Couscous Salad
Serves 4
This fresh Mediterranean couscous salad recipe is a delicious summer side dish or meal prep lunch. It's filled with raw and roasted cherry tomatoes, cucumbers, feta, chickpeas, and herbs. I like to roast the tomatoes in advance for quicker assembly.
Ingredients
- 4 cups cherry tomatoes, half for roasting, half raw
- 1 cup dry pearl couscous
- 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil, plus more for drizzling
- 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice, plus more to taste
- 1 garlic clove, minced
- Leaves from 6 sprigs fresh thyme, plus more for garnish
- ¼ teaspoon sea salt, plus more to taste
- Freshly ground black pepper
- 1½ cups roasted chickpeas, tossed with ¼ teaspoon smoked paprika before roasting
- ¼ cup fresh basil leaves, plus more for garnish
- 2 Persian cucumbers, thinly sliced
- ⅓ cup crumbled feta cheese
Instructions
- Roast 2 cups of the cherry tomatoes according to this roasted tomatoes recipe. These can be made in advance and stored in the fridge for a few days.
- Bring a pot of salted water to a boil. Cook the couscous according to the package directions until al dente, about 9 minutes. Drain and set aside to cool.
- In a large bowl, whisk together the olive oil, lemon juice, garlic, thyme leaves, salt, and several grinds of pepper. Add the cooled couscous and toss. Slice the remaining raw cherry tomatoes in half and add them to the bowl along with the roasted tomatoes, the chickpeas, basil, cucumbers, and feta. Toss to combine and season to taste.
- Top the salad with more thyme, basil, and a generous drizzle of olive oil and serve.