Honey Free Couscous Salad with Roasted Vegetables and Turmeric Dressing
Bright, golden, and loaded with roasted vegetables, this couscous salad is the kind of dish that looks impressive but comes together with minimal fuss. The turmeric dressing — built from lemon juice, cumin, ginger, and garlic — gives every grain a warm, earthy glow without relying on any sweetener to balance the flavors. That matters more than you might think, because a lot of bottled dressings and store-bought grain salads sneak honey in for that sweet-tangy finish, making them off-limits if you're avoiding it. Here, fresh lemon juice does all the heavy lifting, keeping the whole thing bright and punchy on its own terms. Zucchini, red bell pepper, and cherry tomatoes go into a hot oven until they're tender and lightly caramelized at the edges, then get folded into fluffy whole wheat couscous alongside fresh parsley, mint, and crunchy dry-roasted almonds. The result is a salad with real texture and depth — herby, nutty, a little smoky from the roasted veg, and satisfying enough to stand alone as a meal. It's equally good warm from the bowl or packed up and served at room temperature later.
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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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