Mediterranean Couscous Salad
Mediterranean couscous salad takes you on a journey to sun drenched Greek shores with its fresh, bright flavors. This salad features couscous tossed with toasted nuts, juicy cherry tomatoes, salty kalamata olives, refreshing cucumbers, sweet peppers, and feta. Perfect for a light lunch or dinner!
We’re in the dog days of summer.
It’s hot, it’s sticky, and I don’t want heavy meals.
I’d rather have light, cool dishes like this Mediterranean couscous salad.
It’s a fresh take on pasta salad you’ll be glad you tried with its bright assortment of colorful, flavorful veggies.
Not to mention all the crunch action and the tangy lemon basil vinaigrette!
It’s a real winner and you’ll love it for light lunches or dinners during these hot days or really anytime.
What is couscous?
Couscous is a very small type of pasta.
Despite looking like rice or another grain, it’s made from semolina flour and water.
Ingredients
To make this you’ll need:
- Couscous– Pearl couscous cooked to the package instructions and drained.
- Walnuts– Toasted. You could substitute toasted pine nuts or even skip the nuts all together if needed.
- Veggies– Halved cherry tomatoes, kalamata olives, diced cucumber, sweet bell pepper, and diced red onion
- Cheese– Crumbled feta
- Lemon basil vinaigrette– Your favorite variety or make your favorite recipe
- Salt and pepper– To taste
How to Make
If you can boil pasta, you can make this Mediterranean couscous salad!
To do it, cook the couscous according to the instructions on the package and drain it.
Let the couscous chill and then put the cooled couscous into a large mixing bowl.
Add all the remaining ingredients except for the dressing and toss it all together to combine.
Add the dressing and give the salad another toss to coat everything in dressing.
Give it a taste and season with salt and pepper.
Chill it and enjoy!
Storing
Store this salad in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 5 days.
Give it a toss right before serving again.
This salad is better the longer it chills, though you may need to add more dressing if it sits for too long.
Tips and Tricks
- This is best if you let it chill for 60 minutes or more, but you can also enjoy it fresh.
- Want to fill it out a little? Top this salad with grilled or rotisserie chicken or grilled shrimp or salmon.
- This salad is very forgiving. You can substitute or skip any of the ingredients that you don’t like.
- For extra goodness, top this with fresh herbs. Chopped flatleaf parsley, fresh oregano, and/or chopped fresh basil would all be delicious and add extra flavor.
Other Mediterranean Inspired Recipes
Mediterranean couscous salad is an easy, light, bright dish that is perfect on the hottest of days.
Make it and enjoy!
Looking for other Mediterranean inspired recipes?
Try these:
If you’ve tried this MEDITERRANEAN COUSCOUS SALAD or any other recipe on the site, let me know in the comment section how it turned out, we love hearing from our readers! You can also follow along with me on PINTEREST, FACEBOOK, and INSTAGRAM to see more amazing recipes and whatever else we’ve got going on!
Mediterranean Couscous Salad
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 cups pearl couscous cooked according to package instructions and drained
- 1/4 cup toasted walnuts can substitute toasted pine nuts, if needed
- 1/2 cup cherry tomatoes halved
- 1/2 cup kalamata olives
- 1/2 cup diced cucumber
- 1/2 cup diced sweet bell pepper
- 1/2 cup crumbled feta cheese
- 1/4 cup diced red onion
- 1/2 cup lemon basil vinaigrette
- salt & pepper to taste
Instructions
- Transfer the cooked, drained, and cooled couscous to a large mixing bowl.1 1/2 cups pearl couscous
- Add the remaining ingredients, except the dressing, to the bowl and gently toss together until evenly combined.1/4 cup toasted walnuts, 1/2 cup cherry tomatoes, 1/2 cup kalamata olives, 1/2 cup diced cucumber, 1/2 cup diced sweet bell pepper, 1/2 cup crumbled feta cheese, 1/4 cup diced red onion
- Pour the dressing evenly out over the chicken mixture and gently toss it together until evenly combined.1/2 cup lemon basil vinaigrette
- Season with salt & pepper, to taste, then serve and enjoy!salt & pepper
Notes
- This is best if you let it chill for 60 minutes or more, but you can also enjoy it fresh.
- Want to fill it out a little? Top this salad with grilled or rotisserie chicken or grilled shrimp or salmon.
- This salad is very forgiving. You can substitute or skip any of the ingredients that you don't like.
- For extra goodness, top this with fresh herbs. Chopped flatleaf parsley, fresh oregano, and/or chopped fresh basil would all be delicious and add extra flavor.
Nutrition
