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how to make mediterranean couscous salad?
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4.88 from 8 votes

Easy Mediterranean Couscous Salad Recipe

This Pearl Couscous Salad is so delicuos and easy to put together in under 30 minutes. Loaded with vegetables, cheese, nuts and home made balsamic vinaigrette, it is one of the best sides to any meal or a perfect salad to take for potlucks or cookouts.
Prep Time15 minutes
Cook Time10 minutes
Course: Appetizer / Light Meal, Salad
Cuisine: American, Mediterranean
Keyword: Couscous Salad, Israeli Couscous Salad, Mediterranean Couscous Salad, Pearl Couscous Salad
Servings: 4 people
Calories: 421kcal
Author: simplyvegetarian777

Equipment

  • Measuring Spoons, Measuring Cups, Stirring Spoon,
  • Chopping board and knife
  • Kitchen Colander
  • mixing bowl
  • Instant Pot 6 quart or Mealthy Multipot
  • Salad Tongs
  • Blender

Ingredients

Couscous Ingredients for Instant Pot cooking

  • 1 cup PEARL COUSCOUS also called Israeli Couscous
  • 1/2 tbsp Olive Oil
  • 1&1/4 cup Water

Vegetables, Herbs & Other Ingredients

  • 1 medium Cucumber chopped fine
  • 16 or 1 cup Cherry tomatoes every tomato cut into 8s
  • 1/2 cup or 1/2 medium Red Onion chopped fine
  • 2 tbsp Basil chopped fine
  • 2 tbsp Mint chopped fine
  • 2 tbsp Parsley chopped fine
  • 1 cup Chickpeas cooked at home or canned
  • 10 Black Olives Sliced
  • 1/4 cup Walnuts chopped roughly
  • 1/3 cup Feta Cheese crumbled
  • 1/3 cup Balsamic Vinaigrette for home made recipe, check notes

Instructions

ALWAYS READ THE FULL RECIPE INSTRUCTIONS FIRST. THEN GATHER YOUR INGREDIENTS. PREP AND GET GOING. DO NOT FORGET TO CHECK THE NOTES FOR ADDITIONAL INFO & TIPS.

    Cook Pearl Couscous in Instant Pot

    • Most of the PEARL COUSCOUS come with the instructions of 8-10 minutes cooking. My packet read 8 minutes. So I pressure cooked 1 cup of pearl couscous with 1&1/4 cup water & 1/2 tbsp Olive Oil for 4 minutes in INSTANT POT. Then I did QPR (quick pressure release). Let it stand for 10 minutes. Then fork gently to separate the grains. Meanwhile prep the other ingredients.
      NOTE - Pearl Couscous to Water Ratio for Instant Pot is 1:1&1/4
      how to cook couscous in instant pot?
    • Stove Top Instructions - For stove top cooking, follow the instructions as is as mentioned at the back of the packet. Once cooked, Set aside and fork gently after 10 minutes to separate the grains.
    • The best part is that you can cook couscous ahead of time and refrigerate till you need it. It is a great meal prep.

    Prep the Vegetables & other Ingredients

    • Vegetables - Wash cucumbers, cherry tomatoes, red onion in a Kitchen Colander and pat these dry. Further chop all the vegetables fine to match the size of the couscous.
    • Herbs - Although I used basil, mint & parsley in this salad, but you can use whatever you have. You can use all 3 kinds of only 1 kind. Now wash the fresh herbs and chop these fine.
    • Chickpeas - Open the can of chickpeas and wash in running water.
    • Black Olives - Slice the black olives and set aside.

    Toss the Couscous Salad ingredients together

    • This is the easiest part. Take a large Mixing Bowl and add cooked PEARL COUSCOUS, canned Chickpeas, chopped vegetables & herbs, sliced black olives, feta cheese, & walnuts to the bowl. Further add about 1/3 cup of Balsamic Vinaigrette to it. Use the Salad Tongs and mix all the ingredients well.
      Israeli Pearl Couscous
    • For the best results, let it sit for 10 minutes either on the kitchen counter or refrigerate till ready to eat.

