This roasted vegetable pearl couscous salad is straightforward to make, versatile, and tastes glorious both scorching or chilly! Plump pearl couscous is the bottom, and tender roasted zucchini, tomatoes, peppers, carrots, and onions give the salad shade, taste, and diet. It is a excellent dish to meal prep for easygoing lunches or as a facet dish.
I like grain salads and pasta salads all by way of the 12 months. However I affiliate them notably with the summer season months.
All all through the summer season, I like to boil a pot of grains or pasta on a Sunday, add uncooked or cooked veggies and an excellent dressing, and switch all of it right into a grain salad for the week’s vegan meal prep lunches.
This roasted vegetable pearl couscous salad is my present favourite, a easy combination that I whipped up earlier than some latest journey time.
Whereas I get pleasure from normal couscous, I’ve all the time had a tender spot for rounder, extra plump pearl couscous.
That tiny pasta form shines when it’s blended with contemporary, colourful, candy summer season greens and wearing a flavorful French dressing.
Let me let you know extra about this simple dish, which has a lot mealtime versatility!
What’s pearl couscous?
Once I say “normal couscous,” I’m really referring to Moroccan couscous. That is the smallest kind of couscous, and it’s the most typical as effectively.
Moroccan couscous is bigger than semolina flour, which is the kind of wheat flour from which it’s made. But it’s finer than bulgur wheat. As soon as cooked, it turns into fluffy and lightweight.
Moroccan couscous will be became a pilaf, used as a mattress for one thing saucy (like my Moroccan-inspired butternut chickpea stew), or utilized in grain salads.
I usually use it to make my fast carrot chickpea couscous salad.
Pearl couscous, which can be referred to as Israeli couscous, is bigger, spherical and plump.
Pearl couscous, like all varieties of couscous, is a tiny pasta form—one thing I all the time have to remind myself, as a result of my mind usually lumps it along with grains!
Whereas we’re pondering alongside these strains, nonetheless, it’s value saying that, in case you like grains with a chewy texture, similar to farro, then there’s an excellent likelihood you’ll love pearl couscous as effectively.
Cooking instances for pearl vs. Moroccan couscous
Cooking Moroccan couscous is sort of easy. You convey water and salt to a boil, add the couscous, cowl, take away from warmth, and let the couscous sit for 5 minutes earlier than fluffing and serving.
Cooking pearl couscous is hardly a lot effort, however it takes a bit of extra time.
I prefer to prepare dinner pearl couscous in the identical means that I prepare dinner different varieties of pasta. I convey a pot of salted water to a boil. I add my dry couscous after which boil it, like pasta, until it’s cooked to my liking.
This sometimes takes 8-10 minutes—perhaps a tiny bit longer, relying on the model of pearl couscous.
I’m not a fan of al dente grains or pasta, so I normally style the couscous after 8 minutes, see if it’s prepared, and proceed cooking if I need to give it extra time.
Ideally, the cooked pearl couscous must be chewy, but tender, fairly than dense (undercooked) or mushy (overcooked).
Makes use of for pearl couscous
Are you a fan of orzo or pastina? A easy facet dish of savory mushroom farro or lemony bulgur?
Then I believe you’ll discover loads of makes use of for pearl couscous. It may be seasoned plainly with vegan butter or olive oil, salt, and pepper, then used as an accompaniment to your favourite vegan protein and vegetable facet dish.
You can even use cooked pearl couscous for soupy or saucy dishes.
I prefer to make a batch of my vegan tempeh meatballs, smother them in 20-minute marinara sauce, then serve it over pearl couscous. It’s a enjoyable change from spaghetti as regular.
Lastly, pearl couscous lends itself simply to heat, room temperature, or chilly pasta salads.
In cooler months, I prefer to whip up a salad of pearl couscous, roasted cauliflower, pistachios, and dates. It’s received a lot taste and texture distinction.
And when heat climate comes round, this pearl couscous salad with juicy, colourful roasted veggies is my go-to.
Is pearl couscous gluten-free?
Pearl couscous, like most pasta, is made with semolina flour, which is a sort of wheat flour. Consequently, it isn’t gluten-free.
It’s attainable to buy a gluten-free pearl couscous on-line, in case you’re dedicated.
There are different alternate options: I believe that each cooked quinoa and cooked millet would work actually properly as substitutes on this recipe. Each are naturally gluten-free.
Can I take advantage of common couscous to make the salad?
In fact! Common couscous may have a finer, extra fluffy texture, however it would nonetheless work properly on this recipe.
Tips on how to make roasted vegetable pearl couscous salad
That is an easygoing recipe with pretty easy steps.
The method begins with oven-roasting your veggies.
Step 1: Roast the greens
For this recipe, the veggies will roast at 400°F / 200°C. Start by lining a baking pan with parchment or aluminum foil.
The pearl couscous salad requires:
- Peppers
- Purple onion
- Carrots
- Zucchini
- Grape tomatoes
The primary three of those greens—peppers, onion, and carrots—will want extra cooking time than the tomatoes and zucchini. So, you’ll roast in levels.
Give the peppers, onion and carrots a head begin of twenty minutes within the oven.
As soon as these greens are extra tender, but not completed with their roasting time, you’ll push them to at least one facet of the baking sheet. Add the zucchini and tomatoes to the opposite facet, together with further cooking oil.
Return the baking sheet to the oven and roast for an additional quarter-hour, or till all of the greens are tender and the tomatoes have burst.
