Salad, salad, salad. Salad seems to be all that is on my mind lately. It’s finally warm outside. Everything is finally blooming. Gardens have been planted. Community supported agriculture programs are in full swing. Vegetables are plentiful and flavorful. This Mediterranean Couscous Salad is a great way to use up all of these beautiful farmer’s market finds. 
I first met this Mediterranean Couscous Salad at a baby shower thrown for another colleague of mine. A few of us agreed to do the food for the party and decided on a mediterranean theme-complete with a spice rubbed pork tenderloin, grilled asparagus, hummus and pita bread. My friend brought this amazing salad and I was blown away by the colors and flavors found in this dish. It became my new potluck favorite. And the best part? It holds up great in the refrigerator, tastes better when made a day ahead and makes leftovers for days!
Don’t be afraid of the long list of the ingredients. They are easy to find, easy to work with and so flavorful. This Mediterranean Couscous Salad comes together quickly and is crunchy, sweet, a little spicy, with a hint of curry. Try this one for your lunches this week. You won’t be sorry!
Mediterranean Couscous Salad
Ingredients
- 1 box plain couscous I use Near East brand
- 1 box roasted garlic and olive oil couscous I use Near East brand
- 3 1/4 cups chicken stock or broth
- 1 1/2 Tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
- 3 roma tomatoes diced
- 5 green onions sliced (both green and white portions)
- 1 red pepper diced
- 1 orange pepper diced
- 1 yellow pepper diced
- 1 cucumber seeded and diced
- 1 15 ounce can of chickpeas drained and rinsed
- 2/3 cup golden raisins
- 1/4 cup Italian parsley chopped
- 2/3 cup pine toasted toasted
- 1/4 cup fresh lemon juice
- 1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil
- 1/2 teaspoon cumin
- 1/2 teaspoon curry powder
- 1/4 teaspoon Tabasco
- 1 clove of garlic minced
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
Instructions
-
In a medium saucepan, bring chicken broth and 1 1/2 Tablespoons of extra-virgin olive oil to a boil.
-
Add couscous, stir and cover pan.
-
Remove from heat and allow to sit for 5 minutes.
-
Fluff couscous with a fork and allow to cool completely.
-
In a large bowl, toss tomatoes, green onions, peppers, cucumbers, chickpeas, raisins, and parsely.
-
In a jar with a lid combine lemon juice, 1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil, cumin, curry powder, Tabasco, garlic, salt and pepper.
-
Shake jar well to emulsify the dressing.
-
Stir cooled couscous into vegetables to form the salad.
-
Stir dressing into the salad.
-
Just before serving, garnish with toasted pine nuts.
PS: To make this dish vegetarian, just substitute the chicken stock for water! Simple!
Oh, boy, does this look amazing!!! Perfect for a week of lunches. And I might even try it with quinoa. Thanks for the inspiration.
I bet it would also be awesome with quinoa! Great idea!
Salad would be on my mind all the time too if it was always this good!!
Thanks Kristen! And even better, it makes great leftovers!
Looks vibrant and very appetizing!
Thanks Meg! Healthy too!
This is such a pretty salad! Love how fresh and colorful it is!
Thank you! I love to try to “eat the rainbow”!
This looks so wonderful! I love the flavors.
Thanks! Hope you enjoy!
How much is 1Box? If your box has cooked amount and uncooked it would be really helpful so I can proportion right! I usually have already cooked cous cous to add to salads, but an uncooked amount would be helpful if i was making some just for this recipe.
This looks fantastic can’t wait to try it!
Anna-I have to admit I haven’t ever measured the couscous (I’m more of a dump in the boxes girl for this one), but according to the boxes (assuming my math is correct!), it appears as though it is approximately 2 2/3 cups uncooked couscous or 8 cups cooked couscous. It makes a lot!