Low Sugar Couscous Salad with Roasted Vegetables and Turmeric Dressing
Bright, golden, and packed with roasted vegetables, this couscous salad is the kind of dish that looks impressive but comes together with minimal fuss. The dressing is where the magic happens — a punchy blend of fresh lemon juice, turmeric, cumin, and ginger that coats every grain of whole wheat couscous in warm, earthy flavor. Because the dressing is whisked together from scratch using only spices, olive oil, and citrus, there is absolutely no hidden sweetener sneaking in the way there often is with bottled dressings or pre-made spice blends. Roasting the zucchini, red bell pepper, and cherry tomatoes at high heat coaxes out their natural sweetness through caramelization, so the dish feels satisfying and complex without any added sugar doing the heavy lifting. Fresh parsley, mint, and crunchy dry-roasted almonds fold in at the end to add brightness and texture that make every bite interesting. This is an easy, wholesome meal that works just as well served warm out of the bowl as it does packed up for lunch the next day.
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Learn more →Ingredients
4 servings
For the roasted vegetables
- 1 medium zucchini, cut into ¾-inch pieces
- 1 red bell pepper, cut into ¾-inch pieces
- 1 cup cherry tomatoes, halved
- 2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
- ½ tsp salt
- ¼ tsp black pepper
For the couscous
- 1 ½ cups whole wheat couscous
- 1 ½ cups water
- 1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
- ¼ tsp salt
For the dressing
- 3 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
- 3 tbsp fresh lemon juice (from about 1 ½ lemons)
- 1 tsp ground turmeric
- ½ tsp ground cumin
- ¼ tsp ground ginger
- 1 clove garlic, finely minced
- ¼ tsp salt
For the salad
- ¼ cup fresh parsley, roughly chopped
- ¼ cup fresh mint, roughly chopped
- ⅓ cup dry-roasted almonds, roughly chopped
Instructions
- 1
Preheat the oven to 425°F (220°C). Spread the zucchini, red bell pepper, and cherry tomatoes on a large baking sheet in a single layer. Drizzle with 2 tbsp olive oil, sprinkle with 1/2 tsp salt and 1/4 tsp black pepper, and toss to coat.
- 2
Roast the vegetables for 20–22 minutes, until the zucchini and pepper are tender with lightly charred edges and the tomatoes have collapsed and begun to caramelize. Remove from the oven and set aside.
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