Healthy Vegetarian Couscous Recipes

Hearty and filling, this eggplant and white bean ragout is vegetarian comfort food. Tossing the eggplant with salt draws out excess moisture from the vegetable, making it less bitter and more firm upon cooking. To make this recipe gluten-free, sub rice or gluten-free pasta for the couscous. Garnish with additional chopped flat-leaf parsley or basil, if desired.

Tender baked onions make the perfect edible container for whole-wheat couscous pilaf in this hearty side dish. The balsamic drizle is a real treat--try it for a party or holiday dinner.

These quick Mediterranean-inspired couscous bowls come together in 20 minutes thanks to healthy convenience items like frozen falafel and steam-in-bag fresh green beans. Whisk together the simple tahini sauce while the other ingredients cook.

Mango, bell peppers, and black beans combine with whole-wheat couscous in this Caribbean-inspired grain salad. The ginger-lime dressing has a touch of cayenne pepper and provides just the right amount of zing!

In a hurry? Just a bit of lemon peel, slivered almonds, and fresh chives are all that's needed to season this fresh-tasting 15-minute couscous side dish, which pairs well with any meat or fish.

Israeli couscous is beadier and larger than regular couscous, so it takes a little longer to cook, but it's a perfect choice in this grain salad with vegetables, feta cheese, mint and citrus dressing.

Cooked couscous and canned chickpeas come together in this quick lunch salad. The basil vinaigrette makes it taste anything but basic! When in season, we recommend adding fresh chopped tomatoes for a spin on tabbouleh.

Feel free to double this recipe to suit your needs. To add more flavor, swap reduced-sodium broth in for the water.

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.

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.