I’m still trying to take full advantage of the fresh summer veggies before they’re gone. This Roasted Vegetable Couscous is the perfect side dish for the transitional season when the markets are still full of fresh beautiful produce, but it’s not so hot that you don’t want to turn on your oven. This simple side dish is easy to prepare, but boasts complex and vibrant flavors.
That being said, if it is still too hot to roast your vegetables in the oven, you can make this dish just as easily by grilling the vegetables outside on your grill. Either way, you’ll get that wonderfully sweet caramelized smoky flavor on the edges of the vegetables that contrast so well with the savory couscous.
Originally posted 8-29-11, updated 9-10-18.
What is Couscous?
Couscous is small granules of crushed durum wheat that is steamed and served as a fluffy, starchy accompaniment to soups, stews, and braises. It’s is native to North African countries, like Morocco, Lybia, Tunisia, and Algeria. This delightful pasta-like grain has spread throughout the world and can now be found in many countries, and most major grocery stores in the U.S.
There are several different types of couscous, including different shapes and sizes, and any can be used for this dish. I used a traditional couscous, which has a very fine grain. Just make sure to check the cooking instructions on your package of couscous to adjust the liquid amount or cooking time needed for the particular variety you’re using.
How do you Cook Couscous?
Cooking Couscous is extremely easy. Simply pour the couscous into boiling water (1 part couscous to 1.5 parts water), place a lid on top, turn the heat off, and let it sit undisturbed for ten minutes. The couscous will quickly absorb the hot water. After ten minutes fluff, then serve! You can flavor couscous by cooking it in flavored liquids, like the vegetable broth I used here. Larger varieties of couscous, like Israeli couscous, or varieties made with whole wheat semolina, may have slightly different cooking instructions.
Can I Use Different Vegetables?
Yes! You can use pretty much any vegetable that you have available to you, but I like to make sure I have at least three colors for maximum visual appeal. Some other vegetables that are wonderful in this mix are: eggplant, yellow squash, mushrooms, or broccoli. If using hard vegetables, like root vegetables, you may need to cut them slightly smaller to make sure they soften.
What to Serve with Roasted Vegetable Couscous
This simple recipe makes a really great side dish to any meat, like Herb Roasted Pork Tenderloin, Garlic Butter Baked Chicken Thighs, Chicken Piccata, or Oven Baked Fish with Tomatoes. To make this part of a vegetarian meal, serve it alongside Marinated Portobello Mushroom Burgers, a Scallion Herb Chickpea Salad sandwich, or just top a bowl of the roasted vegetable couscous with a big dollop of hummus and serve with a side of pita!
Roasted Vegetable Couscous
Servings 8 about 1 cup eachIngredients
- 4 Roma tomatoes ($1.69)
- 2 zucchini ($1.23)
- 1 bell pepper ($1.00)
- 1 red onion ($0.69)
- 4 cloves garlic ($0.24)
- 2 Tbsp olive oil ($0.32)
- 2 pinches salt and pepper ($0.05)
- 2 cups couscous ($1.97)
- 3 cups vegetable broth ($0.39)
- 1/4 bunch parsley ($0.24)
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 400ºF. Wash and chop the tomatoes, zucchini, bell pepper, and red onion into 1 to 1.5-inch pieces. Peel four cloves of garlic but leave them whole.
- Toss the chopped vegetables and garlic with 2 Tbsp of olive oil. Spread them out on a baking sheet so they are in a single layer. Sprinkle a couple pinches of salt and pepper over the vegetables
- Place the vegetables in the oven and roast at 400ºF for about 45 minutes, stirring twice throughout, until the vegetables are wilted and browned on the edges.
- While the vegetables are roasting, cook the couscous. Add the vegetable broth to a sauce pot, place a lid on top, and bring to a boil over high heat. Once boiling, add the couscous, turn off the heat, and cover the pot with the lid once again. Let the couscous sit, undisturbed, for ten minutes. Then, fluff with a fork.
- After the vegetables are finished roasting, collect the four garlic cloves, and chop them well. They will be quite soft. Also roughly chop the fresh parsley.
- Combine the couscous, roasted vegetables (including garlic), and parsley in a bowl, and stir to combine. Season with more salt and pepper if desired. Serve warm or cold!
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Nutrition
Have you tried this recipe?Mention @budgetbytes or tag #budgetbytes on Instagram!Scroll down for the step by step photos!
How to Make Roasted Vegetable Couscous – Step By Step Photos
These are the vegetables that I used for my couscous today, but you can be flexible with the vegetables in this dish. Use whatever you have on hand or whatever is available at a good price! Preheat the oven to 400ºF.
