This pearled couscous veggie bowl is quick and easy to put together, can be adjusted based on the vegetables you have on hand, and keeps for days in the fridge. I have tried many vegetable combinations to date, all served with the best apple cider vinegar dressing and crumbled feta cheese. This dish is versatile: You could serve this as a side dish next to your choice of protein, like oven roasted chicken, or enjoy it on its own for a vegetarian meal packed with protein and fiber.
Several components come together to create a delicious blend of flavors. First you have the pearled couscous, also known as Israeli couscous, which is the larger, round version of the grain. It has a great chewy texture that provides a nice base for all the veggies in this dish. The flavor for the couscous comes from cooking it in chicken or vegetable stock or broth. I always keep homemade chicken stock in the freezer in 1 cup portions, (I love these Souper Cubes for the freezer) so I mix 1 cup of chicken broth with ½ cup of water to cook 1 cup of the dried couscous.
If you don’t have chicken stock, season the couscous while it is cooking with plenty of salt, pepper, onion, garlic, and any herbs you have like oregano or parsley. You could also get a packaged flavored pearled couscous or use a bouillon cube; just be careful of the sodium levels in those packaged mixes.
Pearled Couscous + Veggies for the win!
Next comes the roasted vegetables. To make this dish scoop-able, cut the vegetables to the size of your chickpeas. You could also leave them larger for a chunkier texture. I like it both ways. The benefit of smaller size pieces is also a quicker cooking time in the oven or pan. You can roast the veggies on a sheet pan, or saute them on the stove for an equally delicious experience. I also can’t wait to try roasting the veggies on the grill this summer.
When roasting vegetables, it’s important to make sure they are all coated in a little bit of olive oil and that they have enough space on the tray to develop that lovely browned crust. It’s crucial to pay attention to the cooking time associated with each vegetable you are roasting. In the oven, you want to keep the different types of vegetables separated on your pans so you can take them out of the oven separately as they finish cooking. On the stove or grill, you are going to add your more hearty vegetables like cauliflower, broccoli and carrots before you add soft vegetables like zucchini or squash that turn to mush when overcooked.
The base of this recipe is the couscous and the dressing with the feta. All of the other vegetables are interchangeable, in my opinion. It was just as delicious with Swiss chard, zucchini and carrot as it is with broccoli, carrot and kohlrabi as it was as written with the cauliflower, carrot, zucchini and chickpeas. Use what you have and like the best!
The Best Apple Cider Vinegar Dressing
Finally comes the dressing. The light taste from the avocado oil with the gentle tang from the apple cider vinegar come together to coat the salad to beautifully tease your taste buds. The fresh parsley brightens the whole dish. The secret weapon; however, is the feta cheese. It’s true what they say: everything’s betta’ with a little bit of feta, and this dish is no exception. When preparing this recipe as part of a meal prep, leave the dressing and the feta on the side and add them to the dish after reheating the dish. It would also be delicious at room temperature if you don’t have access to a microwave.
Warm chickpea pearled couscous veggie bowl
Course: General6
servings5
minutes25
minutes300
kcalIngredients
1 cup dried pearled Israeli couscous
1 ¼ – 1 ½ cups chicken broth or water (if using water see notes)
1 medium cauliflower
6 medium carrots
2 medium zucchinis
1 can chickpeas, drained
1-2 tablespoons olive oil
Salt and pepper
Crumbled feta cheese, about 6 oz
- Dressing:
⅓ cup avocado or olive oil
⅓ cup apple cider vinegar
2 tsp agave or honey
1-2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley
Salt and pepper, to taste
Onion powder, ¼ teaspoon or to taste
Garlic powder, ¼ teaspoon or to taste
Directions
- Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. (See notes for sautéing directions)
- Cook the couscous according to package directions using the chicken stock instead of water. If using water or a flavored package of couscous, see notes below.
- Dice all the veggies to the size of the chickpeas.
- Spread the veggies out on baking pans, sprinkle and toss with a drizzle of olive oil, salt and pepper. Keep the types of vegetables separate on your pans so you can take them out of the oven as they finish cooking at different times.
- Roast the vegetables in the oven, stirring every 4-10 minutes until each vegetable is cooked through and soft. Cooking times will vary based on the size and type of vegetable.
- As the vegetables are cooking, stir all of the dressing ingredients together. Adjust to taste.
- When vegetables are done, mix all of the salad ingredients together in a bowl or separate out into your meal prep containers. When you are ready to eat, add the dressing to coat the salad and sprinkle with feta cheese. See meal prep notes below.
Notes
- If using water to cook your couscous, you are going to want to flavor the water / couscous mixture as it cooks. Use a pad of butter or a drizzle of olive oil in the water. Add plenty of onion powder, garlic powder, dried oregano, parsley, and/or basil to mimic chicken stock flavors. You could also use a bouillon cube; just be cautious of the sodium when seasoning the rest of the dish.
- If using a flavored package of couscous, cook according to the package using water, not chicken stock.
- I like to warm this dish before eating, but it also tastes great at room temperature. I like adding the feta cheese after I heat it, but again it would be delicious warmed up with the rest of the dish if you don’t want to store the cheese separately. I would still store the dressing on the side until ready to eat so nothing gets soggy.
- I preferred apple cider vinegar over red wine vinegar for a warmer, more earthy taste. You could also try using lemon or lime juice for a citrusy version of the dish!
- Change up the vegetable combination in this dish based on what is in season, what you have on hand, or what you like best. It is just as delicious with Swiss chard, zucchini and carrot as it is with broccoli, carrot and kohlrabi as it was as written with the cauliflower, carrot, zucchini and chickpeas.
- Sautéing the vegetables in a pan in olive oil works just as well as roasting them in the oven, depending on your preference. The oven is more of a hands-off approach, you can leave the veggies alone while baking except for flipping them occasionally. You do have to keep an eye on the pan and stir more frequently if cooking on the stove so the vegetables don’t stick to the pan and burn. If the pan gets dry, you can add small bits of water to keep the vegetables from sticking and to create a little bit of a steaming effect to help them cook.
