A delicious vegetarian or vegan summer meal, the perfect side dish for a barbecue or a wonderful accompaniment to any picnic, this roasted vegetable couscous with basil and pine nuts has to be made.
When I first became vegetarian at the age of 11 this is the dish that I needed in my life. In the 1990s in my hometown however couscous was not readily available.
Mind you, neither was hummus which I just can't imagine living without now.
At 18 I moved to another town to go to university and there my horizons were broadened.
The wonders of roasted Mediterranean vegetables with couscous were introduced to me by my housemate at around the time they started to appear as the vegetarian option on many a bar menu across the land.
What can you add to this dish to make it even better?
This is a great easy vegetarian meal. It's vegan friendly and is a delicious meal in its own right.
However, if you want to add more protein you could add:
- a tin of chickpeas
- toasted pumpkin or sunflower seeds
- crumbled walnuts or other nuts
- dairy free cheese eg tofu ricotta
This cous cous salad makes a great side dish at a barbecue or as part of a picnic spread. It can be eaten warm or cold.
Looking for more vegan picnic ideas?
More recipes you might like
If you like this you might like:
- tagliatelle with vegan rocket pesto
- one of these vegan dinner recipes
- couscous with asparagus, broad beans and peas
Pin roasted vegetable couscous for later:
How to make roasted vegetable couscous
If you have made this recipe and loved it please consider leaving a comment and rating below.
Roasted vegetable couscous
Ingredients
For the vegetables
- 1 red onion sliced
- 2 cloves garlic chopped
- 2 medium courgettes sliced
- 2 red or yellow peppers sliced
- 250 g cherry or plum tomatoes
- 1 aubergine diced
- ½ butternut squash peeled and chopped
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 1 tsp dried oregano
- sea salt and black pepper to taste
For the couscous
- 150 g couscous
- 200 ml boiling water
- 1 tbsp olive oil
To serve
- small handful basil leaves roughly torn
- 50 g pine nuts
Instructions
- Pre-heat the oven to 200°C (fan)/220°C/gas mark 7. Place all the prepared vegetables, apart from the tomatoes, into a large roasting tin. Toss with the olive oil and oregano and season with sea salt and pepper.
- Roast in the pre-heated oven for 20 minutes, add the tomatoes, stir and replace for a further 20 minutes or until the vegetables are cooked through.
- Meanwhile prepare the couscous. Place the dry cous cous into a medium sized bowl. Pour over the boiling water and cover. Allow to rest for 5 minutes then add the olive oil and fluff up with a fork.
- While the couscous is soaking heat a small frying pan over a medium heat. Add the pine nuts and lightly toast for a few minutes, stirring often to avoid them burning. There's no need to add oil to the pan.
- When the vegetables are ready, remove from the oven and mix with the cous cous. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
- Serve with lightly torn basil leaves and the toasted pine nuts.
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