Pearl Couscous Salad with Roasted Vegetables

If you are looking for a delicious salad for fall that is simple to make and great for meal prep, this Pearl Couscous Salad With Roasted Vegetables is it! Keep reading and let me tell you all about it.

Let me share a few other salads we love. Peach Caprese salad is so easy to put together and is a fun variation of the classic Caprese. Mediterranean lentil salad is a vegetarian salad that is delicious and makes awesome meal prep as well! Green goddess pasta salad if pasta salads are your thing, let me suggest this salad for a lighter recipe. Strawberry basil salad is a really easy salad to put together and perfect for enjoying those perfect summer berries.

This salad is vegetarian/vegan, but it is also a really hearty dish. I love eating this for a light meal.

🥘 Ingredients

• Pearl or Israeli Couscous- This couscous is fairly easy to find. I like to buy it in bulk bins though, it is so much cheaper. If you have this option, I recommend it.
• Vegetable Stock- A lot of the flavor in the couscous comes from the stock.
• Vegetables for roasting- I used what I had on hand- butternut squash, zucchini, bell peppers, and onions. You can use any vegetables you like to roast. Cauliflower, mushrooms, corn, etc are all good veggies to use.
• Olive oil- you will use this to toast the couscous, but also for roasting the veggies.
• Garlic- Always adds so much flavor to any dish!
• Salt, pepper, and Italian seasoning- These are the spices I use to create a flavorful dish.

📋 Recipe

1. Start this dish by toasting the couscous. To do this, heat olive oil in a pan. Once it is heated, add the couscous. Mix and cook until it is toasted.
2. Pour in the vegetable stock, mix, turn the heat to low, and cook for about 15 minutes until the couscous is tender.
3. Now, start roasting the vegetables. Cut them to size. I like to be mindful of the sizes I am using. For the vegetables that don't take as long to roast, I cut them in bigger sizes. For the ones that take more time, I cut them into smaller pieces.
4. This ensures that everything will be done at the same time.
5. Drizzle with olive oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Place in the preheated oven and bake until they are just tender, not mushy.
6. The couscous and vegetables are done! Gently combine the 2 with salt, pepper, and Italian seasoning. You don't want to break up the roasted vegetables.
7. I love this served warm, so I eat it right away!
8. That is it. Double the batch and use it for meal prep. It is well worth the effort.

What is Couscous?

If you’ve never had couscous before, you might be wondering what it is. Despite its appearance, couscous is a form of pasta, rather than a grain. I personally prefer pearl or Israeli couscous because of its larger pearl shape.

Couscous is made out of semolina, just like many kinds of pasta, but rather than being made into sheets, it’s rolled between wet hands to create small granules of pasta. The couscous is then dried, which later allows it to be boiled to finish it.

Israeli couscous or pearl couscous is a larger, more formed ball shape of couscous than its more standard cousin. Because of its size, it is toasted instead of dried to help it keep its shape. Because of the difference in the process, Israeli couscous has more of a chewiness to it that adds a nice texture to any dish.

Couscous is really easy to cook. I like to toast mine first, for a little nutty flavor. Then add in the liquid and cook, stirring occasionally.

💭 Top tips

• Toasting the couscous makes all the difference. I know it seems like one extra step, but don't skip it!
• Make sure not to overbake your vegetables. You want them to be tender, but not mushy. Otherwise, they break apart in the salad.
• The beauty of this recipe is its versatility. Feel free to use your favorite vegetables and tailor the recipe to your tastes. You don’t have to use the exact things I did.
• This recipe was created with Italian undertones, but you can use any spices you like. Rosemary is really good in this recipe. Or you can use crushed red pepper, chili powder, etc.
• I used the pearl version of couscous (also known as Israeli couscous) but you can use regular couscous, too, if it’s all you have access to.

📖 Variations

Let me make a few suggestions if you want to change this recipe up a bit. If you want to add in protein, rotisserie chicken is so easy to throw in. Cut it up into chunks and add it in at the end with the roasted vegetables.

You could also boil shrimp and mix that in with the vegetables at the end. They could also be added in the last 5 minutes of cooking time with the couscous as well.

Or maybe you like sausage? Cut this into 1-inch slices and add it to your sheet pan when you are roasting the vegetables. This is an easy protein to add.

Feta cheese also makes a delicious add-in. That sharpness adds more complexity to the dish. I sprinkle it on top or mix it with the veggies.

For some added sweetness you could add raisins or other dried fruits. I recommend adding them in at the very end. You can do the same with nuts. Sliced almonds are delicious in this dish!

• Salads