If you're looking for delicious, wholesome, vibrant, and easy-to-prepare recipes, this roasted veggies and feta couscous is a must-try. Inspired by the cuisines of North Africa and the Middle East, this dish combines fluffy grains, caramelised vegetables, and tangy feta cheese for a perfect vegetarian meal or satisfying main dish.
Whether you use pearl couscous (Israeli couscous) or regular couscous, the result is a dish packed with rich, delicious flavours, a slightly nutty flavor, and endless flexibility.
This roasted veggies & feta couscous is one of those superb and quick lunches or dinner meals that don't require much thinking.
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✨Why you'll love this recipe
This Middle East-Mediterranean inspired dish blends the simplicity of home cooking with the bold tastes of the Mediterranean cuisines. It is:
- Packed with roasted veggies and fresh herbs
- Made with pantry staples like olive oil, sea salt, and couscous
- Easy to adapt into a vegan version of this dish
- Ideal for pasta salads, lunches, or a light dinner
- Full of texture, from soft vegetables to crunchy pine nuts and nutty grains
- Easy to pack and take out for a garden party, potluck, or a picnic
Couscous itself is light, fluffy, and perfect for absorbing flavours, making it a staple in many Mediterranean and North African dishes.
🥘Ingredients
This is what you will need for :
- The roasted vegetables:
- red onion (sliced)
- bell peppers (chopped)
- butternut squash (diced)
- olive oil
- sea salt and black pepper
- carrots (optional, chopped)
- The couscous:
- 1 cup pearl couscous (or substitute regular couscous)
- water or vegetable stock (follow package instructions)
- fresh herbs (parsley, coriander, or mint)
- fresh lemon juice (optional)
- For topping & flavour:
- feta cheese (crumbled)
- pine nuts (lightly toasted)
- chili flakes (optional)
- sunflower seeds
👩🏻🍳How to make roasted vegetable couscous
1. Roast the Vegetables
Preheat your oven and prepare your vegetables.
- Spread all chopped vegetables in a single layer on a baking sheet
- Drizzle with olive oil, season with sea salt and pepper
- Roast in a preheated oven until golden and tender
Hint
Roasting the vegetables with a drizzle of olive oil enhances the natural sweetness of the vegetables and creates deep, caramelised flavours.
🤹🏻♀️Variations and Substitutions
Vegan version of this dish
Simply substitute feta cheese with:
- Vegan feta
- Toasted seeds or nuts
This keeps the dish aligned with a vegetarian meal or a fully plant-based lifestyle.
Meal prep friendly
This dish stores well and tastes even better the next day, making it ideal for:
- Lunchboxes
- Batch cooking
- Quick weekday meals
Switch the grains
- Use regular couscous for a lighter texture
- Use pearl couscous for a more pasta-like bite
- Try quinoa for a gluten-free option click the button
🍽️Serving Suggestions
This serves let's well as:
- A main dish
- A side for grilled vegetables or proteins
- One of your go-to accessible recipes for entertaining
It also fits beautifully into the Mediterranean diet, thanks to its balance of vegetables, healthy fats, and grains.
📦How to store this dish
- Store in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 days
- Add a splash of lemon juice and some freshly chopped fresh herbs like coriander or parsley before serving to refresh flavours
❓Recipe FAQs
This recipe is very flexible, so feel free to use your favorite veggies. Great options include:
- Bell peppers
- Red onion
- Chopped aubergines
- Courgette
- Cherry tomatoes
Just make sure to spread them in a single layer on your baking tray or sheet pans so they roast evenly.
Yes! This works beautifully as a vegetable couscous salad. Let the cooked couscous and roasted veggies cool completely, then toss with fresh herbs and fresh lemon juice before serving. Beautiful!!
Yes! To turn this into a heartier main dish, you can add:
- Chickpeas
- Lentils
- Grilled halloumi
- Fish or any meat (for a non vegetarian or vegan version).
🫶🏼Here are some more dishes you may like
- Watermelon and feta salad
- Healthy Chicken breast recipe with giant couscous, pesto sauce and radicchio
- Organic red quinoa with beets, olives, red onion and feta salad
- Herby barley couscous with chipotle halloumi and grilled apricots
- Vegetarian pesto courgette n' carrot noodles with feta cheese and olives
But here is one that tastes and looks absolutely great and can be prepared in a flash.
Roast veggies and feta whole meal couscous
Equipment
- ovenproof dish
- knife
- chopping board
Ingredients
- 200 g couscous (wholemeal)
- 120 g feta cheese (crumbled)
- ½ butternut squash
- 2 onions (red)
- 1 pepper (red)
- 2 medium carrots
- 3 tablespoon sunflower seeds (slightly roasted)
- 1-2 tablespoon olive oil
- coriander or parsley to garnish
- salt
- pepper or some chilli flakes
Instructions
- Wash and peel all the vegetables (carrots butternut squash and red onions).
