Recipe

Friday 19 June 2026

Nigel Slater’s recipe for roast tomato couscous

A simple dish that brings out the richness of summer’s most versatile bounty

Ingredients

assorted tomatoes, including large ones

650g

red onion

1

garlic

2 cloves

olive oil

vegetable stock

400ml

couscous

100g

golden raisins

parsley

15g

mint

10g

harissa paste

1 tbsp

Serves

2

| Time

45 mins

assorted tomatoes, including large ones

650g

red onion

1

garlic

2 cloves

olive oil

vegetable stock

400ml

couscous

100g

golden raisins

parsley

15g

mint

10g

harissa paste

1 tbsp

Serves

2

| Time

45 mins

Method

Heat the oven to 200C/gas mark 6. Put the tomatoes into a roasting tin. Peel and thinly slice the onion and garlic and add to the tomatoes with salt and coarsely ground black pepper. Trickle the tomatoes with a little olive then roast in the preheated oven for 30-35 minutes until the tomato skins are lightly browned.

Bring the vegetable stock to the boil. Place the couscous in a heatproof bowl, then pour the boiling stock over, add the raisins and cover with a lid or plate and leave for 15 minutes.

Tear the parsley leaves from their stalks and chop roughly, then chop the mint leaves and mix together.

Using a fork, lightly crush the smaller tomatoes so the juices flow, then stir in the harissa paste. When the couscous has soaked up all the stock, check the seasoning, adding salt and pepper as you wish, run a fork through the couscous to separate the grains, then divide between 2 shallow bowls, spoon the crushed tomatoes and their juices over the couscous then add the whole tomatoes.

Ingredients

assorted tomatoes, including large ones

650g

red onion

1

garlic

2 cloves

olive oil

vegetable stock

400ml

couscous

100g

golden raisins

parsley

15g

mint

10g

harissa paste

1 tbsp

Method

Heat the oven to 200C/gas mark 6. Put the tomatoes into a roasting tin. Peel and thinly slice the onion and garlic and add to the tomatoes with salt and coarsely ground black pepper. Trickle the tomatoes with a little olive then roast in the preheated oven for 30-35 minutes until the tomato skins are lightly browned.

Bring the vegetable stock to the boil. Place the couscous in a heatproof bowl, then pour the boiling stock over, add the raisins and cover with a lid or plate and leave for 15 minutes.

Tear the parsley leaves from their stalks and chop roughly, then chop the mint leaves and mix together.

Using a fork, lightly crush the smaller tomatoes so the juices flow, then stir in the harissa paste. When the couscous has soaked up all the stock, check the seasoning, adding salt and pepper as you wish, run a fork through the couscous to separate the grains, then divide between 2 shallow bowls, spoon the crushed tomatoes and their juices over the couscous then add the whole tomatoes.

Photograph by Jonathan Lovekin

Newsletters

Choose the newsletters you want to receive

View more

For information about how The Observer protects your data, read our Privacy Policy

Follow

The Observer
The Observer Magazine
The ObserverNew Review
The Observer Food Monthly
Copyright © 2025 Tortoise MediaPrivacy PolicyTerms & Conditions