This Pearl Couscous Salad is an easy, flavorful salad that’s perfect as a side dish, vegetarian main dish, or make-ahead lunch. It holds up well in the refrigerator, making it a great option for meal prep, cookouts, and easy summer meals.
This pearl couscous salad is one of those recipes I make again and again during the summer. It’s hearty enough to serve as a vegetarian main dish but also pairs well with everything from grilled chicken to burgers, making it an easy side for cookouts or weeknight dinners.
One of my favorite things about this salad is how well it keeps. I serve it with dinner, and whatever is left becomes lunch for the next few days, which makes it an easy way to stretch one recipe into multiple meals.
Ingredient notes and substitutions
- Couscous: Be sure to choose pearl couscous, not couscous. Pearl couscous is sometimes called Israeli couscous.
- Lemon juice: Fresh lemon juice has the best flavor.
- Feta: I like to use blocks of feta cheese and crumble it for the salad.
- Olives: Kalamata olives have stronger, saltier flavor, and green olives are milder.
- Tomatoes: Grape tomatoes or cherry tomatoes will work well.
- Pistachios: The pistachios add great crunch to the salad. You can skip them if need be.
How to make pearl couscous salad
Here you’ll find instructions and step-by-step photos showing how to make this recipe. The full recipe, including ingredients, is given below.
Step 1: Add the cous cous and 1 tablespoon of olive oil to a large saucepan. Toast over medium-low heat, stirring frequently, until the pearls start to get some color.
Step 2: Add water and salt. Bring to a boil, cover, and reduce heat to low. Cook for 10 minutes, stirring regularly, especially as the water evaporates, until all of the water has evaporated. Remove from heat.
Step 3: In a large bowl, whisk together the remaining 3 tablespoons olive oil, lemon juice, garlic, and kosher salt.
Step 4: Add the cous cous to the dressing and toss to combine.
Step 5: Stir in the feta, olives, tomatoes, cucumber, red onion, parsley, mint, and salt and pepper. Give everything a good stir to combine.
Step 6: Sprinkle with chopped pistachios just before serving.
Recipe Tips!
- Toasting the couscous: Don’t skip toasting the couscous. This helps to give the couscous a mild nutty flavor and helps the couscous not absorb too much cooking liquid.
- Cook the couscous until just tender: Avoid overcooking so the couscous keeps its pleasant, chewy texture.
- Taste before serving: After chilling, the salad may need an extra squeeze of lemon juice or pinch of salt.
- Make it ahead: The flavors continue to develop as the salad chills.
- Stir before serving: Give the salad a quick toss after chilling to redistribute the dressing.
Storage
Store any leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator. The salad will keep for up to 4 days when properly stored in the fridge.
More Mediterranean-inspired recipes!
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Pearl Couscous Salad Recipe
Equipment
- Large bowl
Ingredients
- 8 ounces uncooked pearl couscous
- ¼ cup olive oil divided
- 1 ¾ cup water
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt
- 2 tablespoons lemon juice
- 2 cloves garlic minced
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt
- 4 ounces feta crumbled
- 15 ounce can chickpeas drained and rinsed
- 1 cup kalamata or green olives pitted and quartered
- 1 pint grape or cherry tomatoes quartered
- 2 cups peeled and diced cucumber 1 English cucumber
- ¼ cup finely diced red onion or shallot
- ½ cup chopped curly leaf parsley
- ¼ cup chopped fresh mint
- kosher salt and black pepper to taste
- 2-4 tablespoons chopped pistachios
Instructions
- Add the cous cous and 1 tablespoon of olive oil to a large saucepan.8 ounces uncooked pearl couscous
- Toast over medium-low heat, stirring frequently, until the pearls start to get some color.
- Add water and salt.1 ¾ cup water, ½ teaspoon kosher salt
- Bring to a boil, cover, and reduce heat to low. Cook for 10 minutes, stirring regularly, especially as the water evaporates, until all of the water has evaporated.
- Remove from heat.
- In a large bowl, whisk together the remaining 3 tablespoons olive oil, lemon juice, garlic, and kosher salt.2 tablespoons lemon juice, 2 cloves garlic, ½ teaspoon kosher salt
- Add the cous cous to the dressing and toss to combine.
- Stir in the feta, chickpeas, olives, tomatoes, cucumber, red onion, parsley, mint, and salt and pepper. Give everything a good stir to combine.4 ounces feta , 15 ounce can chickpeas, 1 cup kalamata or green olives, 1 pint grape or cherry tomatoes, 2 cups peeled and diced cucumber, ¼ cup finely diced red onion or shallot, ½ cup chopped curly leaf parsley, ¼ cup chopped fresh mint, kosher salt and black pepper
- Sprinkle with chopped pistachios just before serving.2-4 tablespoons chopped pistachios
Notes
- Couscous: Be sure to choose pearl couscous, not couscous.
- Lemon juice: Fresh lemon juice has the best flavor.
- Feta: I like to use blocks of feta and crumble it for the salad.
- Olives: Kalamata olives have stronger, saltier flavor, and green olives are milder.
- Tomatoes: Grape tomatoes or cherry tomatoes will work well.
- Pistachios: The pistachios add great crunch to the salad. You can skip them if need be.
- Nutrition values are estimates.
Nutrition
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