Healthy Vegetarian Couscous Recipes

Knock it out of the park at dinner with this composed salad recipe inspired by the crazy-popular Stetson Chopped Salad at Cowboy Ciao in Scottsdale, Arizona. It packs in colorful vegetables and a variety of textures from whole grains, seeds and a creamy homemade dressing for a photo-worthy, healthy meal. Keep it vegetarian or add smoked salmon or roasted chicken.

Feta, spinach and dill flavor these tofu patties. Slice some lemon wedges and pick up some whole-wheat pita bread to serve with this Greek-inspired meal.

By all means use fresh peas if you have them. And remember, the smaller they are, the less cooking time they'll need. (Frozen peas work fine if that's all you have.) To make this a little more substantial, you can--if you like--add a cupful of drained and rinsed canned chickpeas. Don't skimp on the herbs; the dish really shines with them.

Whole-wheat couscous is as fast and easy to prepare as regular couscous. Here, it makes a delightful simple side dish or stuffing for baked winter squash halves.

Packed with fiber, vitamins and minerals, whole-wheat couscous is ready to eat in minutes. Make it a meal: Fill pita bread with this salad for a tasty sandwich.

Couscous, which is actually a type of tiny pasta, makes an almost-instant side dish. Happily, the whole-wheat variety is just as fast to prepare as regular couscous. Lemon zest is a delicious accent to nutty Parmesan in this Italian-inspired couscous.

Made all in one saucepan, this curried zucchini and couscous recipe is a quick side dish, perfect to serve with grilled meats. For a little sweetness, throw in a handful of raisins with the carrots.

An aromatic mixture of garlic, paprika, cumin, coriander, allspice and cayenne flavors this vegetarian quinoa and squash casserole recipe. Frozen squash is a super-easy topping.

We love the subtle flavor of cinnamon with fresh mint in these vegetarian cabbage rolls stuffed with couscous, olives and feta cheese. Don't worry if your cabbage leaves tear a little when you pull them off the head; they will wrap up just fine. As a precaution you can cook a couple extra leaves and roll two partly overlapping if needed. Serve with roasted butternut squash tossed with olive oil, cinnamon and garlic. To double this recipe, use 2 large skillets and prepare one 4-serving recipe in each.

This hearty combination of whole-wheat couscous and lentils perched atop a lightly dressed bed of arugula makes a tasty vegetarian main-course salad. The lemony vinaigrette is especially good for bringing out the spicy notes of the arugula.

A fast grain, dressed up with fresh tomatoes and herbs.

Quick-cooking couscous transforms into a fragrant and colorful side dish with just a few staple ingredients.

Golden grains of couscous readily absorb the flavors of lemon, onion, herbs and spice.

Try this refreshing grain salad as an accompaniment to grilled chicken or fish. Chilled, it's also great for picnics. Look for whole-wheat couscous in the natural-foods section of supermarkets or in specialty stores.

Roasted garlic and lemon dress this couscous salad. Currants and tomatoes add sweet counterpoints to the tangy dressing. This dish is best served at room temperature.

This meatless entrée has an ample amount of protein from the couscous and feta cheese. Whole-wheat couscous has a nutty flavor and, like regular couscous, requires no actual cooking, just five minutes to plump in hot water. You can find it in health-food stores, but if it is not available, substitute regular couscous.