Seed Oil Free 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 very little fuss. Every drop of fat in this recipe comes from extra virgin olive oil — used for roasting, cooking the couscous, and building the dressing — so there's no canola, sunflower, or vegetable oil hiding anywhere in the bowl. That matters more than people realize, since seed oils tend to sneak into even the most innocent-looking grain salads and store-bought dressings. Here, the turmeric dressing does all the heavy lifting: warm spices, fresh lemon juice, and a hit of garlic create a golden, fragrant coating that soaks right into the whole wheat couscous while it's still warm. Zucchini, red bell pepper, and cherry tomatoes go into a hot oven until their edges char and the tomatoes collapse into something almost jammy, adding real depth to every forkful. Fresh parsley, mint, and dry-roasted almonds finish the salad with brightness and crunch that keep it feeling light even as it satisfies. It works beautifully warm straight from the kitchen or at room temperature, making it just as practical for a weeknight dinner as it is for packing up and taking somewhere.
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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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