Chop the vegetables into 1 to 1.5-inch pieces. Peel the garlic, but you can leave it whole so it roasts and becomes nice and sweet. Place the vegetables (and garlic) on a large baking sheet, drizzle 2 Tbsp olive oil over top, and add a couple pinches of salt and some freshly cracked pepper. Toss until the vegetables are well coated in oil.
Roast the vegetables in the preheated oven for about 45 minutes, stirring a couple of times throughout, or until they are wilted and browned on the edges. Pick out the whole cloves of garlic and mince them.
While the vegetables are roasting, cook the couscous. This is what couscous looks like uncooked. Very small, irregular granules. You can usually find this in bulk bins, or sometimes near the pasta or boxed pasta and rice pilaf mixes. Just keep in mind that boxed versions are always much more expensive than purchasing in bulk.
Bring 3 cups vegetable broth (or chicken broth) to a boil over high heat. Once boiling, add the couscous, replace the lid, and remove it from the heat. Let the couscous sit undisturbed for 10 minutes. The couscous will absorb the hot water as it sits.
Fluff the couscous with a fork once all of the broth has been absorbed.
Chop about 1/4 bunch fresh parsley.
Once the vegetables are roasted, couscous is fluffed, and parsley is chopped, combine them all in a large bowl.
Toss everything together, give it a taste, and add salt if needed (this will depend on the salt content of the broth you used. I did not add any extra salt.)
Talk about a PRETTY side dish! This Roasted Vegetable Couscous is as delicious as it is beautiful. :)
Was looking for tastey & low sodium. Gonna try it.
Thxs.
Followed the recipe initially for the cous cous and it was too mushy so I went back to a 1:1 ratio (or directions on box). Also to make it quicker just sear your veg in a skillet if you don’t want to use the oven. Overall it’s a good recipe to start from, good as a meal or side.
I did try this according to the recipe but 45 minutes at 400 is too long. My veggies were overcooked, onions were burned. I had to make it again. 30 minutes is good but keep checking every ten minutes.
I just tried this today and it came out so well! I made a grilled chicken to go with it and it was so tasty! Thank you for this! :D
AMAZING!! So easy to make and delicious when finished! Perfect accompaniment when you are making dinner for a small group of people as you can do this ahead and it only tastes BETTER! Also can make for lunches at work if you are a plant based/vegetarian ! Thank you!!
Loved this!! Delicious hot and then cold as a leftover ❤️
I followed your instructions for the couscous and it did not work it needed more liquid it was a clumpy horrible mess,
It’s probably your cous cous. Some brands don’t work well I have run into this before. Don’t blame the recipe.
Doubled the veggies as I thought the ratio of couscous to vegetables was too high the first time I made this. Served with grilled merguez and spicy harissa…De-licious!
Nice recipe but cous cous cooks in 5 minutes. I followed the recipe and ended up with clumpy overcooked mush.
Hi Melissa, depending on the brand, cous cous can take anywhere from 5 to 15 minutes to cook. Definitely refer to the cooking directions on the box for the brand you have purchased. XOXO -Monti
This meal is awesome! Easy and color and delicious. We served it with a big dollop of garlic hummus, and we will definitely be making this often. Thanks!
Such a great, versatile recipe that’s easy to whip up! Made a batch as meal-prep for lunches this week and I think it’ll keep well. I used pearl couscous and just made it according to the box. I also don’t put the tomatoes in the oven and add them fresh at the end. Since the couscous didn’t have the flavour from cooking in broth, I made a quick balsamic vinaigrette and poured it over top when serving and it’s an excellent addition!
Great recipe! Super easy and delicious!
I used the pearl couscous and added baby Bella mushrooms. Went really well with cod!
Delicious meal! Unfortunately, I didn’t have any couscus however had quinoa and it went really well .
Roasted vegetables will give a taste to our tongue, but cooked vegetables will give more benefits compared with roasted vegetables. My choice is always cooked vegetables in my daily food diet.
Roasted retains the most nutrients besides eating them raw
Really juicy and fragrant, added chilli flakes but fried up the veggies came out well
My husband and I love this recipe, but I feel like it was different the first few times I made it. Was it changed? And if so, is there anywhere the old version can be accessed? Thanks.
Hi Heather, I just checked the old version and it’s pretty much the same. The mix of vegetables is slightly different due to what was available at the store the second time around, but otherwise it’s the same. :) You can see the old version through the Way Back Machine (an internet archive) here: https://web.archive.org/web/20180614204826/https://www.budgetbytes.com/roasted-vegetable-couscous/
So yummy and refreshing! This will be one of my go to summer dishes.