- In a pan slightly roast the sunflower seeds. Stay put as they burn very quickly so literally toss them around a heated pan for one minute and they are done!
- Cut all veggies into chunks, place in an oven tray, sprinkle some salt pepper, olive oil dry or fresh herbs and put in the oven. Bake at 200° for 40 minutes or so depending on how are you want the vegetables to look. The red onion I normally cut slices and bake separately, I drizzle a little bit of olive oil over so it does caramelize a little. Keep an eye on the onion if you decide to make it separately as it cooks faster than the rest of the vegetables. If you don't want them caramelised, mix them with the rest of the veggies and bake together.
- Meanwhile, cook the couscous according to pack instructions but I normally mix the couscous with a pinch of salt and pepper, sometimes 1 teaspoon of Italian herbs and pour boiling water over about 2 cm above the couscous level and cover immediately with a lid or a plate. I will allow it rest for 20 minutes or so without touching or uncovering it.
- Mix the roasted veggies with the fluffy couscous, season with a pinch of more coarse sea salt, chop some coriander or parsley, scatter the scrambled feta cheese and the roasted sunflower seeds all over it and will be all ready to be served and fully enjoyed.
- Sprinkle some coarse chopped coriander or parsley over.
Lorna Payton says
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Ramona says
Hi Lorna, that is okay as long as it is done the correct way. Let me know what your website is.
Chef Dennis says
This is making me hungry!
Katie Youngs says
I love roasted veggies. They always elevate the meal. This was no exception! Delicious!
Brianna says
So tasty and healthy, a great make ahead lunch option too!
Brynn says
This recipe sounds fantastic...the perfect summer friendly lunch to have on repeat
Alan says
Perfect couscous and veggies salad. I have never made such a good couscous in my life, my whole family really enjoyed it. Couscous was perfect and fluffy, thanks for all the tips. Mine used to be soggy and too wet. Loved this one! This is definitely going to be an all year round regular dish. Thank you for sharing this!
Ramona says
Thank you so much dear Alan, I am so happy you liked my roasted veggies and feta couscous dish, it is one of my favourites too - so delicious!
Karin says
delicious! i would definitely make again.
Ramona says
thank you Karin!
georgie says
this looks so fresh and wholesome! i love salads like these, they're so tasty and hearty!
Leslie says
This is one of those perfect recipes! Healthy, quick, easy, and delicious! Can't go wrong with this one!
Ramona says
Thank you so much dear Leslie, you are so , so right, you definitely cannot go wrong with this one.
Danielle says
If you say your whole family loves this dish, it has got to be something special! And the fact that it is quick and easy to make just makes it even better!
Ramona says
Thanks Danielle,
It really is a special dish indeed. I do hope yu will give this dish a try soon.
Jo says
That is one big bowl of hearty salad! The flavors and different textures in it sounds amazing. Roasting veggies adds so much flavor to the salad - I wouldn't miss meat for a salad like this.
Ramona says
Thank you so much dear Jo. It really is a delightful recipe that wins every time and lack of meat can really go unnoticed 😉 even for a meatarian like myself ha ha.
Denay DeGuzman says
I'm looking forward to trying this yummy roasted veggies and feta couscous! The images are beautiful. I can almost taste and smell this flavorful dish.
Ramona says
Thank you so much for your lovely feedback on my recipe and pictures dear Denay, I really apreciate it!
GUNJAN C Dudani says
I have never tried couscous. Your recipe makes me want to try it. I love feta in any case so I am definitely whipping this recipe for myself over the weekend.
Ramona says
Thank you dear Gunjan,
I really hope you will try this delicious couscous recipe - I am positive you will absolutely love it.
Brian Jones says
I'm terrible with meals like this, I love them but I seem to have no limit to how much of it I can eat... I will literally sit down with a huge bowl and consume the lot! Glorious sounding recipe!
Ramona says
Ha ha Brian,
Thank you so much. I get exactly what you are saying - I have the same issue but I just load my plate with some and dissappear ;-))
It is so moreish though and so hard to stop 😉
Pam Greer says
We are trying to eat meatless several times a week too! I love this roasted veggie couscous bowl! I almost always have feta in the fridge and couscous in the pantry, so this will definitely be on my list!
Ramona says
Thank you so much Pam, it really is a nice meatless option.
Michelle says
I love that you use roasted veggies and feta in this. Roasting the vegetables brings out such a nice subtle sweetness in them that would pair so well with the feta. So colorful and flavorful! I can definitely see making this for a summer party. I'm pinning!
Ramona says
Thank you so much Michelle- I am so happy you liked this recipe. Let me know how you liked it once you have made it - I personally love this salad.