Couscous Salad

I find couscous salad is one of those grain salads that is so versatile. You can add any amount of vegetables and fruits and it always tastes great. Try my simple, yet delicious recipe and I am certain you will keep coming back for more.

Ingredients for Couscous Salad

A few fresh vegetables, some fruit, and a simple oil and vinegar dressing are all that is needed for this delicious salad.

Ingredients List for Couscous Salad

• 1 1/2 cups cooked couscous
• 1 sweet pepper
• 1/2 English cucumber
• 1 small red onion
• 1/2 cup chickpeas
• 1 ripe mango
• 4 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
• 4 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
• 1/4 cup feta cheese
• 1/4 cup toasted almonds for crunch
• salt and pepper to taste

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The Couscous

Let’s start with the couscous. Boil 1 cup of couscous as per the package directions. I boil it 1 minute less than the suggested time. This allows the couscous to not break apart when you turn it into a salad. The package instructions are generally for couscous that you will eat with a stew or curry.

Once it is boiled, drain and wash it off with cold water. Washing it helps remove any extra starches that might cause the couscous to clump together. Let it rest and cool down completely.

The Vegetables and Fruit

While the couscous is cooling down, let’s prepare the rest of the ingredients. Chop into bite size pieces:

• 1 sweet pepper (red or orange)
• 1/2 an English cucumber
• 1 small red onion (chop it into finer pieces)
• 1 ripe mango

Putting the Couscous Salad Together

By now the couscous should have cooled down. Let’s turn it into a delicious salad.

• Add the couscous to a large salad bowl.
• Then add the chopped cucumber, pepper, and onion to the bowl.
• Next, add the mango, 3/4 cup of boiled chickpeas, and feta to the bowl.
• Mix everything together well.
• Add salt and pepper to taste. Remember that feta is quite salty, so make sure you add a little salt, taste it then adjust as needed.

The Dressing

Now that we have all the ingredients mixed, we can dress our salad.

• To the bowl, add 4 tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil. Remember to use a good quality olive oil. A cheap olive oil will take away from the salad.
• Next, add 4 tablespoons of balsamic vinegar reduction. If you don’t have that, you can always use regular balsamic vinegar, red wine vinegar, or even white vinegar.
• Mix everything well together and taste and adjust as needed.
• I top mine with some toasted almonds. They provide a delicious crunchiness to the salad.

Variations

I love making this couscous salad often and I tend to vary it from time to time.

• Try replacing the mango with fresh Nectarines or Peaches.
• Prefer a vegan version? Skip the feta. All other ingredients in the salad are vegan friendly.
• Don’t want to add fresh fruit, replace it with dried apricots or even dates.
• Feta provides a delicious saltiness to the couscous salad, but you can skip it and add some olives to the salad. They will provide the saltiness that is needed.

Tried and Liked the Recipe?

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