This Mediterranean Couscous Salad is packed with fresh vegetables and herbs and tossed in a bright lemon vinaigrette. This healthy salad is easy to make and works great for meal prepping!
For far too long I had forgotten about couscous and how much I like it. Have you ever done that before? Just forgotten to make something you love for months or even years? I don’t even know how that happens to me cause I pretty much think about what I am cooking next 24/7.
I used to make couscous all the time and for some reason I have just plum forgotten to add couscous dishes into the dinner rotation for quite some time. When my MIL recently made a couscous salad to go with lunch this summer, I was reminded of my love for couscous again and had to have it again soon!
Couscous is great as a warm side dish but I especially love it in salads. This Mediterranean couscous salad is something we absolutely love! It’s fresh, bright and, best of all, super easy to make!
Add to that the fact that this salad is a great make-ahead option and it’s safe to say that I am back to making it regularly! This past weekend I made a big bowl of it to use for work lunches this week. It’s a welcome change from boring sandwiches and I am excited for lunches this week! I don’t here my hubby complaining either.
If you love Mediterranean flavours, you will love this salad too! It essentially has elements of a Greek salad – tomatoes, cucumbers and feta – all tossed in with couscous, fresh herbs, and a lemon vinaigrette.
Delish. And also, healthy.
Basically, all the delicious fuel I need to power through my days!
Why you should make Mediterranean Couscous Salad
- it’s delicious!
- the flavours are so bright and fresh!
- It takes only 30 minutes to make
- the ingredients are all easy to find
- it’s healthy!
- it is great for pot lucks and cookouts!
- it works as a satisfying lunch salad or a delicious side dish!
How do you cook couscous?
Couscous is incredibly easy to cook and is ready in just 5 minutes. In actuality, you don’t really “cook” couscous in the traditional sense. You basically just reconstitute it.
To cook the couscous, boil water (or broth) and add the couscous to the hot liquid. Remove it from heat and cover the pot or bowl, allowing the couscous to steam in the hot liquid. After 5 minutes, the couscous will have absorbed all of the liquid and it will be ready to use!
The ratio of liquid to couscous is a 1:1. So for 1 cup of couscous, you need 1 cup of boiling water or broth.
What you need to make this couscous salad
- couscous
- water
- olive oil
- salt
- tomatoes
- cucumbers
- red bell pepper
- feta cheese
- fresh parsley
- fresh mint
- lemon vinaigrette
How to make Mediterranean Couscous Salad
The steps for making this dish are super easy.
- Make the couscous. Bring water, olive oil and salt to a boil in a saucepan. Stir in the couscous and immediately remove from heat. Cover and let sit for 5 minutes. Fluff with a fork and let it cool completely.
- Assemble the ingredients. Place the cooled couscous in a bowl with the tomatoes, cucumbers, red pepper, feta, parsley and mint.
- Prepare the lemon vinaigrette. Place all of the ingredients for the vinaigrette in a jar with a secure lid and shake until emulsified. Alternatively, you can whisk the ingredients together in a bowl.
- Toss it all together. Drizzle the vinaigrette over the salad and gently toss until everything is combined.
Recommendations for meal prepping and storing leftovers
This Mediterranean couscous salad is great for meal prep and can be made in advance.
Storing leftovers: Store leftover couscous salad in the refrigerator in an air-tight container (or a bowl covered in plastic food wrap). The salad will last for a few days. The couscous salad may absorb the dressing over the course of a few days so I recommend whipping up some more vinaigrette to add to the salad.
Meal prepping: Since the couscous can absorb the vinaigrette over the course of a few days, if you are meal prepping this salad you have a couple options to ensure it is moist and flavourful.
- prepare the couscous salad without the vinaigrette. Store the vinaigrette separately and use it on the salad when you are ready to enjoy it.
OR
- make extra vinaigrette to drizzle over the salad after a few days
I hope you enjoy this Mediterranean Couscous Salad as much as we do!
-Cathy
You may also like these hearty salads incorporating grains:
Mediterranean Grain Salad with Roasted Summer Vegetables
Corn, Bacon and Arugula Pasta Salad
If you try and enjoy this recipe, I would love to hear about it! Leave a rating and/or comment below to let me know what you think!
Mediterranean Couscous Salad
Ingredients
- 1 cup couscous
- 1 cup water
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1 cup cherry tomatoes halved (or diced tomatoes)
- 1 cup cucumbers diced
- 1 red bell pepper diced
- 1/3 cup feta cheese crumbled
- 1/4 cup parsley chopped
- 2 tablespoons fresh mint chopped
Lemon Vinaigrette
- 3 tablespoons olive oil
- 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
- 1 1/2 teaspoons Dijon mustard
- 1 teaspoon honey
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1/8 teaspoon pepper
Instructions
- Bring water, olive oil and salt to a boil in a saucepan. Stir in the couscous and immediately remove from heat. Cover and let sit for 5 minutes. Fluff with a fork and let it cool completely.
- Place the cooled couscous in a bowl with the tomatoes, cucumbers, red pepper, feta, parsley and mint.
- Place all of the ingredients for the vinaigrette in a jar with a secure lid and shake until emulsified. Alternatively, you can whisk the ingredients together in a bowl.
- Drizzle the vinaigrette over the salad and gently toss until everything is combined.
Note: Metric ingredient measurements are provided as a courtesy using a third-party calculator and are rounded to the nearest unit. The recipes provided on this site have not been tested with metric measurements and their accuracy cannot be verified.
Nutrition
The nutritional information provided is based on third-party calculations and is an estimate only. Accurate nutritional facts will vary based on the particular brands used, portion sizes, measurement accuracy and more.