    Homemade Salad Dressing (measurements given in the notes)

    • If you decide to make the salad dressing at home, then take the high speed blender like Magic Bullet and add Extra Virgin Olive Oil, balsamic vinegar, Salt & Black Pepper, thyme, garlic cloves,  Dijon mustard,  Honey to it. Now blend it on high speed till smooth.
      balsamic vinaigrette recipe

    Notes

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    How to make Honey Balsamic Vinaigrette at home?

    Ingredients (yields 1 cup)
    1/4 cup Balsamic vinegar
    1/2 cup Extra Virgin Olive Oil
    3 tbsp Honey
    2 tbsp Dijon mustard
    2 cloves Garlic, chopped
    1 tsp thyme, dry
    1 tsp Salt
    1/2 tsp Black Pepper powder
    Method
    Take a small blender jar and all the ingredients to it. Then blend it till it is all smooth. Now that is one way of making it at home. And I love it since it gives a smooth vinaigrette.
    But if you want, then you can also put all the ingredients in a mason jar. Close the lid and give it a good shake till all the ingredients are mixed well.

    What can I serve with this salad?

    This salad will go very well with Grilled Corn, Roasted Sweet Potatoes or Baked Potatoes, Roasted Mushrooms, Grilled Asparagus and much more.

    Couscous Salad Recipe Tips

      • Cook the Pearl Couscous with some olive oil so that it does not stick to each other and easy to seprate the grains.
      • Choice of Vegetables - It is a very versatile salad. You can add any vegetables of your choice in this salad. Finely chopped broccoli, bell peppers, carrots are some othe vegetables that will go very well in this salad.
      • Nuts & Dry Fruits - Since I had walnuts handy, I used these in my salald. But you can use sliced almonds or pistachios too. You can add raisins or dried cranberries to this salad. The sweet and tart dried fruit will add a good contrast to the salad.
      • Herbs - Although I have used a mix of herbs, you can choose either one or all of the herbs for this salad. Dill is another amazing herb that you can use in this salad.
      • Cheese - Since Feta is creamy and salty in taste, it is my favorite cheese for salalds. But gorgonzola or goat cheese will be great in this salad.
      • Other Additions - Canned artichokes and banana peppers will be great addition in this salad along with black olives.
      • Protein - Although beans are great addition, but you can choose grilled tofu or paneer in this salad.
      • Make Ahead Tip - This Salad is great when you make ahead and refrigerate over night. It deepens the flavors. When you plan to make this salad ahead then toss the couscous in dressing and herbs. Refrigerate in an air tight container. When ready to serve, add chopped vegetables, nuts and feta. Mix and serve.
      • Storage - This salad can sit in the refrigerator for 3-4 days easily without loosing the flavors.

    Top 5 Reasons I like this Israeli Pearl Couscous Salad

    • This Salad comes together in under 30 minutes.
    • Couscous Salad is perfefct as a meal for hot sprinng or summer days!
    • Since it is so simple to make, you can make it ahead of time and serve it cold or at room temperature.
    • This dish is perfect to take for picnics, potlucks, and grill outs.
    • It is great to pack for work lunches and kids’ lunch boxes.
    • Perfect as a refreshing vegetarian side to any meal.

    Recipe Kitchen Gadgets

    Kitchen Colander
    Chopping board and Knife
    Measuring Cups & Spoon
    Mixing Bowls
    Salad Tongs
    Instant Pot
    High Speed Blender like Magic Bullet to make home made salad dressing.

    Nutrition

    Serving: 4people | Calories: 421kcal | Carbohydrates: 49g | Protein: 13g | Fat: 19g | Saturated Fat: 3g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 4g | Monounsaturated Fat: 4g | Cholesterol: 11mg | Sodium: 494mg | Potassium: 340mg | Fiber: 7g | Sugar: 4g | Vitamin A: 488IU | Vitamin C: 7mg | Calcium: 129mg | Iron: 2mg