It’s not israeli couscous. There is no israeli kitchen for it to be israeli couscous. It’s Palestinian couscous called maftoul.
This was a great recipe. I added a squeeze of lemon on top which really brightened it up. I used mushrooms and broccoli but didn’t have zucchini. It’s so versatile! It would work as a main dish or a side dish – I served it with some sausages.
This is probably one of my favorite meals ever, I can even get my husband to eat it, and he generally dislikes healthier food. It tastes great hot or cold and smells amazing either way.
I love this recipe and make it regularly but am always puzzled by the couscous. I get the boxed kind, and it uses much less liquid than you suggest. Yours, especially with the broth is more flavorful. But why the difference in liquid?
To make this into a hearty meal, I roasted some chickpeas when they veggies had about 15 mins left. To serve, I layered couscous, then veggies, then chickpeas and added crumbled feta.
Loved this recipe! I went with boxed couscous and just followed the instructions on the box then combined with the vegetables. The roasted garlic flavor makes this so good, even my husband went for seconds!
Oh perfect! Glad you like it Elizabeth!
Pls send me more vegetarian recipes
You can check out our archives here https://www.budgetbytes.com/category/recipes/vegetarian/
Just made this and topped with sliced chicken breast and lemon dill tahini dressing on top :) Yum!
This looks amazing! I am just wondering if this would keep in the fridge for lunches?
Thank you!
Most definitely!!
Yes you certainly could!
Wow! This is amazing! The veggies are so sweet when roasted. My kids and I love love love this, can’t get enough! Will be making this on regular rotation from now on!
This was delicious, healthy and easy! In fact all the recipes I have tried from this site are excellent. And I love that there are so many vegan recipes. And many of the ones that are not have alternative options to make them vegan. Thank you so much for having this site :)
I am disabled and can’t do much in the kitchen anymore. I have made something very much like this only much easier. I use cous cous from a box (Middle East brand I think) that comes with a flavoring packet (I like the Parmesan). Cook according to package directions. I cook my veggies (roughly cut into bite size chunks) very quickly on top of the stove in a skillet with a little olive oil over high heat until they are slightly charred on the edges but still kind of crispy inside. My go-to veggies are onion, bell pepper, and yellow squash. Season with garlic salt and pepper, dump on top of the cous cous.
Love this! I’ve made it several times, using about half the recipe since I wasn’t sure how well couscous would reheat. I’m looking forward to the asparagus popping up (we have several places on our property and along the road where we live) and using that in place of the zucchini. Great recipe, as always, Beth! I love that you have so many meat free recipes since my husband is a vegetarian. The recipes are always pretty straight forward and don’t have some way-out-there expensive ingredient, one of those that you have to hunt for and then wonder what you are going to do with the rest of it. I always look forward to receiving your latest recipe each week. Thank you!!
Followed the recipe exactly save for one small thing: I doubled the recipe for more people, then realized at the last second I didn’t have enough couscous. So I also made a brown rice/quinoa blend I had on hand, and mixed it with the couscous at the end. My veggies were mushrooms, tomatoes, zucchini and squash. DELICIOUS. I will be trying this with other veggies!
Question: does it hurt to use frozen veggies or a mix of fresh and frozen? I bought some veggies super cheap this summer (bell peppers, squash, cucumbers), chopped and froze what I didn’t eat, but I also have a ton of sweet potato and onions that I bought cheap around Thanksgiving. Some of the combos seem like they’d go well with the couscous, but I don’t know if roasting from frozen will mess with the texture too much.
Higher water content vegetables get very soft and watery after freezing and thawing, so those won’t do so well when roasting (they’ll just stew in their juices). But harder vegetables like broccoli and sweet potato roast pretty well after being frozen. :)
The first time I set out to make this recipe, I found out I was out of couscous! I subbed quinoa and it worked well. This weekend I tried it with couscous and it was really delicious. I think quinoa is a good substitute if you find yourself without couscous.
I fried up some halloumi and topped with a little drizzle of mayo to recreate a dish my husband and I like from a local spot but is too heavy and greasy the way they make it.
I needed two sheet trays for the vegetables to roast properly. The last time I tried it with just one the pan was too crowded and it took a lot longer than 45 minutes.
Great recipe, it’s one we’ll make often!
Do you by chance have nutritional information on this dish?
No, I’m sorry, I do not have nutritional information.
I plan to try this basic idea with quinoa instead of couscous in order to add protein. Seems it should work; like the flavor combinations!
