Veggies take the spot light in Roasted Cauliflower Couscous Toss. SHARE this deliciously healthy recipe today!
Roasted Cauliflower Couscous Toss
Roasted Cauliflower Couscous Toss is a side dish that tastes better than it looks (it’s hard making a mostly white dish look fantastic!) The lemon, dill and green onions provide a nice punch of flavor for this dish. While it takes longer than microwaving a frozen bag of veggies, it’s well worth the effort. In fact, I love switching gears and shining the spotlight on the side dish. All you need to do is pair your side dish with a simply prepared protein. On this night, I quickly sauteed shrimp in olive oil, butter, a dash of Old Bay Seasoning, kosher salt & pepper and dinner was ready.
What the Heck is Couscous?
In case you are unfamiliar, couscous is small, “grain-like” food made from semolina or wheat flour. It is a staple in Moroccan cuisine and other middle eastern countries. While couscous is usually served with stew, it also makes a great side dish when combined with herbs, vegetables or other seasonings. This recipe actually calls for Israeli couscous, also called pearl couscous. It is larger and provides a little more chewiness. I love Israeli couscous and have used it in place of rice to create a pilaf. Because I happen to have regular couscous on hand, that’s what I used. Either would work well for this dish.
Template for Creativity
This recipe is actually a great template for creating a variety of vegetable and grain combinations. Try broccoli, green beans, or asparagus for the vegetable. You can choose white or brown rice as your grain, or try one of the more interesting ancient grains such as quinoa, farro or barley. Pair your custom creation with your favorite herbs and then savor your tasty side dish.
Roasted Cauliflower Couscous Toss
Ingredients
- 2/3 c. Israel or regular couscous
- 2 c. cauliflower florets
- 1/2 c. chopped parsley
- 2 tbsp. thinly sliced green onions green part only, plus additional for garnish if desired
- 2 tbsp. snipped fresh dill
- 2 tbsp pine nuts toast them if you have time
- 2 tbsp. fresh lemon juice
- 2 tbsp. olive oil
- kosher salt & freshly ground pepper to taste
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 450 degrees.
- Cook couscous according to package directions; cool slightly
- Arrange cauliflower on baking sheet and bake for about 11-12 minutes, until starting to brown.
- Combine couscous, cauliflower, parsley, green onions, dill, pine nuts, lemon juice and olive oil. Toss to combine. Season to taste with salt & pepper and sprinkle with additional green onion, if desired.
Bonus Recipe!
Roasted Butternut Squash with Sage & Thyme
I also found this Roasted Butternut Squash recipe in the same Cookinglight magazine at my dentist office. Isn’t it great we can now snap a photo vs trying to steal the page? Here are the easy steps for whipping up this delicious veggie dish.
Directions: Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Peel and seed 1 (2 lb.) butternut squash. Half lengthwise. Cut crosswise into 3/4′ slices. Toss with 2 tbsp. olive oil, 1 tbsp. chopped fresh sage, 2 tsp. chopped fresh thyme, 1/2 tsp. kosher salt and 1/4 tsp. black pepper. Arrange on baking sheet. Bake for 20 minutes.
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