This is one of the few dishes on my website that isn’t gluten free. However, you can easily use rice or quinoa to swap in to make this dish without gluten.
If you can eat gluten, cous cous is a really easy staple to use as it only takes a few minutes to make. It soaks up flavours really well but can be quite plain on its own.
Always make sure you add lots of spice and/or seasoning when you are cooking cous cous. For this recipe, I’ve gently spiced the cous cous in turmeric, cumin and some curry powder which really brings a lovely warmth to the dish.
It’s paired with some roasted butternut squash, which is actually relatively quick to cook if you don’t take the skin off. Just make sure you cut the chunks quite small and they will be ready in 20-25 minutes.
The whole dish is then dressed with a zesty lemon & coriander vinaigrette made with the following ingredients:
- Extra virgin olive oil
- Lemon
- Maple syrup
- Fresh Coriander
- Salt and pepper
I know I’ve said it before but it’s always worth repeating! Homemade dressings are one of the easiest things to make. Using them instead of store-bought dressings is so much better for you.
Most store-bought dressings can contain emulsifiers and stabilisers that can irritate your gut, so if you can try and make your own. If you feel like you don’t have time, then simply pouring over a drizzle of good quality olive oil and some lemon juice can be just as good on most salads. That along with some good seasoning, this can really make a difference.
This whole dish is great for meal prep. You can make it on Sunday and box it up into portions and it will last in the fridge for 3-4 days. In fact, the flavours get better the longer you leave it.
Try it for yourself and let me know what you think in the comments.
Recipe Tips
- This dish also works well with sweet potato as well as butternut squash.
- The toppings are optional but the crunch of the almonds and the colour of the pomegranate really add to the dish.
- Rice or quinoa can be easily subbed for cous cous.
Spiced squash & chickpea couscous
Ingredients
Roasted squash ingredients:
- ½ butternut squash
- 2 tsp olive oil
- ½ tsp turmeric
- 1 tsp curry powder
- Salt & pepper
Cous cous ingredients:
- 270 g cous cous (1.5 cups)
- 500 ml boiling water (2 cups)
- ½ tsp sea salt
- 2 tsp curry powder
- 1 tsp ground cumin
- 1 tsp ground turmeric
- Pinch cinnamon
- 100 g sultanas (1/2 cup)
- 400 g tin chickpeas (14oz)
Dressing ingredients:
- Juice and zest of 2 lemons
- 3 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
- 1 tbsp maple syrup
- Handful of fresh coriander
- Add some chopped chilli too if you like spice
Optional toppings:
- Toasted almonds
- Pomegranate seeds
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 180C or 350F. Chop the squash into chunks (no need to peel), mix with the spices, oil and salt/pepper. Bake for about 20-25 mins, giving a shake halfway through.
- Put the cous cous, salt, sultanas and all the spices in a large bowl, pour in the boiling water and stir well. Cover and leave for 5 minutes.
- Mix the olive oil, lemon juice/zest, herbs and maple syrup together to make a dressing and season well.
- After 5 mins, use a fork to fluff up the couscous, add the chickpeas and the dressing and mix thoroughly.
- When the squash is ready, add to the bowl and top with pomegranate seeds and some toasted almonds.
Notes
- The nutritional information does not include the optional toppings.
- Rice or quinoa can be easily subbed for cous cous.
- Keep in the fridge and it will last for 3-4 days.
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