I really like this recipe and will definitely make it again (I added some balsamic vinegar and dijon mustard to my veggies) the only thing I found is that the veggie to couscous ratio was off for me so I’d probably cut back the amount of couscous i made by 1/2 to 1 cup or increase the amount of veggies
Beth, I’m making this right now, but I’m this and in several other recipes, I have been so enamored with that pan! Do you live it? Is it cast iron or coated enamel? Can you give us the details?
Thanks for all you do!
Thanks! It’s an enamel coated pan from Roveandswig.com I wouldn’t say it’s anything special to cook with compared to my regular sheet pans, but it’s GREAT for photos, so that’s the main reason I use it. ;)
Hi, daft question, but what does couscous taste or feel like when eating? Sorry for the question, it’s just weve recently made the switch to a healthier lifestyle. So far weve cut all the rubbish food out, and are juicing every single day. Feling great so far but wanting to improve the meals a bit further still, so trying to broaden my horizons…!
Ive also got to try and increase my range of veggies I eat, dont like too many ooops..!
Thanks
Not a daft question at all. :) It tastes just like pasta, but since it’s in super small pieces it’s more light and fluffy rather than dense like a lot of pastas can be.
Your timing for this recipe is perfect! I just remembered I have a potluck tomorrow, and I have all of these veggie on-hand. Thanks!
That knife is GORGEOUS, what brand is it??
It’s a Shun knife, which strangely enough I won in a contest that I didn’t even know that I was entered into!
Here’s a tip if you want to save dishes. Instead of putting the couscous in a pot of boiling water, you can put it directly in the bowl you use for serve and mixing. Add the broth powder of your choice and mix it with the couscous. Add boiling water until the couscous is covered plus roughly 1 cm more. Let it sit for 5-10 minutes. If the couscous has absorbed all the water and is still a bit tough, you can simply add a splash more water.
For obvious reasons, be a bit careful when you use glassware. Adding boiling water on top may cause it to break if the bowl itself is cold.
I do this! It’s super quick and reliable. I just boil a kettle and pour it over until the couscous is covered, then stick a plate on top of the bowl to trap the steam leave for 5 mins, before stirring with a fork.
This is delicious! I was dubious about how something so simple would taste, but I was pleasantly surprised.
I will definitely make this again, I think it’ll go great with some spiced chickpeas. Trader Joes has the best price on whole wheat couscous that I’ve found.
The only thing that doesn’t make sense to me is why the recipe has you chop the vegetables twice, before and after roasting. I just cut them once at the beginning (bite-size). Plus, the smaller chop means they cook faster.
When would you add the balsamic vinegar, and how much would you recommend?
It would be good if you just sprinkled a little over top at the end. Then you can toss it together to distribute the vinegar a bit more. Start with a tablespoon and add more as you see fit.
The vegetables were burned! 45 minutes at 400 degrees on a single layer??? Really??? At 18 minutes left the vegetable were charcoal!!! This cook time is ridiculous!!!
Did you use degrees in Celsius???
Great
Lovely recipe :) Now I know what’s for dinner tonight :)
Thanks Beth!
So, I really thought I wouldn’t like this one. The only reason I decided to try it is because my husband absolutely loves couscous. Surprisingly, however, I ended up enjoying this dish a lot. I made it with acorn squash instead of yellow, but otherwise left the recipe exactly as is. Making the couscous with chicken broth really added a pop of extra flavor, and overall this was really good. I was also surprised at how full I was afterwards. Now I can actually enjoy eating couscous with my husband. Thank you!
Delicious just the way the recipe reads. Thanks a bunch!! :)
I made for dinner to serve alongside Greek Chicken, also from here. I used garlic, eggplant, zucchini, red onion, grape tomatoes, and green bell pepper for the veggies. Substituted the couscous for quinoa. Added feta, parsley, and olive oil. So delish.
I have a portion that I didn’t add the feta/parley/EVOO to and will be eating it with a sunny side egg on top.
The hardest part about this recipe was not eating all the delicious veggies off the roasting pan!
Wondering if it might work to toss in some white beans to add some protein?
Yes, I think that would be good! :)
I just made this today with bulgar wheat instead of couscous and it was amazingly delicious, so anyone looking for a healthier alternative to the couscous might want to try it that way instead.
