Sometimes it's hard to find a good lunch option that you can feel good about, this Mediterranean Pearl Couscous Salad has all your favorite flavors without the guilt. It's easy to make and takes less than 20 minutes! Give it a try today.
Who doesn't love a good salad? This Mediterranean Pearl Couscous Salad is perfect for lunch and can be served with a variety of protein options. It is light, refreshing, and will fuel your body to take on the rest of your day!
This Mediterranean Pearl Couscous Salad recipe is so easy and quick to make, it will be your new go-to lunch! So satisfying!
Israeli couscous is made up of small, round granules that are a bit like pasta. 2-3 times larger than couscous. Pearl, or Israeli, couscous is roasted rather than dried, giving it a nutty flavor and a thick, chewy texture.
Pearl couscous is a fun and easy addition to any recipe. You can use this versatile grain in salads, soups, or even as the main dish!
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Ingredients
- Pearl Couscous
- Feta Cheese
- Cherry Tomatoes
- Cucumber
- Kalamata Olive
- Basil
- Olive Oil
- Red Wine Vinegar
- Oregano
See recipe card for quantities.
Instructions
In a saucepan, bring a large amount of water to a boil. Then add 2 cups of couscous and simmer for 20 minutes.
Add all of the ingredients to a large bowl and mix to combine everything.
Substitutions
- Pear Couscous - instead of Pearl Couscous, you can use regular couscous
- Kalamata Olive- you can also use black sliced olives
- Vegan- the Feta cheese can be replaced with a plant-based feta cheese or you can just leave out the feta to make this vegan
Storage
The salad can be kept for up to 4 days in an airtight container in the fridge.
These ingredients don't stand up well to freezing.
Tip
You do not need to rinse couscous before cooking, just as you don't need to rinse pasta. Since couscous is not a grain, you do not need to rinse it to wash away any starch as you would when cooking rice
FAQ'S
To prepare Israeli or pearl couscous, you'll need about 1 ¼ cups of water or vegetable broth for every 1 cup of dry grain
Israeli couscous—also called, giant couscous, and pearl couscous—is often thought of as a whole grain, but it's actually a type of pasta made of semolina flour and water.
No, couscous is not gluten-free. Despite its rice-like appearance, couscous is made from semolina, which is a granule of durum wheat.
More Salad Recipes
Basmati Rice Salad with Edamame
Mediterranean Pearl Couscous Salad
Ingredients
- 2 cups pearl couscous uncooked
- 1 cup cherry tomatoes cut in half
- ½ English cucumber
- ½ cup feta crumbled
- ¼ cup kalamata olive
- ⅓ cup olive oil
- ¼ cup red wine vinegar
- 2 teaspoon oregano
- Salt and Pepper to taste
Instructions
- In a saucepan, bring a large amount of water to a boil. Then add 2 cups of couscous and simmer for 20 minutes.
- Drain and rinse under cold water.Allow this mixture to cool before adding the ingredients
- Cut the cherry tomatoes in half and chop the cucumber in small cubes.
- Finely chop the kalamata olives.
- Crumble the feta with your hand or chop it in small cubes with a knife.
- Add all of the ingredients in a large bowl and mix to combine everything.
- Serve cold
Notes
- The salad can be kept for up to 4 days in an airtight container in the fridge.
- These ingredients don't stand up well to freezing.
Rob Parrott
Thank you. This is now one of my go to recipes’. I used a box of Trader Joe’s Israeli couscous, which had a little over 1-1/2 cups couscous, and followed its instructions to cook it. I replaced the tomatoes with a red bell pepper, diced in 1/4-3/8” cubes, cuz that’s what I had in the fridge, and a couple forkfuls of capers that were screaming at me to add them in. Sooooo delicious! I will bring this to the next work potluck!
Sophie
Thank you Rob! I'm glad you liked it! It's always a good idea to use what you have in the fridge, and capers are soooooo good 🙂