Summer Couscous Salad
Sunshine In A Bowl
This Summer Couscous Salad, made with tomato, onion and cucumber, is a delightful mix of flavorful herbs and vegetables. The ingredients come together to create a delightful salad or side dish that will go well with any summer grilling meals you make.
I was flying last week from Orlando to Chicago and was served a very similar salad on the flight. I could not stop thinking about it, so I had to make a copy cat version when I got home.
The salad on the flight also had thinly sliced radishes, which I did not add but you can.
The beauty of this salad is that it is a great meal prep option since it tastes better as it sits. The recipe card calls for one cup of dressing, but you can add as much or as little as you like.
This is a vegetarian recipe but it would also be good with grilled chicken. Some may want to add fresh mozzarella or a feta to the finished salad.
The Recipe Card
There is a recipe card at the end of this post that you can print, save, or pin to keep the recipe on hand. This Summer Couscous Salad is pretty simple to make, I will just include a few paragraphs clarifying some ingredients that may be unfamiliar to some people.
Feel free to use the “jump to recipe” button if you need no further explanation.
The Couscous
This Near East brand is the Pearled Couscous I used for this salad. I find it at almost every grocery store and I have used this as a side dish before.
It comes in other flavors as well. You can use any flavor or even just plain pearled couscous, but be sure it is the “pearled” variety.
I believe they also sell pearled couscous on Amazon.
If you cannot find any pearled couscous, you can use an orzo pasta for this recipe as well. I also have a farro recipe that is delicious.
You can use farro as well for this recipe. I do really love the texture of the pearled couscous so I encourage you to try to find it.
The Dressing
I use this Garlic Expressions Dressing for a lot of recipes. You can search garlic expression on my site and all the recipes that I use it for come up.
I also use the copycat garlic vinaigrette that they sell at Aldi. ANY garlic vinaigrette will do, so use whatever you feel comfortable with using.
I get a three pack of the Garlic Expression at Costco sometimes. This dressing adds a robust flavor to the salad.
Make It Personal
I used kale and fresh parsley from my garden in this recipe but you can make it with any herbs or greens you have on hand. I am going to make this again using fresh basil as well and see how it comes out.
I really liked the addition of the kale in this. Be sure to massage your kale so that it gets a little more tender. You are chopping the kale very small so it will be easy to eat no matter what.
Summer Couscous Salad Recipe
Summer Couscous Salad made with pearled couscous, grape tomatoes, cucumber, onion, and a delicious garlic vinaigrette. Add in summer greens like fresh parsley and kale for a nutrient dense, yet delicious summer salad.
Ingredients
- 2 boxes Near East Brand Pearled Couscous, Basil & Herb variety (5 ounces each) *pictured in post before the recipe card
- **plus the Water and Olive Oil amounts listed on the box to make the couscous
- 1 pint of Grape Tomatoes
- 1/2 of a Seedless Cucumber
- 1 medium sized, Yellow Onion
- 6 to 8 large Kale Leaves
- Handful of fresh Parsley
- 1 cup of Garlic Vinaigrette *I use the Garlic Expressions brand, pictured in the post before the recipe card
Instructions
- Prepare the couscous according to package directions. When this is prepared, refrigerate overnight or for at least four hours. *If you do not have access to this product, use 10 ounces of pearled couscous, prepare according to the directions, then refrigerate. You can increase the dressing by 1/4 cup to replace the basil and herb flavor of the Far East brand.
- Wash the grape tomatoes and cut in half, add to a large bowl.
- Wash and dry the kale and give all of the leaves a massage to make them tender. Chop into small pieces. I prefer the smaller the better. Add to the tomatoes.
- Wash and finely mince the parsley. Add to the tomatoes.
- Wash and thinly slice the cucumber. I do not peel, you can if you want to. Add to the bowl with the other ingredients.
- Slice the onion into thin strips and add to the bowl. Toss everything together.
- Add the cup of garlic vinaigrette and stir well to coat. You may want to add more dressing after you add the couscous.
- Add the cold couscous to the vegetables and herbs. Toss well to coat. Some of the couscous may stick together, use a rubber spatula to gently break it up. Taste and add more dressing if you prefer.
- This can be made a day ahead of time and refrigerated. You may want to add more dressing before serving.