Roasted Vegetable Couscous Salad
This roasted vegetable couscous salad is loaded with cauliflower and sweet potatoes (roasted until golden), shallots, chopped kale, chives, and sunflower seeds and tossed in a bright citrus dressing. It's hearty, full of flavor, and makes an easy meatless main meal, side dish, or lunch.
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 cups dry couscous
- 1 1/2 cups water
- olive oil as needed
- 1 head of cauliflower broken into small florets
- 1 large sweet potato chopped into 1/2 cubes
- 4 shallots finely sliced
- 2 large kale leaves washed and finely chopped
- 1/3 cup fresh chives finely chopped
- 1/4 cup roasted sunflower seeds unsalted
- 1 tsp kosher salt plus more to taste
- 1/2 tsp freshly ground pepper
- 1/2 tsp ground sumac to serve -- optional
Citrus dressing:
- 1/2 cup olive oil
- juice of half a small orange
- zest of one orange
- juice of one lemon
- zest of one lemon
- 1 tbsp liquid honey
- pinch of kosher salt
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 425 degrees.
- Place chopped cauliflower and sweet potatoes on a large, parchment-lined baking sheet.
- Drizzle a few glugs of olive oil over the top, plus a few pinches of kosher salt and use your hands to mix, ensuring the veggies are well coated.
- Roast the veggies until browning and tender (stirring them halfway through); this will take between 25-35 minutes, depending on your oven.
- Toss the sliced shallots in with the veggies at the halfway point. They take less time to cook, so adding them midway ensures they won't burn.
- While the veggies are roasting, boil water in a medium-large stovetop pot. Remove from the heat and add the dry couscous. Cover for 5 minutes.
- Remove the cover and use a fork to gently scrape across the surface of the couscous, layer by layer, until you reach the base and the couscous is fluffy and without clumps.
Citrus Dressing
- In a small mason jar, combine olive oil with the freshly squeezed lemon and orange juice, the zest of the orange and lemon, honey, and a pinch of salt. Shake or whisk until smooth.
Assembling the vegetable couscous
- Toss the roasted veggies with the couscous, sunflower seeds, chopped chives, chopped kale, and stir in the dressing.
- Add kosher salt and freshly ground pepper to taste (plus a few pinches of sumac spice).