This Pumpkin Couscous Salad is so easy to make and it makes a great lunch salad! It has delicious tender roasted pumpkin and a light lemony dressing with maple syrup. Don't skip the pepitas and craisins for some crunch and sweetness! See the notes for instructions for air frying the pumpkin, and for lots of tasty add-in ideas.
Prep Time15 minutesmins
Cook Time18 minutesmins
Total Time30 minutesmins
Course: Lunch, Salad, Side Dish
Cuisine: American
Diet: Kosher, Vegan, Vegetarian
Servings: 6side dish servings, or 4 lunch portions
Preheat oven to 400F. Brush or spray a large baking sheet with olive oil, *or* line the baking sheet with parchment paper and spray the parchment paper.
Place the cubed pumpkin and sliced onion on the baking sheet. Try to arrange the onion slices so the tips are not pointing up too much, since the tips pointing up can get burned. Spray with olive oil and season with a sprinkling of salt and pepper.
2 cups diced uncooked pumpkin, 1 small red onion, salt and pepper
Roast the pumpkin and onion for 15-18 minutes, or until the pumpkin is easily pierced with a fork. While the pumpkin is roasting, work on the next steps.
In a large bowl, combine the couscous with salt, garlic powder, onion powder, and boiling water(or use salted broth instead of the seasonings and water). Stir and let sit for 5 minutes, or until all the water is absorbed. Stir or fluff with a fork.
1 cup uncooked couscous, ½ teaspoon salt, ½ teaspoon garlic powder, ½ teaspoon onion powder, 1⅓ cup boiling water
In a small bowl, combine 1 tablespoon of the lemon juice, 1 tablespoon olive oil, and 2 tablespoons maple syrup and mix well. Stir this into the cooked couscous.
Toast the pumpkin seeds in a dry pan over medium-low heat for 2-3 minutes, or until you hear them start to pop and crackle or start turning golden brown. Remove from heat and add to the couscous.
¼ - ⅓ cup pepitas
Add the rest of the salad ingredients to the couscous in the bowl: roasted pumpkin, roasted onion, dried cranberries, chopped cilantro leaves. Stir and adjust the flavor with additional salt, pepper, or lemon juice, if needed. I like to add another tablespoon of lemon juice to give it some tang. Serve warm, room temperature, or chilled.
¼ - ⅓ cup dried cranberries, ¼ cup cilantro leaves
Notes
Ingredient notes and tips→ Pumpkin: use any kind of pumpkin, such as a sugar pumpkin, kabocha squash, or butternut squash. The exact roasting time needed will vary, check on the pumpkin after 15 minutes.→ Air fry pumpkin and onion: Air fry at 375F (preheat the air fryer if needed) for 7-8 minutes. No need to flip the pumpkin. Check on the pumpkin after 6 minutes because all air fryer models are different. Reduce temperature if needed to keep from burning.→ Couscous: make sure to use the small couscous (not Israeli couscous, which is larger). If you use PLAIN unflavored couscous, you'll need to add flavor to it (I use water + salt + garlic powder + onion powder like the recipe states, but you can use salted broth). Or you can buy flavored couscous at the store. → Red onion: I roast the onion, you can use raw red onion instead. Just dice it finely, and reduce the amount because it has a sharper flavor than roasted onion. Not into red onion? Use a sweet Vidalia onion, or some diced scallions instead.→ Pumpkin seeds (aka pepitas): I love pepitas, but you can substitute for slivered or sliced almonds, or for sunflower seeds. Don't forget to toast them for extra crunch and flavor!→ Don't like cilantro? Use any other fresh herbs, such as parsley, basil, or a little sage.Optional salad add-ins: cooked chickpeas, diced apples, roasted bell peppers diced into ½ - ⅓ inch pieces and roasted with the pumpkin and onion, roasted cubed eggplant - this might need to be roasted just a little longer than the pumpkin, roasted diced carrots, roasted sweet potatoes, crumbled feta cheese, marinated artichoke hearts, chopped roasted red peppers (from a jar), chopped diced pickles, a teaspoon or two of mustard to add to the lemon & maple syrup dressing.