Roasted Courgette, Red Pepper and Halloumi Couscous Traybake
Chunks of courgette, red pepper and red onion roast until browned at the edges, then soak into fluffy couscous with golden halloumi on top. A high-protein Mediterranean traybake made entirely in the oven.
- Total
- 45 min
- Prep 10 · Cook 30 · Rest 5
- Serves
- 1
- Difficulty
- Easy
You'll practice: Roasting · Absorption rice
- Savory
- Mediterranean
- Oven
Instructions
-
Heat the oven to 220°C. Cut the courgette into 2 cm chunks, the red peppers into 3 cm pieces and the red onion into 2 cm wedges.
~5 min
Cutting vegetables into uniform chunks ensures they cook at the same rate, preventing some pieces from burning while others stay raw.
-
Spread the courgette, red peppers and red onion on the baking tray. Drizzle with 1 tbsp olive oil, season with the salt and black pepper and toss to coat. Roast for 15 minutes until the edges start to brown.
~15 min
Roasting in a single layer with space allows moisture to evaporate, so the edges brown via Maillard reaction instead of steaming.
Roast the vegetables in a single layer with space between them so their edges brown instead of steaming.
Roasting Roast vegetables in a single layer with space between them so they brown, not steam. For halloumi, roast until golden and slightly softened.
-
While step 2 cooks
While the vegetables roast, boil the water. Put the couscous in the heatproof bowl, pour over the 120 ml water and 1 tbsp olive oil, cover and leave to stand for 5 minutes.
~5 min
Pouring boiling water over couscous and covering traps steam, which hydrates and fluffs the grains without turning them mushy.
If the couscous still feels firm after standing, cover it again for 2 more minutes; the residual steam finishes the grains.
Absorption rice Use the correct water ratio and let the couscous stand covered; the grains should absorb all water and become fluffy. Avoid stirring before standing.
-
Fluff the couscous with a fork. Cut the halloumi into 1 cm slices.
~3 min
-
Pull the tray from the oven, stir the couscous through the roasted vegetables and lay the halloumi slices on top. Return to the oven for 12 minutes until the halloumi is golden and the couscous is hot through.
~12 min
Returning the tray to the oven melts the halloumi and lightly browns it while reheating the couscous through.
Roasting Roast vegetables in a single layer with space between them so they brown, not steam. For halloumi, roast until golden and slightly softened.
-
Rest the traybake for 5 minutes before serving straight from the tray.
~5 min
Resting allows the couscous to absorb any remaining moisture and the flavors to meld, making it easier to serve.