Easy, make ahead Mediterranean couscous salad. Pearl couscous combined with vegetables and then dressed up in a sweet and sour homemade dressing. Finished with chopped pecan for a nutty crunch factor.
Next time, try this earthy beet and carrot salad.
This vegan salad is nutty, fruity and full of flavors. Great to accompany any meal, favorite side with grilled meats and a pleasure to bring to your next potluck.
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❤️ Why You'll Love It
- So easy to make.
- Bright and flavorful.
- Vegan and it suits many diets.
- Make it up to 24 hours ahead of time.
This salad is ridiculously easy to make and feeds a crowd. A very delicious summer salad that you could eat year round. It is very versatile and can serves you in so many ways, as a side dish, lunch or a light dinner.
📝 Ingredients
🥄 Instructions
Note: This is an overview of the instructions. The full instructions are in the recipe card below.
- Cook couscous: In a medium saucepan, toast couscous on medium-high heat in extra virgin olive oil 1-2 minutes. Then Pour water and season with salt and pepper. Bring to a boil, cover and simmer for 10 minutes. Remove from heat and use a fork to fluff and separate couscous, let it cool down.
- Meanwhile in a small bowl or measuring cup combine the dressing ingredients together.
- In a deep bowl, add couscous, arugula and pomegranate seeds together. Pour dressing over and toss to combine. Garnish with pecans or your favorite chopped nuts.
💡 Tips
Expert Tip: Toast couscous first in extra virgin olive oil as this brings out a nice nutty flavor and makes the color more appealing.
- I liked cooking the couscous with only water and no broth or stock involved. You can use vegetable broth or any broth you like.
- If you are not making it vegan, you can toast the couscous in a combination of olive oil and butter for more flavor.
- This recipe should be served immediately, or at most within an hour. This is because arugula tends to welt quickly. If you want to make it in advance, add arugula just before serving.
💬 Recipe FAQs
Coucous is a staple in North African cuisines and is he base of most Mediterranean diets. Couscous is traditionally made with moistened semolina rolled in wheat flour.
If we are talking white rice then couscous has more fiber in it. But what about brown rice? Calorie wise, couscous is lower but brown rice has more fiber and wins in nutrients. Source.
Yes of course, actually this salad can be served warm or cold so feel free to serve it either ways.
⌛ Make Ahead
You can make this salad 24 hours ahead, just do not add the arugula and mix everything together then refrigerate. When ready to serve add in the arugula.
👩🍳 Variations
- You can substitute regular couscous for the pearl couscous.
- Pearl couscous also goes by the name Israeli couscous in many countries.
- Play with the recipe and change the greens, use baby spinach or mixed salad greens.
- Feta cheese, black olives, green olives, artichoke hearts, fresh mozzarella and also beans and chickpeas are among the famous ingredients to add on to your couscous salad. So do not limit yourself.
🍽️ Serve With
- Oven roasted eggplant , fava bean dip or hummus for a vegan dinner.
- Shish Tawook, shish kebab, kofta or baked sea bass, this salad goes really great with grilled meats.
📣 Related Recipes
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Mediterranean Couscous salad
Ingredients
For the couscous:
- 1 cup (5oz / 145gm) dry pearl couscous
- 2 teaspoons extra virgin olive oil
- 1 1/4 cup (300 ml) water or broth
- Salt and pepper to taste
For the salad:
- 3 cups (65 gm) baby arugula
- 1/2 cup (3 oz / 87gm) pomegranate seeds
- 1/4 cup (2oz / 60gm) red onion chopped
For the dressing:
- 1/4 cup (60 ml) extra virgin olive oil
- 3 Tablespoons (44 ml) pomegranate molasses.
- 1 teaspoon sugar
- 1/2 teaspoon salt or to taste
- 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- 1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
- 1 1/2 teaspoon water.
For garnishing:
- 1/2 cup (2oz / 54gm) chopped pecan/walnuts or pistachios
Instructions
Cook the couscous:
- In a sauce pan over medium heat, add extra virgin olive oil.
- Add couscous and toast for 1-2 minutes.
- Pour water in and season with salt and pepper.
- Bring to a boil then cover and simmer for 10 minutes.
- Remove from heat and use a fork to fluff and separate couscous, let it cool down.
- Couscous might clump together but it will separate when making the salad.
Make the dressing:
- In a jar or measuring cup whisk the dressing ingredients well together until sugar and salt dissolves. Set aside.
Make the salad:
- In a large bowl, combine salad ingredients and couscous.
- Pour over dressing and toss to coat well.
- Garnish with chopped nuts.
- Serve immediately
Notes
- Toast couscous first in extra virgin olive oil as this brings out a nice nutty flavor and makes the color more appealing.
- I liked cooking the couscous with only water and no broth or stock involved. You can use vegetable broth or any broth you like.
- If you are not making it vegan, you can toast the couscous in a combination of olive oil and butter for more flavor.
- This recipe should be served immediately, or at most within an hour. This is because arugula tends to welt quickly.
- Make Ahead:
- You can make this salad 24 hours ahead, just do not add the arugula and mix everything together then refrigerate. When ready to serve add in the arugula.
- Variations:
- You can substitute regular couscous for the pearl couscous.
- Pearl couscous also goes by the name Israeli couscous in many countries.
- Play with the recipe and change the greens, use baby spinach or mixed salad greens.
- Feta cheese, black olives, green olives, artichoke hearts, fresh mozzarella and also beans and chickpeas are among the famous ingredients to add on to your couscous salad. So do not limit yourself.
- Serve with:
- Oven roasted eggplant , fava bean dip or hummus for a vegan dinner.
- Shish Tawook, shish kebab, kofta or baked sea bass, this salad goes really great with grilled meats.
Nutrition
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First published June 22, 2018 . Last updated May 24, 2021 with important tips, clear step by step instructions and readability.
Karen (Back Road Journal)
Love all the flavors and textures you have in you couscous salad.
Zdenko
Hi Amira,
this is the excellent food, after first cooking it's my favorite. Thank you.
Amira
Zdenko, thank you so much for your feedback. I am happy you liked it.
Mona
Hi Amira,
Can I replace couscous with bulgur?
Give me choices please
Thanks a lot
Amira
Mona, let's think outside the recipe a bit. I believe you can use bulgur, barley, Farro, Freekeh or any grain of choice. Let me know what do you think.
Bruce
Bruce
The salad looks delicious, however I haven’t tried as of yet. You mentioned that you don’t know of anyone who wouldn’t like the pomegranate, however I have to disagree. People who are taking blood pressure meds need to stay away from pomegranate as well as grapefruit! Can you recommend something to replace the pomegranate molasses?
Amira
Oh my thank you so much Bruce for pointing this out. My mom has blood pressure issues and she loves pomegranate!! I need to warn her about this. Here is a list of substitutes, my advice is to try tamarind concentrate.
Sal
It is believed that Pomegranate lowers high blood pressure and cholesterol. But If you decide to take it everyday as a supplement, consult your doctor as it may interact with Blood pressure tablets ACE and blood thinner tablets
John / Kitchen Riffs
Couscous is good stuff. Terrific idea to use it in a salad! And perfect for us -- we're eating salad several times a week during the warm weather. Thanks!
Amira
Thanks John, it is indeed the salad season for many of us. I hope you'll try it soon.