Also, love the site! I’ve been cooking sooo many recipes since I discovered it a few months back and they’re always delicious ^__^
So, I have an anecdote with my review. My flatemate had left a bag of couscous in the kitchen with a note saying saying that anyone who wanted it could have it. I thought, cool, free food, and remembered that there was a tasty-looking couscous recipe on here. I roasted up all my yummy veggies (I used zucchini, eggplant, carrots, red onion, tomato, and garlic; I HATE peppers and I couldn’t find squash), cooked the couscous, and mixed it all up with some feta. It smelled a bit odd but I decided to have a bowl anyway. After eating it and deciding that it also tasted a bit odd, I checked the bag for the couscous. IT HAD EXPIRED IN 2006. WHY DID MY FLATMATE HAVE 8 YEAR OLD PASTA, like was it an heirloom bag of couscous or something??? Anyway, I ended up chucking the whole thing…the veggies were all kind of mushed in so I couldn’t save them :( RIP to all those yummy veggies and half a block of feta.
I ended up going out the next day to re-buy all the ingredients (I wanted my salad, dammit!) and re-made the salad with orzo because I couldn’t find couscous. It was worth it, because it’s so delicious when the pasta isn’t all rancid and 8 years old, and it makes a huge batch, so I’ll have a tasty lunch all week :D
Hahaha, love it! (the funny story, not that you had to toss all that food :P )
FYI pasta doesn’t turn rancid. Fats and oils turn rancid when stale and old. Although properly stored pasta will easily last 1-2 years past the so-called “expiration date”, 8 years is a bit much.
Most likely your pasta was stale or (if ANY moisture accumulated) a bit of mold crept in.
3 cups of veggie broth for 27cents?!
many I ask where you get your veggie broth?
I can’t seem to find it anywhere near that price.
I use Better Than Bouillon brand base to make the broth. It’s an awesome product because you can mix up as much or as little broth as you need and the rest stays good in the refrigerator for months. Plus, is much cheaper than buying regular broth. :)
Hello!
I tried this yesterday and it came out beautifully. I added fetta cheese, drizzled some olive oil and sprinkled little oregano.
Baked veggies work their magic on this dish….
The only thing I regret is of course the fact that couscous is not exactly a healthy food… else I would eat this practically every other day :-) :-)
Love this!!! I crank up the garlic NAND serve sour cream or labneh(middle eastern strained yogurt) with it! Delish!
You can also use the same veggies raw. Love it!!!
Holy crap! I found your blog via Pintrest and am so excited! Your dishes look sooo good! I honestly can’t wait to try them all!
I made this last night and it was DELICIOUS! Thanks for the recicpe! I think I have a new one to put into the regular rotation!
I had no idea couscous was so easy to cook! I made this tonight (Though I just made enough for two big servings.) Great recipe.
I LOVED this recipe! Added some corn in there as well, it was my first time cooking cous cous, it came out amazing!
Just made this! So easy, yummy, and versatile :D
I made some modifications based on what I had on hand. Substituted quinoa instead of couscous. Added cauliflower, carrots and mushrooms. No parsley. It was delicious. Then I added some chili sauce and WOW. My mouth is on fire, but I love it. Great recipe. Wonderful technique. Infinite variation Thank you for the inspiration! First time reader… I’ll be coming back for more!
Hey Dear…,
Really great thought here i read. Is it yours? Yes, then amazing writing and presentation. Thank you for post. Keep sharing with us..
Oh my… This recipe is HEAVEN! I made this yesterday for lunch and the total cost was about half of the estimated price here because of the farmer’s market! A piece of advice… If you want to make this recipe now, go (RUN!) to your local farmer’s market because towards the end of the summer, most vendors cut their prices significantly because they’re unloading the last of their crops. They’re especially generous and will give you a better price for your bundle of loot if you purchase all of your veggies from them, so be prepared to do some 1-stop shopping (not always the preferred method of shopping at farmer’s markets, I know). I used the veggies: 1 head of garlic, 1 red onion, 3 peppers, 1 eggplant, 1 summer squash, and 1 zucchini… All for a grand total of about 4 bucks at the farmer’s market! Oh, also, when I smashed the garlic goodness, I mashed it in with a few tablespoons of dijon mustard (saw it in a similar veggie couscous from tyler florence) and it gave it a little extra zing. PERFECTION once again, Beth!!!
ooh, terrific way to use up some assorted veggies. thanks for this!!
I made this tonight and put some feta on top. It wad delicious! Thanks for sharing!! -Lisa
Kinsley – I’m really not sure how it would freeze… Maybe I’ll pop some in the freezer tonight and then thaw it out for dinner tomorrow and let you know!
This looks great! And I am sure it could be also made with quinoa as well. Thanks for inspiration!
Do you think this will freeze well?
This looks uh-mazing. I often throw some extra veggies in with cous-cous, but for some reason it was only ever in relatively small proportions. Can’t wait to try this.
I know what you mean, it seems like everyone else is moving on to fall recipes already but I’m not ready to give up on summer veggies/fruit yet! This looks delicious :)