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    Oh My Veggies » Vegetarian Recipes » Vegetarian Main Dishes

    Couscous Bowls with Za'atar Chickpeas and Roasted Cauliflower

    Published: Sep 21, 2014 · by Joanne · Updated: Feb 15, 2021 · This post may contain affiliate links.

    Jump to Recipe - Print Recipe

    There's just something so intensely satisfying about uncovering new-to-me spice blends, dried herbs that I've never heard of and so many colors of sea salt that it puts rainbows to shame. I'm sure it comes as no surprise, then, that my idea of a good time involves choosing a random spice blend from my pantry and then creating a whole meal around it.

    Couscous Bowls with Za'atar Chickpeas and Roasted CauliflowerLately, I've been borderline obsessed with Middle Eastern flavors and spices. I love how this cuisine pairs warm spices, like cinnamon, ginger and nutmeg, with savory dishes. How citrus is used to infuse bright flavor into each and every meal, and how vegetable-driven many of the recipes tend to be.

    For those of you just starting to delve into the world of Middle Eastern cuisine, za'atar is a great spice blend to stock in your pantry. Not only does it consist mainly of spices you probably already have on hand (thyme, oregano, marjoram, sesame seeds and salt, plus sumac—more on that later), but its lemony, herbal flavor is great on just about anything. I love tossing it with vegetables and a bit of olive oil before roasting, but it is also great stirred into hummus or sprinkled atop a bowl of Greek yogurt. You can probably find za'atar at most higher-end grocery stores or order it online, but I chose to make it myself using this recipe.

    Sumac, which might prove a little bit harder to locate, is also a great addition to any Middle Eastern pantry. It is made from the dried fruits of sumac trees, and has a fruity, lemony flavor, but with less acidity. Again, most higher-end grocery stores should stock it, but if you're really in a bind, you can always order it online (as I did, just to save myself the trouble of having to bounce from grocery store to grocery store in search of it). Alternatively, you can always substitute it with a mix of paprika and lemon zest, though the flavor won't be exactly the same.

    Couscous Bowls with Za'atar Chickpeas and Roasted CauliflowerYotam Ottolenghi is a chef who has recently brought Middle Eastern flavors and cuisines into the mainstream, and given that every recipe of his that I've tried has pretty much blown my mind, when I saw that he had published a recipe for za'atar roasted chicken in a recent issue of Bon Appetit, I knew I had to co-opt it, veggie style.

    In place of the chicken, I chose to toss a head of cauliflower, a can of chickpeas and a thinly sliced red onion with Ottolenghi's blend of za'atar, cinnamon, allspice, extra sumac, olive oil, and a touch of broth. After marinating the mixture for a few hours, I roasted it all together in one baking pan while preparing a bed of couscous pilaf and a simple parsley tahini sauce to drizzle on top. The dish is then finished off with a spoonful of brown-butter pine nuts that add just a hint of decadence to this otherwise virtuous veggie bowl.

    Couscous Bowls with Za'atar Chickpeas and Roasted Cauliflower Recipe

    Couscous Bowls with Za’atar Chickpeas and Roasted Cauliflower

    Couscous, chickpeas, and cauliflower seasoned with Middle Eastern spices then topped with tahini-parsley sauce and buttery pine nuts. The perfect meal for when you need a change of pace! Adapted from Bon Appetit.
    Print Recipe Pin Recipe Email Recipe
    Prep Time: 3 hours
    Cook Time: 40 minutes
    Total Time: 3 hours 40 minutes
    Course: Main Course
    Cuisine: American, Mediterranean
    Diet: Vegetarian
    Keyword: couscous bowls, Couscous Bowls with Za’atar Chickpeas and Roasted Cauliflower
    Servings: 5 -6 servings
    Calories: 616kcal
    Author: Oh My Veggies

    Ingredients

    For the za'atar chickpeas and roasted cauliflower:

    • 1 medium head cauliflower cut into bite-sized florets
    • 1 large red onion thinly sliced
    • 14 ounce chickpeas 1 can, , drained and rinsed
    • 2 tablespoons za'atar
    • 1 tablespoon ground sumac
    • 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
    • 1 ½ teaspoons salt plus more to taste
    • 1 cup vegetable broth
    • 2 tablespoons olive oil
    • 4 cups cooked couscous
    • ⅓ cup sliced green olives
    • ¼ cup chopped dates dried apricots, or golden raisins

    For the tahini-parsley sauce:

    • 2 cloves garlic
    • 1 cup flat-leaf parsley
    • ½ cup tahini
    • ½ cup water
    • ¼ cup fresh lemon juice

    For the toasted pine nuts:

    • 1 tablespoon unsalted butter
    • ¼ cup pine nuts
    US Customary - Metric

    Instructions

    Marinate and roast the chickpeas and cauliflower:

    • In a large zipper bag, combine the cauliflower, onion, chickpeas, za'atar, sumac, cinnamon, 1 ½ teaspoons salt, vegetable broth and olive oil. Marinate in the fridge for 3-4 hours or overnight.
    • When ready to cook, preheat the oven to 400°F. Pour the contents of the bag into a large baking pan and roast for 40 minutes, stirring once halfway through.

