Quick courgette and couscous stir-fry

Quick courgette and couscous stir-fry with courgette, cherry tomatoes, spring onion and feta: a light, easy dish for everyday cooking.

At a glance

• Serves 2
• Prep time: 5 min
• Cooking time: 5 min
• Total time: 10 min
• Calories: 340 kcal per serving
• Protein: 12 g
• Fat: 6 g
• Carbs: 58 g

Ingredients

• 60 g couscous
• 1 courgette
• 1 handful of cherry tomatoes
• 1 spring onion
• 50 g feta
• 1 tbsp olive oil
• 100 ml vegetable stock

Method

You’ll need: frying pan · mixing bowl

1. Put the couscous in a bowl, pour over the hot vegetable stock and leave it to swell briefly.
2. Meanwhile, heat the olive oil in a frying pan and fry the courgette with the cherry tomatoes until the veg is soft and lightly browned.
3. Add the spring onion and cook it only briefly so it stays fresh and mild.
4. Fluff up the couscous with a fork and add it to the veg in the pan. Mix everything thoroughly and heat through briefly.
5. Serve with crumbled feta.

Good to know

When you're short on time, a stir-fry like this is worth its weight in gold. Light, fresh and still pleasantly satisfying. Just the thing for days when you don't really feel like cooking.

Swaps

Couscous → quinoa (more protein, more fibre, gluten-free) Feta → cottage cheese (milder, more protein) 1 tbsp olive oil → 2–3 tbsp vegetable stock for frying (the veg stays just as juicy) Vegetable stock → homemade stock (no sugar in it, fewer additives, easier to control the salt)

Allergens

Contains gluten from the couscous and milk from the feta. Good for children if seasoned mildly; in pregnancy, feta is no problem as long as it's made from pasteurised milk.

Frequently asked questions

What's in courgette, nutritionally?

Courgette is mostly water and contains fibre and potassium, plus smaller amounts of vitamin C and folate.

Why do tomatoes work so well in a stir-fry like this?

Tomatoes provide vitamin C, potassium and the carotenoid lycopene. In the pan they soften and release their juice, which keeps the couscous moist.

What does feta bring besides flavour?

Feta contains protein, calcium and vitamin B12. Depending on the type, it can also be quite salty, so if you're watching your salt, keep an eye on the total amount.

Who should avoid couscous?

Couscous cooks quickly and is mild in flavour. It contains gluten from durum wheat, though, so it isn't suitable if you have coeliac disease or a gluten intolerance.

What does olive oil add here?

Olive oil mainly provides monounsaturated fats, especially oleic acid, plus vitamin E.