Super Healthy Couscous Salad
This one has become a proper staple for us, especially when we want something that feels fresh and satisfying without spending hours in the kitchen. Roasting the veg first is the move, it brings out all this lovely sweetness and depth that you just don't get from raw salads. You get these gorgeous caramelised edges on the vegetables, fluffy couscous soaking up all those roasting juices, and then the cold ingredients cutting through with brightness and crunch. It's the kind of salad that actually fills you up and makes you feel good at the same time. Honestly, make this tonight, you won't regret it.
Before You Start
- Preheat oven to 200°C
- Large baking tray
- Large mixing bowl
- Couscous cooked in advance
Ingredients
- ½ butternut squash - peeled, cubed
- 120g cherry tomatoes - halved
- 1 courgette - cut into chunks
- 120g asparagus - cut into 1 inch pieces
- 1 red bell pepper
- 1 large red onion
- 5 garlic cloves
- olive oil - a good glug, approx. 60ml
- 1 tsp pepper
- chilli flakes to taste
- 2 tsp salt
- 120g pitted olives - halved
- 120g cucumbers - cut into 1 inch chunks
- 20g basil - chopped
- 20g parsley - finely chopped
- Juice of 1 lemon
- couscous - enough for 4-6 people
- 60g toasted pine nuts
- 60g toasted sesame seeds
- rocket
- balsamic glaze
Method
First, roast the veggies
- Put all the ‘roasting’ ingredients on a baking tray and bake them for 30 minutes at 200℃
- Take the tray out of the oven, carefully remove the garlic then remove the skins from the cloves
Build the salad and serve
- Put all the roasted vegetables in the large bowl that has your cooked couscous in it
- Throw in the roast garlic & mix the couscous & roast vegetables together
- Add the cold ingredients & stir them into the bowl
- Serve immediately with rocket & balsamic glaze. BOSH!
Tips & Variations
- Nail your couscous: Pour just-boiled water over your couscous, cover with a plate and leave it for 5 minutes, then fluff with a fork. It should be light and separate, not clumped together. A tiny drizzle of olive oil and a pinch of salt in the water helps loads.
- Make it more substantial: We love throwing in a drained tin of chickpeas before roasting for extra protein. They go slightly crispy in the oven and add a brilliant texture to the finished salad.
- Season as you go: Taste everything before you serve. Roasted veg can need a bit more salt than you expect, and a squeeze of lemon right at the end really lifts the whole thing and makes the flavours pop.
Why This Works
The trick here is letting the roasted veg and garlic do the heavy lifting on flavour. When you squeeze those roasted garlic cloves out of their skins and mix them through the couscous, it melts in and gives everything this mellow, sweet, garlicky richness that you can't fake with raw garlic. Then bringing in the cold ingredients at the end keeps things lively and stops it all feeling too heavy.