Light and Fluffy Couscous with Roasted Zucchini
If you’re looking for a quick, flavorful dish, couscous with roasted zucchini is the perfect blank canvas for any meal!
I first bought couscous to add to a soup recipe, and afterward it sat in my pantry for months. One day I decided to try it as a starchy side for supper, and it was so delicious that I’ve been serving it ever since. For some reason, I had always thought of couscous as just a soup additive, but really it’s a light, fluffy, and incredibly easy starch on its own.
Couscous is the perfect blank canvas. You can add anything you’d like to it —pastrami, sausage, grilled chicken, roasted veggies, feta cheese…you name it.
Lots of people want to know what the difference is between standard couscous and Israeli (pearl) couscous. Standard couscous is much smaller and it has a much lighter and fluffier texture than Israeli couscous, which is more pasta-like and a bit heavier. The one you use has a lot to do with personal preference, and you can totally alternate which one you go for. For example, you can use standard couscous in my oven-baked couscous and pastrami by simply swapping the Israeli couscous for regular. You’ll see it takes it gives it a whole different spin!
When I roast zucchini to go with this couscous dish, I use real baking sheets so the zucchini gets a beautiful sear and stays crispy, rather than going soggy, as zucchini sometimes does.
One of the best things about couscous is how quickly it comes together. I just mix it in a bowl with boiling water, cover it, and within minutes it’s fluffy, delicious, and ready to eat. Try it with this couscous with roasted zucchini dish and you’ll see how fantastic it is!
Light and Fluffy Couscous with Roasted Zucchini
Ingredients
- 3 small zucchini, scrubbed and chopped
- 2 garlic cloves, minced (or 2 frozen cubes)
- 1 Tbsp olive oil
- Salt and pepper, to taste
- ¾ cup couscous
- 1½ cups boiling water
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 400°F.
- Place zucchini and garlic on a parchment-lined baking sheet. Toss with oil, salt and pepper.
- Bake for about 25 minutes, or until roasted.
- Place couscous in a bowl with boiling water. Cover and let sit for about 5 minutes. Uncover and fluff with fork.
- Toss zucchini with couscous and serve.
Recipe by Faigy Murray | https://mykitchenmystudio.com/couscous-with-roasted-zucchini/
Professional cook here. I don’t need to cook this to see this will be absolutely flavorless. Just a little garlic and salt and pepper as flavoring for couscous and zucchini? both main ingredients have zero point zero flavor and even soak up flavors. This needs ras el hanout or a spice mix like cayenne pepper, cumin & turmeric. hell, even a tablespoon of garam masala would make this dish 10 times better.
“Thanks for sharing your thoughts. I kept the flavors here simple and clean, but of course spices can always be added to suit personal preference. That’s the beauty of cooking — there are so many ways to make a dish your own.”