Mediterranean Couscous Salad
Updated Jun 12, 2021
Mediterranean Couscous Salad is a fresh and healthy vegetarian summer recipe that is loaded with protein from the chickpeas and full of colorful vegetables.
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Mediterranean couscous salad is a light, healthy and simple salad that’s perfect for summer barbecues, potlucks and picnics. You can throw it together with either type of couscous and add popular Mediterranean add-ins like tomatoes, cucumbers, pine nuts and feta cheese. It’s packed with protein and has a bright lemony taste that will leave you feeling fresh and fabulous.
What is couscous?
Is it the same thing as pasta?
Yes, couscous is basically tiny ground pasta. It’s made from crushed durum wheat semolina flour that’s dried and toasted into small spheres. It’s much smaller compared to traditional Italian pasta, and has a naturally nutty flavor from the toasting process. Couscous is very popular in the Middle East, so I grew up eating more couscous than pasta. And now, I love incorporating it into recipes like this Mediterranean couscous salad. You can easily use it in the place of rice or pasta in a lot of recipes.
What’s the difference between regular SEMOLINA couscous and pearl couscous?
The difference comes down to size and texture. While regular semolina couscous is small, pearl couscous looks like small pearls. Regular couscous is pre-steamed and softer. So you only have to soak it in water before consuming. However, pearl couscous is only toasted, so it needs to be cooked like pasta.
How do you cook couscous?
You’ll generally find pre-steamed regular couscous in grocery stores. You just have to let is sit in hot water for a few minutes to absorb the liquid. Then you can fluff with a fork, and use in the recipe. Just follow the package directions for the amount of water to use and the time to set the couscous in the water.
For pearl couscous however, cook it like pasta by letting it boil in hot water and then draining out the liquid. Alternatively, I find it quicker to cook it like rice (but shorter). I add about 1 ¼ cup of water for every cup of couscous and the liquid will absorb in 8-10 minutes without the need to strain it.
Ingredients for Mediterranean couscous salad
Salad ingredients
- Couscous: This is the base for the recipe. I like using the pearl couscous, but you can also use regular.
- Chickpeas: Since this is a vegetarian recipe, the chickpeas add a great source of plant-based protein, and complement the nutty flavor of the couscous.
- Vegetables: I use cucumbers and sun-dried tomatoes only. But you can also use fresh tomatoes, red peppers, green peppers, red onions and olives. I’ve seen some this done with raisins at restaurants.
- Feta cheese: It’s a must in a Mediterranean salad! And the saltiness of the feta cheese is a great balance with the sweet sun-dried tomatoes.
- Herbs: Fresh parsley and mint are perfect for this salad. You can also use cilantro, dill and/or basil.
- Pine nuts: Add pine nuts to this couscous salad for a great crunch and nutty flavor. You can substitute with almonds, walnuts, macadamia nuts or leave out.
Dressing ingredients
The dressing is basically 4 pantry items plus salt and pepper. Make sure to whisk it together in a bowl to emulsify it and really infuse the flavor, as opposed to just adding the ingredients individually on top of the dressing. It makes a difference in the taste and in how much you’ll need to coat the salad.
- Olive oil: Go with extra virgin olive oil whenever you’re making a salad. You’ll taste the difference!
- Lemon juice: This is what gives the dressing the fresh citrus flavor. Opt for freshly squeezed lemon juice.
- Dijon mustard: It’s my favorite emulsifier because it allows two liquids that don’t normally blend, like oil and vinegar, to properly blend and become homogenized. Plus it adds a rich flavor to dressings.
- Garlic: Use fresh, and a little goes a long way!
Pour the dressing over the couscous salad, and gently give everything a toss to combine the flavors.
You can enjoy the salad as is at room temperature or you can cool in the fridge for at least one hour. The salad keeps well in the fridge for up to 5 days, especially if you don’t use any delicate vegetables like tomatoes.
Tips for making Mediterranean couscous salad:
- Toast the couscous before cooking it. If you have time, try to toast the couscous with olive oil or butter before adding the boiling water. It makes the taste more nutty.
- Cook the couscous al dente. Just like cooking pasta to use in salads, you want to cook the couscous al dente when using in a salad so it doesn’t turn too soft and mushy.
- Flavor the couscous while cooking it. You can do this by adding some olive oil or butter after you toast it, or you can use vegetable broth or chicken broth instead of water. You can also add some dry seasoning when you toast it, like garlic powder, cumin or coriander
For more couscous recipes:
For more Mediterranean recipes:
- Bulgur Pilaf
- Tabbouleh Salad
- Mediterranean Pasta Salad
- Mediterranean Chopped Salad
- Mediterranean Cauliflower Pitas
This Mediterranean couscous salad is a healthy appetizer or side dish to incorporate into your meals this summer. It can even work as a lunch or dinner salad since its packed with chickpeas, which is a great source of plant-based protein. It’s a light salad that comes together in 15 minutes, and works well for meal prepping or make-ahead lunches. Switch up the vegetables, add lots of fresh herbs and enjoy the fresh bright taste!
If you’ve tried this healthy-ish feel good Mediterranean Couscous Salad recipe or any other recipe on Feel Good Foodie, then don’t forget to rate the recipe and leave me a comment below! I would love to hear about your experience making it. And if you snapped some shots of it, share it with me on Instagram so I can repost on my stories!
Pearl Couscous Salad
Ingredients
- 1 ½ cups pearl couscous
- 2 cups water
- 1 teaspoon salt
- ¼ cup extra-virgin olive oil
- ¼ cup lemon juice
- 1 garlic clove grated
- 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
- ¼ teaspoon black pepper
- 2 Persian cucumbers diced
- 1 (15-ounce) can chickpeas rinsed and drained
- ½ cup sun-dried tomatoes diced or julienned
- ¼ cup crumbled feta cheese
- ¼ cup chopped parsley
- 2 tablespoons chopped fresh mint
Instructions
- Bring the water and salt to a boil in a medium saucepan. Add the couscous, stir, cover, and reduce the heat to medium. Cook covered for 15 minutes, or according to package instructions, until the liquid is absorbed and the couscous is tender. Fluff with a fork and set aside to cool while preparing the rest of the ingredients.
- In a large bowl, whisk together the olive oil, lemon juice, garlic, mustard, and black pepper until well combined. Add the cooled couscous on top along with the cucumbers, chickpeas, sun-dried tomatoes, feta cheese, parsley, and mint. Toss gently until everything is evenly combined.
- Serve at room temperature, or cover and refrigerate for about 1 hour if you prefer it chilled.
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information provided is an estimate. It will vary based on cooking method and specific ingredients used.
Comments
I’m making this at the moment, and have seen an issue – you can change the slider for the servings, but as you have fixed the amount of water in the recipe text, there’s no way of quickly knowing how much more / less water you need to add for a different number of portions. Is there any way the recipe can be updated so that you can quickly see how much water/stock is needed to cook different amounts of couscous? My couscous packet isn’t helpful, as it gives the water volume by weight of couscous, rather than by cup size, so I’ve got to go Googling…
I made a double batch for 2 picnics this weekend, and it was a hit at each one! Our store only had tri-colored pearl couscous & I couldn’t find pine nuts, but it still turned out delicious.
I’m glad it still turned out that way and that it was a hit! Yay!!
Loved it Ty!! Although I understand why you don’t add measurements for a salad ~ bc it’s my first time, would you know approx how much cous cous dry you use for one serving?
Actually the measurements are at the bottom of the post in the blue recipe card.
Delicious