Couscous with Vegetables

Couscous with vegetables is kind of a couscous salad, but the vegetables are cooked in a pan for about 15 minutes before mixing them with the couscous. Cooking the vegetables beforehand makes this meal super tasty.

This way of eating couscous is popular in the Mediterranean regions, and especially in Italy, where this recipe is called "couscous di verdure".

We use dry couscous for this recipe, the one you can find in most U.S. and western supermarkets. It only takes 5 minutes to cook the couscous, and 15 to cook the vegetables, so you can definitely pull this recipe off in less than 30 minutes in total.

To learn more about couscous, check out our guide on "how to cook couscous" where we show you all our tips and serving suggestions for this versatile, healthy, and delicious ingredient.

Ingredients and substitutions

• Couscous: get regular couscous, the one that looks like tiny granules of pasta, not pearls. Pearl couscous, sometimes called Israeli couscous is actually not couscous and it really isn't a thing in couscous-eating countries. For an even healthier salad, try whole-wheat couscous.
  
• Water: you'll need hot water to cook the couscous. If you want a dish with a richer flavor, you can replace the water with vegetable stock. We also need some water to cook the veggies.
  
• Salt: couscous has a very neutral flavor, you need to salt it to make it tasty.
  
• Olive oil: best if extra virgin although any vegetable oil would do if you don't have olive oil at hand.
  
• Onion and garlic: to build a flavor base for the other vegetables.
  
• Cumin: great with vegetables and couscous so if you have it at hand we recommend it. If you don't have cumin, you can omit it or replace it with other spices such as turmeric.
  
• Vegetables: we use eggplant, carrot, bell pepper, zucchini, tomatoes, and frozen peas. You can of course use your favorite vegetables and change our recipe based on your taste and on the season. For instance, you can replace zucchini with pumpkin, aubergines with potatoes, peas with chickpeas, fresh tomatoes with canned tomatoes, peppers with mushrooms, and so on.
  
• Herbs and other spices: we like to give this meal a Mediterranean spin by adding dried oregano, fresh flat leave parsley, and fresh basil. Like with the vegetables, you can choose your favorite spices and herbs. You can replace oregano with thyme, parsley with dill or chives, and basil with mint.
  
• Pine nuts: optional. Pine nuts add healthy fats, protein, and flavor to this dish, and they go really well with couscous. You can replace pine nuts with other nuts, such as almonds, walnuts, and cashews. In all cases toast them lightly on a pan before adding them to the dish.
  
• Dairy-free yogurt: that is completely optional and it's just a serving suggestion. We love to serve our couscous with a dollop of soy or coconut yogurt on top.

Instructions

Cook the veggies

To a large non-stick pan add the olive oil, cumin seeds, chopped onion, and crushed garlic. Gently fry on low heat for about a minute, stirring often.

In the meantime, cut the eggplant into small dice and add it to the pan. Then cut the carrot into small pieces and add it to the pan.

Stir and add water and let simmer on medium to low heat for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally.

In the meantime, prep the other veggies: chop the bell pepper into small pieces. Chop the zucchini into small dice. Chop the tomatoes into dice.

Add bell pepper, zucchini, tomatoes, and frozen peas to the pan. Season with oregano, salt, and pepper and let cook for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally.

Cook the Couscous

While the veggies cook, you can prep the couscous. Add the couscous and salt to a large mixing bowl, boil the water, and add it to the couscous.

Give it a quick stir so that the water covers the couscous. Cover the bowl with a lid and set aside for 5 minutes.

After 5 minutes, when the water has been fully absorbed, fluff up the couscous with a fork, scraping it with the tips of the fork until all lumps are gone and the couscous is soft and fluffy.

Build the Dish

OPTION 1: When the veggies are cooked, turn off the heat then add a handful of finely chopped parsley and the couscous to the pan.

Mix well with two spoons until couscous and veggies are well combined together. 

Taste and adjust for salt, then transfer into a large serving bowl or serve straight from the pan. You can serve couscous with veggies hot or cold. Top them with a dollop of dairy-free yogurt and a squeeze of lemon.

Serving suggestions

Couscous with vegetables is a versatile meal that you can serve warm or cold. For instance, since it's so quick and easy to make, you can prep it for a quick lunch or as an easy dinner, and eat it warm, with a dollop of yogurt on top.

But because this recipe keeps very well in the refrigerator for up to 3 days, you can definitely make it ahead and use it for meal prep throughout the week. As it sits in the fridge, the couscous will get more and more flavorful absorbing the juices for the veggies.

You can pack it for lunch at work (school) and eat it at room temperature, or warm it up for a couple of minutes in the microwave.

Alternatively, you can make this meal for a picnic or party, make a big bowl, and let people serve themselves. It's perfect on a buffet with other recipes such as white bean dip, bruschetta, guacamole, tzatziki, scrambled tofu, tofu cream cheese, hummus, stuffed peppers, farinata, vegan frittata, and many of our starter-buffet friendly recipes.

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