Recipe: Roasted Vegetable Cous Cous

I don’t know about you but I always have a cupboard full of grains. Rice, quinoa, pasta, cous cous, you name it, I have at least three half used packs of it where I forget I have a bag open before using a new one. I’m a bit of a sucker for offers too and despite having a plentiful supply of the raw stuff, I always find myself well stocked with packets of microwavable rice and the pouches of cous cous that just need re-activating in some boiling water. The good thing about these is that they have flavourings already added so it saves you a bit of a job. If, like me, you have some packets of cous cous knocking about, try this easy peasy dish that you can have either as lunch on its own or alongside some grilled chicken or lamb for a tasty dinner.

Serves 2

What you need:

• A 100g packet of flavoured cous cous. I used Ainsley Harriet’s sun-dried tomato and garlic for this particular picture, but use any brand or flavour you like. Or, don’t be a dumbass that buys packets of stuff like I do and just use plain old cous cous which is a lot cheaper and add some extra seasonings to suit your taste
• 1 courgette
• garlic powder, to taste
• 1 tbsp olive oil
• a pinch of chilli flakes
• 2 roasted peppers from a jar
• 2 spring onions, chopped

What you do:

1. Get your oven ready at 180°c. Halve your courgette lengthways then cut each half in half again so that you have four lengths of courgette. Slice them up about half a cm thick and then toss them in a roasting dish with the garlic powder, chilli, some salt and pepper and the olive oil. Roast the courgettes for about 25 minutes, tossing halfway through.
2. Meanwhile, cook the couscous according to the instructions on the packet and chop the two peppers into pieces about the same size as the courgette.
3. When your courgette is nicely roasted, add the diced peppers into the same roasting tray and give it all a good mix to combine the flavours. Now, mix this into the cous cous and stir with a fork to keep the grains separate. Top with your chopped spring onions and serve, either hot, room temperature or cold. Great for a picnic or buffet spread too.