Prawns, Giant Couscous & Pesto (Everyday Anchor Bowl)

Ingredients (1 serving)

• 75–100g giant couscous (dry)

• 150–200g prawns (raw or cooked)

• 1 courgette (chopped)

• 1 red pepper (chopped)

• ½ red onion (sliced)

• Handful cherry tomatoes

• Large handful rocket or spinach

• 1–2 tbsp pesto

• ½ lemon (zest + juice)

• Olive oil, salt, pepper

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Method

1. Roast the veg (build the base)

• Preheat oven to 200°C

• Toss courgette, pepper, onion, tomatoes in olive oil, salt, pepper

• Roast for 20–25 mins until soft and slightly caramelised

👉 This is doing most of the heavy lifting for flavour + volume

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2. Cook the couscous

• Bring salted water to boil

• Cook giant couscous for 8–10 mins

• Drain and set aside

👉 If you’ve got time, stir a little olive oil through it so it doesn’t clump

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3. Cook the prawns

• Heat pan with a little olive oil

• Add prawns, salt, pepper (optional: garlic or chilli)

• Cook 2–3 mins until pink and just done

👉 Don’t overcook—rubbery prawns kill this meal

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4. Bring it together

• In a large bowl, combine:

  • Couscous

  • Roasted veg

  • Prawns

• Stir through pesto

• Add a squeeze of lemon juice + a bit of zest

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5. Finish

• Fold through rocket or spinach (it’ll wilt slightly)

• Taste → adjust salt, lemon, pesto

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What matters (this is the coaching bit)

• Volume first → don’t skip the veg

• Protein anchored → prawns aren’t optional

• Acidity at the end → this is what stops it feeling heavy

• Repeatable > perfect → same structure, different ingredients each week

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Simple swaps (so they don’t get bored)

• Prawns → chicken, salmon, tofu

• Couscous → rice, new potatoes, quinoa

• Pesto → olive oil + herbs, yogurt dressing