The couscous with grilled vegetables, chickpeas, and feta is a very tasty vegetarian dish, and if you want to make it vegan it’s simple: use vegan feta which is now easy to find. It can be enjoyed not only in the summer but also served warm in the transitional seasons when vegetables like eggplants, zucchini, peppers, and cherry tomatoes are still or already available.
The recipe is very simple and can be prepared in advance and served when needed. It is a very versatile single dish which is also ideal for office lunch, at the beach, or even in the picnic basket for outings.
I love couscous but if you prefer, it can also be replaced with another type of grain: bulgur, brown rice, millet, sorghum, or even quinoa: they all fit perfectly! Let’s see how I prepared it…
You can find some other single dishes here:
- Difficulty: Easy
- Cost: Economical
- Preparation time: 15 Minutes
- Cooking methods: Air Frying, Oven
- Cuisine: Healthy
- Seasonality: Spring, Summer, and Autumn
Ingredients
- 1 3/4 cups couscous (preferably whole wheat)
- 1 cup cooked chickpeas
- 1 as needed eggplant
- 1 pepper
- 2 zucchini
- 2 red onions
- 2 clusters cherry tomatoes (clusters make the dish look better)
- 2 1/2 oz feta cheese (also vegan)
- 1 1/2 oz sun-dried tomatoes (not in oil)
- 2 tsp extra virgin olive oil (2 measuring teaspoons)
- as needed fresh parsley or cilantro
- as needed salt and pepper
- as needed ground cumin (to taste)
- as needed dried herbs
- Total Points = 37 WW points
- Points per Serving = 9 WW points
Tools
- Air Fryer
Preparation
First, preheat the oven to 428°F. Meanwhile, clean all the vegetables (except the cherry tomatoes) and cut them into cubes or slices. Place them on a large baking sheet lined with parchment paper, avoiding overlapping. Then make some space on the tray and add the tomato clusters.
Sprinkle a bit of salt, ground cumin, and dried herbs to taste and bake for about 30 to 40 minutes, shaking the tray occasionally but be careful not to break the tomato clusters.
At the end, turn off the oven, and if you want to serve the couscous with warm vegetables, leave them in the warm oven. Otherwise, remove them from the oven and set aside to cool.
You can also cook the vegetables in the air fryer, set the temperature to 392°F for about 15-20 minutes. You may need to cook them in two batches since the basket is small, but there’s no need to preheat, and it’s quicker.
While the vegetables are cooking, soak the sun-dried tomatoes in hot water.
Cooking couscous is very simple, there are two types, and it’s best if you follow the instructions on the package. In general:
Pre-cooked couscous: measure the couscous in a large bowl and pour enough boiling water to cover it completely. Cover the bowl with a lid or another plate and let it rest while you prepare the other ingredients. This way, the couscous will absorb the water and become soft and fluffy. Once done, gently fluff it with a fork.
Non-pre-cooked couscous: cook it like any other grains or pasta, in slightly salted boiling water for about 10 minutes, and then drain.
Now, drain the chickpeas from the preservation water and rinse them well; if you wish to serve the couscous warm, you can also heat them for a few minutes.
Cut the feta into pieces and the parsley or cilantro coarsely.
Squeeze the sun-dried tomatoes well and cut them into strips.
In a large salad bowl, pour the couscous and chickpeas, season with 1 teaspoon of oil, and mix well. Then add all grilled vegetables except the cherry tomatoes and mix again. Finally, add the feta, cherry tomatoes, sun-dried tomatoes, parsley or cilantro, and distribute the second teaspoon of oil. Et voilà, our couscous with grilled vegetables, chickpeas, and feta is ready to be enjoyed.
I recommend trying this dish because it’s really delicious. Even in winter, you can make it with frozen grilled vegetables, but make sure they’re without added fats or other ingredients, just vegetables, or with your own if, as I do before they disappear, you stock up on already grilled summer vegetables in the freezer.
We here at home like it a lot, and it’s also very filling. I’m sure you’ll like it; let me know in the comments below.
Enjoy your meal!
by Giovanna Buono
