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ROASTED VEGETABLE
COUSCOU S
$7.82 RECIPE / $0.98 SERVING

BUDGET BYTES » RECIPES » SIDE DISH RECIPES » ROASTED VEGETABLE COUSCOUS

JUMP TO RECIPE  GROCERY LIST  FAVORITES

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.

COUSCOUS WITH R OASTED VEGETAB LES

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WHAT IS COUSCOUS?
If you’re unfamiliar with couscous, it’s kind of like small granules of pasta. Technically
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couscous is not a pasta because it’s not made from a dough, but from rolling small bits of
crushed durum wheat semolina in flour until it forms the tiny granules. Because the small
granules are so tiny, it produces a wonderfully light and fluffy mixture once cooked. It’s
perfect for mixing with vegetables, herbs, fruit, meat, or even nuts.

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 DIF F ERENT 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 CO U SCO U S

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 along side 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!
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ROASTED VEGETABLE
COUSCOUS
Roasted Vegetable Couscous is an easy side dish with
complex flavor, with sweet roasted vegetables mixed with
savory, fluffy couscous.
PREP TIME: 10 mins
COOK TIME: 45 mins
TOTAL TIME: 55 mins
PRINT RECIPE 
SERVINGS: 8 about 1 cup each
GROCERY LIST 

INGREDIENTS FAVORITES

4 Roma tomatoes ($1.69)

 2 zucchini ($1.23) 4.96 from 23 votes
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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

1. 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.
2. 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
3. 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.
4. 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.
5. 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.
6. 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!
See how we calculate recipe costs here.

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NUTRITION
Serving: 1 Cup・ Calories: 225.15 kcal ・ Carbohydrates: 40.69 g ・ Protein: 6.9 g ・ Fat:
3.98 g ・ Sodium: 460.91 mg ・ Fiber: 3.75 g
 Nutritional values are estimates only. See our full nutrition disclaimer here.
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The equipment section above contains affiliate links to products we use and love. As an
Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.

Scroll down for the step by step photos!

HOW TO MAKE ROASTED VEGETABLE

COUSCOUS – STEP BY STEP PHOTO S
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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 (although boxed versions are always
much more expensive than bulk varieties).
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Bring 3 cups vegetable broth to a boil over high heat. Once boiling, pour in the couscous,
turn the heat off, replace the lid, and let the couscous sit undisturbed for 10 minutes. The
couscous will absorb the hot water as it sits.
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Once the couscous has absorbed all the broth, fluff it with a fork.
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Chop about 1/4 bunch fresh parsley.

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Once the vegetables are roasted, couscous is fluffed, and parsley is chopped, combine them
all in a large bowl.
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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.)
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Talk about a PRETTY side dish! This Roasted Vegetable Couscous is as delicious as it is
beautiful. :)

POSTED ON SEPTEMBER 10, 2018 IN DAIRY FREE RECIPES, 73 COMMENTS »

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73 COMMENTS ON “ROASTED VEGETABLE COUSCO U S”

« Older Comments

HEATHER —
06.16.21 @ 6:34 PM REPLY

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.

BETH - BUDGET BYTES —

06.17.21 @ 8:50 AM REPLY

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/

ALY —
05.26.21 @ 9:17 PM REPLY

So yummy and refreshing! This will be one of my go to summer dishes.

BELLA —
11.07.20 @ 1:24 PM REPLY

It’s not israeli couscous. There is no israeli kitchen for it to be israeli couscous. It’s
Palestinian couscous called maftoul.
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HEATHER —
10.26.20 @ 11:25 AM REPLY

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.

E —
05.15.20 @ 5:16 AM REPLY

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.

MIKE —
05.06.20 @ 4:31 PM REPLY

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?

CAROLINE —
02.26.20 @ 1:20 PM REPLY

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. 

ELIZABETH SIPPER —
11.09.19 @ 11:30 AM REPLY

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!
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KELLY - TEAM BUDGET BYTES —

11.12.19 @ 4:07 PM REPLY

Oh perfect! Glad you like it Elizabeth!

POONAM GANGAHAR —
10.20.19 @ 6:49 PM REPLY

Pls send me more vegetarian recipes

KELLY - TEAM BUDGET BYTES —

10.21.19 @ 3:54 PM REPLY

You can check out our archives here

https://www.budgetbytes.com/category/recipes/vegetarian/

RT —
09.02.19 @ 9:13 AM REPLY

Just made this and topped with sliced chicken breast and lemon dill tahini dressing
on top :) Yum!

NICOLA —
08.29.19 @ 1:47 PM REPLY

This looks amazing! I am just wondering if this would keep in the fridge for lunches?

Thank you!

KELLY - TEAM BUDGET BYTES —

08.29.19 @ 11:45 PM REPLY

Most definitely!!

KELLY - TEAM BUDGET BYTES —

09.01.19 @ 11:13 AM REPLY

Yes you certainly could!

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