Vegan Pearl Couscous Salad with Tahini Pesto

There is a warm pearl couscous salad made with roasted vegetables and a tahini pesto.

5 from 3 votes

Vegan Pearl Couscous Salad with Tahini Pesto

This warm vegan pearl couscous salad with tahini pesto is hearty, ultra creamy, bold in flavors and also super healthy. Make it for lunch, as a side salad or can even be a full meal, it is so satisfying and filling! Also makes for great leftovers and is 100% dairy-free.

Prep Time10

Cook Time25

Total Time35

Course: Appetizer, Main Course, Salad

Cuisine: American

Keyword: Vegan, vegetarian

Servings: servings

Calories: 413kcal

Author: Jessica Laroche

Equipment

Baking sheet + parchment paper
Large mixing bowl
Blender

Ingredients

1½ cup pearl coucous (dry)
2 carrots peeled and cubed
2 parsnips cubed
1 medium-large zucchini (or 2 small) cubed
1 red pepper cubed
15 oz canned chickpeas

For the pesto tahini sauce

¼ cup tahini
1½ packed cup fresh basil
2 cloves of garlic
1 lemon juiced, about 2-3 tablespoons
2 tbsp nutritional yeast
salt to taste
ice cold water to reach desired consistency, about ¼ to ½ cup

Instructions

Pre-heat the oven to 425º and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
Clean, peel (the carrots and parsnip) and chop the vegetables in bite size. Transfer them to the prepared baking sheet, spray some olive oil over (optional) and add some salt and pepper. Toss the vegetables and bake for about 25-30 minutes stirring halfway through or until done to your liking (which will depend on how small you chopped the veggies).
Meanwhile, you can cook the couscous until tender in boiling water and make the sauce.
To make the sauce, simply blend the tahini, basil, nutritional yeast, water, garlic, lemon juice and salt until smooth (some small pieces of herbs is fine). Adjust the water amount to reach desired consistency.
Once everything is cooked, combine the couscous, roasted vegetables, chickpeas and the pesto sauce. Toss to combine and adjust salt and lemon juice to your taste. Enjoy!

Video

Notes

If you end up cooking the couscous before everything else is ready, then I recommend rinsing it in cold water to stop the cooking process.

Dice the veggies all about the same size to ensure proper cooking. Also, aim for a smaller cube size as seen in the picture; I found that it worked better than larger pieces.

If you have a large blender like mine, then a small amount of sauce like this one is a little trickier to blend. Just take many breaks to bring the sauce back towards the blades and also, you can crush the garlic instead of adding it whole to the blender. No one likes to chew on a large piece of raw garlic!
Nutrition: please note that the nutritional information is an estimate per serving (including the queso sauce) provided for informational purposes only (calculated by software) and accuracy is not guaranteed. Consult with your healthcare provider or a registered dietitian if you need precise nutrition calculations for health reasons.

Nutrition