Roasted Fall Vegetable and Couscous Salad with Pomegranate Vinaigrette is a side dish that you could serve any time during the fall to brighten your meal. It would be a lovely addition to your Thanksgiving menu, too.
Coming atcha the week before Thanksgiving with a recipe I’ve posted before: Roasted Fall Vegetable and Couscous Salad with Pomegranate Vinaigrette. My kitchen is still a disaster area due to a remodel, so I’m sharing a tried-and-true dish you’ll love for the season!
If you haven’t yet roasted up a batch of veggies in the oven this season, what are you waiting for? Drop what you’re doing and go. Use reason and caution, but I think you understand my plea!
Squash is the darling veggie of the season, at least for me, and with good reason. It’s healthy, filling, and flavorful. Don’t forget about Brussels sprouts (which I adore). Combine the two, roasted in the oven, and you have the beginnings of a fabulous dish.
Roasted Fall Vegetable and Couscous Salad with Pomegranate Vinaigrette
This is and ideal side dish fitting for Thanksgiving, but easy enough to serve with a regular weeknight meal, too. And check out some of the nutritional benefits of acorn squash!
I combined acorn squash and Brussels sprouts and roasted them in the oven for this dish. The pomegranate vinaigrette has a nice seasonal quality, and it couldn’t be easier to make. I used Israeli couscous to bring a bit of heartiness to the dish, and garnished it with pomegranate seeds and roasted squash seeds (another of my fall favorites).
Veggies taste so amazing cooked in the oven, don’t you think? There are so many that roast up nicely, too. The caramelization that develops adds lip-smacking sweetness and richness to them. (This is where you’d hear me making yummy noises.)
If you love oven-roasted veggies like I do, check out my recipe for Oktoberfest Sheet Pan Brats with Roasted Vegetables, or Roasted Cauliflower and Tomatoes with Balsamic Glaze. So good.
I don’t really remember eating Brussels sprouts much as a kid, at least nothing stands out to me. Most people have a bad Brussels sprouts experience (mushy, stinky, etc.) to tell you about, but I don’t I have that.
Fast forward many years and I can’t get enough of them in the fall and winter, especially roasted in the oven à la Roasted Brussels Sprouts with Chipotle-Bacon Jam (a new Thanksgiving favorite).
When you need a seasonal side that’s guaranteed to shine, grab a few acorn squash and some Brussels sprouts to make Roasted Fall Vegetable and Couscous Salad with Pomegranate Vinaigrette.
Patricia Conte/Grab a Plate
Yields Serves 4
5 based on 3 review(s)
Ingredients
- 2 acorn squash, ends trimmed, and cut into 1-inch rounds
- 36 Brussels sprouts, ends trimmed and cut in half, lengthwise
- 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
- 1/4 cup brown sugar
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
- 2 cups cooked Israeli couscous, at room temperature
- Pomegranate seeds for garnish
- Fresh parsley for garnish
- Nonstick cooking spray
- 1/4 cup pomegranate juice
- 6 tablespoons vegetable oil
- 3 tablespoons red wine vinegar
- 2 tablespoons brown sugar
- Salt and black pepper to season
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
- Clean the pulp and seeds from the squash rounds. Reserve the seeds and pat them dry them with a paper towel.
- Add aluminum foil to a baking pan. Add the seeds to a bowl and drizzle with a bit of vegetable oil. Season with salt and pepper and spread out on the baking pan.
- Bake for 10-12 minutes until lightly golden. Remove and set aside.
- Increase the oven heat to 400 degrees F.
- Cut the squash rounds into halves and add them to a bowl with the Brussels sprouts.
- In a small bowl, combine the 2 tablespoons of vegetable oil with the brown sugar, salt, and black pepper. Whisk to combine, until the brown sugar has dissolved. Pour the mixture over the vegetables and use your hands to toss them so they are coated.
- Add aluminum foil to two baking pans and lightly spray with the nonstick cooking spray. Arrange the vegetables on the pans in a single layer. Place the Brussels sprouts on one pan, cut-side down, and the squash on the other pan.
- Bake for about 20 minutes or until the bottoms of the Brussels sprouts are caramelized. Remove the Brussels sprouts, flip the squash, and continue to cook for another 10 minutes or so until caramelized and soft.
- As the vegetables cook, combine the pomegranate juice, 6 tablespoons of vegetable oil, red wine vinegar, brown sugar, salt, and black pepper. Whisk to combine, and make sure to whisk until the brown sugar is dissolved.
- Add the couscous to a large serving bowl. Add half the vinaigrette and toss to combine. Add the vegetables and pumpkin seeds and gently toss.
- Garnish with the pomegranate seeds and fresh parsley. Drizzle the remaining vinaigrette over the mixture before serving.
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