 - Toss zucchini, bell peppers, red onion, and cherry tomatoes with olive oil, salt, and pepper. Spread evenly on baking sheet and roast for 20 to 25 minutes, stirring halfway, until tender and lightly caramelized.
03 - Bring vegetable broth to a boil in a medium saucepan. Stir in couscous, olive oil, and salt, remove from heat, cover, and let stand for 5 minutes. Fluff with a fork to separate grains.
04 - Whisk together lemon juice, lemon zest, olive oil, Dijon mustard, minced garlic, honey or maple syrup, and salt and pepper to taste until well combined.
05 - In a large bowl, mix couscous with roasted vegetables, parsley, and mint. Pour dressing over and toss gently to coat all ingredients evenly.
06 - Top salad with crumbled feta cheese and toasted nuts just before serving. Serve warm or at room temperature.

# Additional Tips::

01 -
  • It comes together faster than you'd think, turning simple vegetables into something that tastes deliberately crafted.
  • The roasted vegetables give you actual flavor instead of the raw crunch you're probably tired of by summer.
  • It works warm, cold, or somewhere in between, which means you can make it ahead without stress.
02 -
  • Don't skip stirring the vegetables halfway through roasting—the side touching the pan caramelizes fastest, and you want even color throughout.
  • The couscous needs exactly five minutes to absorb the liquid; any longer and it gets mushy, any shorter and it's crunchy.
  • Add the feta and nuts at the very end, not earlier, or the feta will soften into the warm salad and the nuts will lose their crunch.
03 -
  • Toast your own nuts in a dry pan for one to two minutes right before serving—store-bought toasted ones go stale faster, and fresh-toasted tastes noticeably better.
  • Use a microplane to zest the lemon so you get only the bright yellow part, not the bitter white pith underneath.
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