    Make the tahini-parsley sauce:

    • Meanwhile, toss the cooked couscous with the olive slices and dried fruit. Set aside.
    • To the bowl of a food processor fitted with the S-blade, add the garlic, parsley, tahini, water and lemon juice. Process until smooth, then season to taste with salt. Set aside.

    Toast the pine nuts:

    • Add the butter in a small pan over medium heat and heat until melted. Add the pine nuts and cook, stirring constantly, until starting to brown, 3-4 minutes. Transfer to a small bowl.

    To serve:

    • Divide the couscous among serving bowls and then top with the roasted vegetables, a drizzle of the tahini-parsley sauce, and a spoonful of the pine nuts.

    Notes

    Prep time includes the hands-off time spent marinating the vegetables.

    Nutrition

    Calories: 616kcalCarbohydrates: 75gProtein: 20gFat: 29gSaturated Fat: 5gPolyunsaturated Fat: 10gMonounsaturated Fat: 12gTrans Fat: 1gCholesterol: 6mgSodium: 1091mgPotassium: 982mgFiber: 14gSugar: 13gVitamin A: 1320IUVitamin C: 81mgCalcium: 177mgIron: 8mg
    Craving more veg-friendly recipes? Shop our collection of vegetarian and vegan cookbooks, including our new Vegan Thanksgiving and Vegan Christmas cookbooks!
    « This Week's Meatless Meal Plan | 09.22.14
    Pumpkin Pasta Bake »

    Vegetarian Main Dishes, Vegetarian Recipes cauliflower, chickpeas, ingredient spotlight series, main dishes

    Joanne Bruno from Eats Well With Others

    About Joanne

    Joanne Bruno is the blogger, recipe developer, and photographer behind the mostly ridiculous and always delicious vegetarian food blog Eats Well With Others. She likes her vegetables with a side of cupcakes and takes a highly hyperbolic approach to most things in life.

    Reader Interactions

    Comments

    1. Sam @ PancakeWarriors says

      September 21, 2014 at 11:07 am

      Oh I have TOO much cauliflower in my fridge needing some attention! I love middle eastern spice as well - this sounds great! Thanks for sharing!

      Reply
      • Joanne Bruno says

        September 22, 2014 at 3:58 pm

        These Middle Eastern spices bring out the earthy flavor of cauliflower super well! I hope you enjoy it!

        Reply
    2. Millie | Add A Little says

      September 21, 2014 at 12:50 pm

      This is gorgeous and looks so delicious!

      Reply
      • Joanne Bruno says

        September 22, 2014 at 3:58 pm

        Thanks so much! It's a new favorite use of za'atar for me!

        Reply
    3. Rebecca says

      September 21, 2014 at 3:09 pm

      Wow, this sounds and looks absolutely delicious! I can't wait to try it. Thanks for making the veggie version and posting it for us to try.

      Reply
      • Joanne Bruno says

        September 22, 2014 at 3:59 pm

        Not a problem! I love seeing how I can change up meat recipes to make them veg-friendly.

        Reply
    4. Lori @ RecipeGirl says

      September 21, 2014 at 5:55 pm

      This is my kind of dinner - so delicious!

      Reply
      • Joanne Bruno says

        September 22, 2014 at 4:00 pm

        Thanks Lori! I think you'd really love it. 🙂

        Reply
    5. Ordinary Blogger (Rivki Locker) says

      September 21, 2014 at 7:45 pm

      Yotam Ottolenghi has fueled an obsession with Mid-East seasonings for me too. This looks wonderful. I enjoy zaatar and am always looking for more ways to use it. Thanks for sharing.

      Reply
      • Joanne Bruno says

        September 22, 2014 at 4:00 pm

        That man is a GENIUS with spices and veggies. You will love this!

        Reply
    6. Liz @ Floating Kitchen says

      September 21, 2014 at 11:54 pm

      This looks delicious. I love anything with za'atar! Sooooo good!

      Reply
      • Joanne Bruno says

        September 22, 2014 at 4:01 pm

        It's such a great spice, right?! I'm always looking for new ways to use it!

        Reply
    7. Chelsey says

      September 22, 2014 at 7:53 am

      This looks delicious! Have you ever tried Israeli cous cous? I love the larger pearls -- definitely a bit chewier, but I think better than the small cous cous! Try it!