Step 2: Cook dinner the pearl couscous
Whereas the greens are roasting, you’ll put together the couscous for the pearl couscous salad.
To do that, convey a pot of salted water to a boil. Add the couscous and boil it for 8-12 minutes, or till it’s tender, but nonetheless has some nice chewiness.
Drain the couscous by way of a high-quality mesh sieve, then switch it to a mixing bowl.
Step 3: Whisk collectively your dressing
As soon as the couscous is cooked, you possibly can whisk collectively the French dressing that seasons this salad and brings it to life.
That dressing is the Greek French dressing salad dressing from this weblog. It’s a tangy, garlicky dressing that’s nice on a vegan Greek salad, after all.
However I additionally get pleasure from it on grain or pasta salads, this pearl couscous salad included.
If for some purpose the flavour profile of the Greek French dressing isn’t for you, you should use certainly one of these vinaigrettes as a substitute:
Step 4: Combine and season to style
Subsequent, you’ll add the roasted greens to the pearl couscous in your mixing bowl. It must be a roomy mixing bowl, in an effort to simply toss all the things collectively.
Add some contemporary chopped parsley, in case you can.
The parsley isn’t obligatory, however I believe that it offers the pearl couscous salad some lightness, freshness, and additional depth of taste. Contemporary oregano, basil, and chives are all good attainable substitutes.
Pour the dressing on prime of your substances and blend effectively. Style the pearl couscous salad, then add salt, pepper, or further vinegar as wanted.
Step 5: Chill or serve
In the event you serve the pearl couscous salad immediately, it’ll nonetheless be heat.
There’s nothing unsuitable with this! I benefit from the salad heat, and typically I reheat my leftovers.
Nevertheless, that is additionally a very nice dish to serve chilly. If that’s what you’d love to do, then merely cowl your mixing bowl and pop the salad into the fridge for a pair hours.
The flavors will mingle, the couscous will cool, and also you’ll have an amazing, chilled dish to get pleasure from and share.
Meal prep & storage
Talking of chilling and serving, the roasted vegetable pearl couscous salad will be saved in an hermetic container within the fridge for as much as 4 days.
And in case you’re questioning, sure, the salad will be frozen. Freeze it for as much as six weeks, then defrost in a single day within the fridge earlier than reheating or serving chilly.
The Vegan Week
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Whether or not you’ve three, two, and even only one hour of time to spare, The Vegan Week will present you batch prepare dinner different, colourful, and comforting dishes over the weekend.
Toppings and garnishes for roasted vegetable pearl couscous salad
I like this salad simply the best way it’s, however just a few ending touches may give it much more texture and taste. In no specific order, right here’s an inventory of concepts:
And right here’s the recipe.
Roasted Vegetable Pearl Couscous Salad
Creator –
Yields: 4 servings
- 4 teaspoons refined avocado oil, divided
- 3 medium carrots, peeled and sliced crosswise into 3/8-inch / 1cm thick items (about 1 cup / 120g)
- 1 giant purple onion, chopped roughly into 3/4-inch / 2cm items (about 1 1/2 cups / 180g)
- 1 giant purple bell pepper, trimmed, seeded, and minimize into 3/4-inch / 2cm items (about 1 1/2 cups / 175g)
- 1 giant or 2 small zucchini, trimmed, quartered lengthwise, and minimize into 3/4-inch / 2cm items (about 2 cups / 225g)
- 1 cup complete grape or cherry tomatoes (160g)
- 1 cup pearl couscous (225g)
- 1/3 cup frivolously packed, chopped parsley (15g)
- 4-6 tablespoons Greek French dressing (60-90ml)
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Preheat the oven to 400°F / 200°C. Line a baking pan with parchment or aluminum foil.
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Place the purple onion, carrots, and bell peppers on the baking pan. Drizzle the greens with the two teaspoons of avocado oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Roast the greens for 20 minutes, till they’re tender however not but browning. Push these greens to at least one facet of the baking pan and add the zucchini and grape tomatoes to the opposite facet. Drizzle the zucchini and tomatoes with the remaining 2 teaspoons avocado oil and sprinkle them with salt and pepper. Use a spoon to combine the unroasted greens on the sheet, then switch the sheet again to the oven. Roast the greens for an additional quarter-hour, or till the onions, carrots, and peppers are turning golden, the cherry tomatoes have burst, and the zucchini is tender and simply beginning to brown.
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When you roast the greens, convey a big pot of salted water to boil. Add the couscous. Boil the couscous, like pasta, for 8-12 minutes, or till the couscous is totally tender, but nonetheless has some chewiness. Drain the couscous by way of a fine-mesh sieve.
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Add the couscous to a big mixing bowl, together with the roasted greens and chopped parsley. Add the Greek French dressing and blend effectively. Style the roast vegetable couscous and modify salt and pepper as wanted. If you have to add further French dressing—or purple wine vinegar or olive oil—accomplish that.
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Serve or retailer in an hermetic container within the fridge for as much as 4 days.
I’ve now made this pearl couscous salad just a few instances. It’s been a pleasant dish to get pleasure from alone, for work-from-home lunches which can be colourful and flavorful and don’t really feel like an afterthought.
Nevertheless, I’ve additionally shared the salad, piling it into bowls with a good friend and consuming it casually on a scorching summer season day.
It is a salad for sharing or having fun with solo, regardless of the state of affairs requires. I hope you’ll get pleasure from it each methods!
xo
