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Courgette, mint and almond couscous with toasted seeds
youryum.com/recipes/courgette-mint-and-almond-couscous-with-toasted-seeds · serves 4

Nutty couscous with a second kind of crunch

Pumpkin and sesame seeds add a savoury crunch to almond couscous without making the plate feel busy.

  • Vegan
Maren Ashby in her kitchen, in a dark apron, looking away from the camera
By Maren Ashby · Writes and tests everything here
Published 2 September 2026
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Courgette almond couscous with toasted pumpkin and sesame seeds
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Prep
15 min
Cook
20 min
Total
35 min
Serves
4
Per serving
412kcal
Effort
Easy

Courgettes give up a lot of water, so this is a recipe about heat and space. Sear them in a wide pan until the cut sides catch, then fold them through couscous that has been steamed separately. The grains stay light and the courgettes still taste like themselves.

Almonds bring the dry crunch, while the finish gives the bowl its personality. I keep it separate until the end because mint bruises, tahini thickens, and crisp chickpeas become soft when they sit in a wet dressing. A few small decisions make this a proper meal rather than a bowl of damp grains.

Ingredients

Makes 4 servings

Couscous

Toasted seeds

Herbs

Equipment

  • Wide frying pan
  • Heatproof bowl
  • Fork
  • Small saucepan

Method

  1. Prepare the couscous

    Put the couscous in a heatproof bowl with half the salt. Pour over the hot stock, cover with a plate and leave for ten minutes. Fluff with a fork, then spread it across a tray so steam can escape. A broad layer gives you separate grains; a deep bowl gives you a damp centre.

    The stock should be hot but not boiling when it meets the grains. If it is aggressively bubbling, wait a minute. Couscous absorbs liquid quickly and there is no useful way to remove excess stock once it has gone in.

  2. Sear the courgettes

    Warm one tablespoon of oil in a wide frying pan over medium-high heat. Add the courgettes in one layer with a pinch of salt. Cook for six to eight minutes, turning only when the cut sides have browned. If the pan is crowded, cook in two batches; steaming is what makes courgette watery.

    Add the garlic for the final thirty seconds. It should smell sweet and sit on the courgettes, not disappear into black flecks. Tip the courgettes onto the couscous and leave the pan on the hob.

    Hands turning browned courgette pieces in a wide frying pan

  3. Toast the almonds

    Put the flaked almonds in the empty pan and toast for three to four minutes, shaking often. They are ready when the edges are golden and the smell is nutty. Tip them onto a cold plate immediately; the hot metal will keep cooking them.

    Keep a few larger flakes intact. Fine almond dust disappears into the grains, while broad flakes give the bowl a useful crackle.

  4. Add the ${v.finish}

    Toast the pumpkin seeds, sesame seeds and cumin in a dry pan for three minutes, shaking often. Tip them onto a plate, then scatter over the couscous with the mint.

    Lift the mixture with a fork rather than stirring hard. The courgettes are tender and the couscous needs air between the grains.

  5. Rest and serve

    Leave the couscous for five minutes, then taste again. Add the remaining olive oil only if the grains look dry, and adjust the salt before serving warm or at room temperature.

    A good spoonful has a browned courgette edge, a tender grain, something nutty and a fresh finish. If one of those parts is missing, fix it at the bowl rather than adding more ingredients automatically.

Courgettes couscous almonds lemon and herbs ready for cooking
Set out the couscous, courgettes, almonds and finishing ingredients before the pan gets hot.

Why the courgettes need their own pan

Couscous is an absorber. Courgettes are a release valve. If they share a covered pan from the beginning, the vegetable water has nowhere to go and the grains take it on. The result is soft in the wrong way: wet couscous, pale courgette and almonds that taste like they have been steamed.

Searing first changes the surface. The cut side loses moisture, takes on colour and develops a savoury edge before the courgette joins the grains. Keep the heat high enough to hear a quiet sizzle, but not so high that the garlic burns before the pieces are tender.

Protecting the toasted pumpkin and sesame seeds

Move toasted seeds out of the hot pan straight away. Sesame goes from nutty to bitter while you are spooning the couscous.

This is also why I do not dress the whole bowl early. A finish should remain recognisable on the fork. It can be mixed through lightly, spooned over each portion, or kept in a separate pot, but it should not vanish into the couscous before anybody tastes it.

Nutrition

Per serving, for 4 servings. Estimated from ingredient weights — it moves with the brands and cuts you actually use.

NutrientPer serving
Calories 412 kcal
Protein 11 g
Carbohydrate 54 g
Fibre 7 g
Fat 16 g

Source: Estimated from ingredient weights, USDA FoodData Central

Questions

Can I use sunflower seeds?
Yes. They toast a little faster, so start checking after two minutes.
Can I leave out the almonds?
Yes. Add another 20 g pumpkin seeds for a similar amount of crunch.
Can I make the seed topping ahead?
Toast it up to three days ahead and keep it in a sealed jar at room temperature.

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