Artificial Flavors Free Couscous Salad with Roasted Vegetables and Turmeric Dressing
Bright, golden, and packed with real ingredients, this couscous salad is the kind of dish that proves you don't need anything artificial to build serious flavor. The dressing does the heavy lifting here — fresh lemon juice, ground turmeric, cumin, and ginger whisked together with olive oil and minced garlic create a warm, aromatic coating that soaks right into the whole wheat couscous. Roasting the zucchini, red bell pepper, and cherry tomatoes at high heat coaxes out their natural sweetness, giving you caramelized edges and collapsed tomatoes that taste far more complex than the short ingredient list suggests. Fresh parsley and mint keep things bright and herbaceous, while dry-roasted almonds add a satisfying crunch in every bite. Every single element comes from a whole, recognizable source — no flavor packets, no seasoning blends with mystery additives, just spices and produce doing exactly what they're supposed to do. It works equally well served warm straight from the bowl or at room temperature, making it a flexible option for meal prep or a laid-back weeknight dinner.
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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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