Charred vegetable and feta couscous
Couscous can be made so quickly, and is the perfect base for any kind of grilled vegetables. Courgettes and peppers are great, but you can also use halved or sliced mushrooms, aubergines or even tomatoes.
Ingredients
- 1 large courgette, trimmed, halved lengthways and thickly sliced
- 1 large pepper, any colour, seeds removed and cut into small chunks
- 1 large red onion, cut into thin wedges
- 2 tbsp olive oil, plus 1 tbsp to serve
- ½ tsp dried mixed herbs or dried oregano, plus a pinch to garnish
- 300²µ/10½´Ç³ú couscous
- 400ml/14fl oz hot chicken or vegetable stock (made from boiling water and a stock cube)
- 200g/7oz Greek-style salad cheese or feta, crumbled
- salt and black pepper
Method
Put the vegetables in a large bowl and toss with 1 tablespoon of the oil, a little seasoning and the oregano.
Stir-fry the vegetables in a large frying pan or wok over a medium–high heat for about 5 minutes or until nicely charred and tender.
Transfer all the vegetables from the pan back into the bowl, but do not clean the pan. Add the couscous and one more tablespoon of oil to the pan.
Fry over a medium heat for 10 seconds, stirring constantly, then remove from the heat and add the stock. Stir well and let the couscous sit for 5 minutes before fluffing with a fork.
Mix the couscous with the charred vegetables and top with the feta, a pinch of oregano and 1 tablespoon of olive oil. Serve immediately.
Recipe Tips
Greek-style salad cheese is much cheaper than feta, but use whatever you like. If you have a lemon handy, serve the couscous with wedges for squeezing over. If you have any leftover coriander, parsley or mint, it will taste wonderful stirred through the couscous. This salad will keep well in the fridge for a couple of days.
In September 2023 this recipe was costed at an average of £3.65 when checking prices at three UK supermarkets. This recipe is designed to be made in conjunction with a low-cost store-cupboard, for more details click here to see how our budget recipes were costed.