Salads
Pesto Pearl Couscous with Roasted Veg Salad
A vibrant, nourishing salad perfect for any season.
Packed with roasted veg, warm pearl couscous, and a punchy pesto dressing — it’s hearty enough for lunch, light enough for dinner, and easy to adapt. Liz loves that this one works as a make-ahead meal, is full of plant variety, and can be customised depending on what’s in the fridge.
Basic information
Serves:
4
Difficulty:
Easy
Prep time:
10 mins
Cook time:
30 mins
Ingredients
Salad:
1¼ cups dry pearl couscous
Vegetable stock (to boil couscous)
400g diced pumpkin
1 large capsicum, diced
1 large zucchini, diced
1 red onion, chopped
80g baby spinach
Fresh basil leaves (optional)
¼ cup toasted pumpkin seeds (or sunflower seeds)
60g crumbled feta
Dressing:
3 tbsp basil pesto
2 tbsp lemon juice
2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
Salt and pepper, to taste
Method
01.
Preheat oven to 200°C (or airfry if preferred).
02.
Cut pumpkin into 1.5cm cubes. Dice capsicum and zucchini to a similar size. Chop onion.
03.Spread vegetables on a tray, drizzle with olive oil, and season with salt and pepper.
04.
Roast for ~25 minutes or until tender and golden.
05.
Meanwhile, boil couscous in vegetable stock for 5–6 minutes or until just tender. Drain well.
06.
In a large salad bowl, whisk together pesto, lemon juice, olive oil, salt and pepper.
07.
Add warm couscous and toss to coat in the dressing.
08.
Fold in baby spinach and basil leaves.
09.
Stir through roasted vegetables.
10.
Top with crumbled feta and toasted seeds to finish.
Tags
Notes & Tips
Make it dairy-free: use dairy-free pesto and skip the feta
Make it gluten-free: sub with brown rice or gluten-free orzo
Use sweet potato, cauliflower or eggplant as other veg options
Serve warm or cold — great for leftovers or entertaining
Nutritions
Calories: 480
Protein: 16g
Carbs: 45g
Fat: 24g
Fibre: 7g