      Reply
      • Joanne Bruno says

        September 22, 2014 at 4:01 pm

        I have tried it! It's a favorite, for sure, and could probably be substituted here in place of the couscous by just extending the cooking time!

        Reply
    8. Alexis @ Hummusapien says

      September 22, 2014 at 8:46 am

      I love how different this sounds! I had zaatar french fries at my fave restaurant the other day (drool) and I've been craving zaatar ever since! This is just perfect. Pinned!

      Reply
      • Joanne Bruno says

        September 22, 2014 at 4:02 pm

        Oooo za'atar french fries are something I need to try!

        Reply
    9. dishing up the dirt says

      September 22, 2014 at 3:57 pm

      Joanne! You've done it. I'm SO making this. Seriously, everything about this dish screams my name and I just so happen to have every ingredient (down to the pine nuts!) on hand. Thanks for this glorious recipe!

      Reply
      • Joanne Bruno says

        September 22, 2014 at 4:02 pm

        Haha thanks girl! I definitely think you would enjoy this. Let me know what you think if you try it!

        Reply
    10. Amy says

      September 22, 2014 at 7:26 pm

      Oh, now, that is an interesting combination. Adding this to the weeks menu...thanks!

      Reply
    11. Allison says

      September 23, 2014 at 8:08 am

      Really need to make this asap! I haven't even tried za'atar yet because I wasn't sure what it was. These are all of my favourite flavours 🙂 Also, za'atar is kind of fun to say!

      Reply
    12. Nina says

      October 08, 2014 at 8:09 am

      When I saw this recipe, I knew I HAD TO make it. I mean, dreid fruits and olive couscous with roasted red onion, chickpeas and cauliflower, zaatar, tahini/parsley sauce, this is just too perfect to be true! I had it for lunch today and it was as delicious as expected! I just cut down the proportions fot the sauce : even though I only made half of it, I now have a full jar of dressing (which, really, does not bother me! I'll be using it in my other salads 🙂 and I found it was too thick to my taste so I had to double the quantities of water (if not more). But I had an awesome lunch all the same, I'm definitively keeping this recipe in mind! Thanks for sharing!

      Reply
    13. Matthias says

      March 02, 2015 at 10:37 pm

      Tried this tonight, and my wife and I loved it. Thank you, and can't wait to try your other recipes.

      Reply
    14. Kim A. says

      February 10, 2016 at 12:17 pm

      We made this last weekend and it was wonderful! Makes great leftovers.

      Reply
    15. Kim A. says

      February 10, 2016 at 12:18 pm

      Delicious!

      Reply
    16. Monica says

      December 08, 2016 at 10:07 pm

      Wow. I almost NEVER follow recipes to the T, because frankly, they are generally wrong. However, this had such a crazy variety of ingredients of things that I had, so I did it and didn't question it.

      DELICIOUS.

      I used dates for the fruit and almonds instead of pine nuts. Everything else was exactly as told. I am thoroughly impressed.

      It's hard enough to find a good recipe of top, healthy ingredients. It's even harder to find a recipe that has the perfect measurements to boot. Way. to. go.

      Reply
      • Alissa says

        December 09, 2016 at 9:38 am

        Glad you enjoyed them!

        Reply
    17. ZS says

      March 22, 2017 at 9:32 pm

      We make this often and love it. The sauce is thick, but wonderful. The combined flavors are lovely

      Reply
    18. Chessie says

      October 29, 2017 at 7:46 pm

      I loved this, especially the sauce. I omitted the raisins to accommodate a picky eater, and I skipped the pine nuts to accommodate my own pickiness -- otherwise I followed the recipe to the letter. Can't go wrong with roasted cauliflower, and oh my goodness that lovely parsley sauce!

      Reply
      • Katie Trant says

        October 30, 2017 at 4:53 am

        That's the great thing about cooking, you can always adapt to picky eaters. Glad you enjoyed this recipe!

        Reply
    19. Barbara says

      November 14, 2020 at 12:13 am

      5 stars
      Delicious and has a lovely aroma! I didn’t have tahini on hand so I used a yogurt base for the parsley sauce. Also substituted pomegranate seeds for the raisins. I’m sensitive to salt flavor and will cut back on it for the marinade next time, however my family thought the salt level was fine. Served this with a side of roasted carrots with carrot top pesto and dukkah.

      Reply
    20. Heather says

      April 25, 2022 at 6:57 pm

      3 stars
      Slightly disappointed. I was hoping that the chickpeas would crisp up, but they didn't, and I found the cauliflower went from al dente to mush in a matter of minutes! I'll try it again, but separate the chickpeas & start them first so they can get crispy.
      It tasted great though!

      Reply

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    Nicole is a life long vegetarian and the author of the popular vegan cookbook, Weeknight One Pot Vegan Cooking. She loves sharing her recipes and showing the world just how easy and delicious meatless meals can be!
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