This Mediterranean Couscous Salad is full of diced cucumbers, tomatoes, feta cheese, garbanzo beans, and tossed in a healthy olive oil and lemon juice dressing. You can easily meal prep this cold summer salad recipe ahead of time to bring to your summer picnics or as a vegetarian July 4th side dish.
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If you have never had pearl couscous before, you are in for a real treat!
They’re small, chewy, pasta-like balls that soak up ALL of the delicious flavor of whatever dressing you are using.
And in this Mediterranean couscous salad recipe you see here, that “Greek dressing” is actually a simple combination of olive oil, lemon juice, salt and pepper with a sprinkle of Greek seasoning for an added kick of flavor!
Why You Need This Couscous Salad Recipe
- It’s jam-packed with flavor
- You can feel good eating it with all of the fresh veggies
- Switch up your grain-game with something other than rice
- It has everything you know and love about Mediterranean cuisine in ONE quick and easy salad recipe
Ingredients
- Couscous. Pearl, or Israeli, couscous is used in this recipe. Instant couscous may also be substituted if that’s what you have on hand. Learn how to cook couscous.
- Olive oil. Since this makes up the majority of the “dressing,” you’ll want to use a higher-quality oil for the best flavor. I would not recommend using a different type of oil.
- Lemon. Fresh lemon juice gives this salad a bit of an acidic bite and balances out the olive oil. Try to avoid using the bottled lemon juice if you can.
- Feta Cheese. A quintessential Greek cheese that adds a beautiful saltiness to this dish. If you’re vegan, feel free to leave this out or substitute it with a dairy-free alternative.
- Chickpeas. Also known as garbanzo beans, these are bought in a can and then rinsed and drained for a bit of added fiber. You can also cook chickpeas at home, too.
- Greek seasoning. This simple spice blend adds SO much flavor
- Cucumber. An English seedless cucumber is my personal preference, but other cucumber varieties may also be used. Just make sure you cut out the seeds before dicing. Also, you can choose to peel the cucumber or leave the skin on. (Here’s more info on how to cut a cucumber.)
- Tomatoes. Cherry or grape tomatoes are the best type to use in salads since they do not release a lot of liquid. However, you can also try vine-ripened tomatoes or another flavorful variety instead.
- Onion. Red onion is the most traditional type of onion to use, but a white or sweet onion may also be substituted.
- Parsley. It may seem like an optional ingredient, but this herbs gives the salad a wonderful freshness you don’t want to miss. (Check out how to chop parsley and also how to store it.)
How to Make Mediterranean Couscous Salad
Please see the recipe card below for more detailed ingredient amounts.
1. Make the Couscous
Add the liquid to a pan, and bring it to a boil over medium-high heat. Stir the pearl couscous, salt, and butter into the boiling water. Reduce the heat to low, cover and simmer for 10 minutes.
Turn off heat and let sit for 5 minutes, or until it reaches your desired tenderness.
Visit this post to learn how to cook pearl couscous.
Please note that this recipe calls for 3 cups of COOKED couscous, which is roughly 1 cup of dried.
2. Bring it All Together
Add the fluffed couscous to a large bowl. Then, drizzle the oil, lemon juice, Greek seasoning, salt and pepper over it. Toss to combine.
Mix in cucumber, tomatoes, feta cheese, beans, red onion, and parsley. Refrigerate for 30 minutes or up to overnight.
Add additional chopped parsley just before serving and enjoy!
FAQs
The Mediterranean diet is known for whole foods, like healthy veggies, fats, and grains. While couscous is technically a dried pasta, this recipe is full of ingredients that fit well with this diet.
Some of the best things to add to couscous for extra flavor are fresh herbs, dressings, or fresh veggies.
What to Serve with Mediterranean Couscous
When you’re ready to dig in, there are several things you can whip up to complete the meal.
For a real treat, try these Air Fryer Boneless Chicken Thighs, Grilled Greek Chicken Kabobs, Sheet Pan Chicken and Asparagus, or Baked BBQ Chicken.
Or, go with Greek Turkey Meatballs or Greek Hamburgers.
Change things up with Roasted Cherry Tomatoes instead of fresh.
More Mediterranean Recipes
Greek flavors are irresistible, and these recipes don’t disappoint.
- Greek Cucumber Salad
- Greek Pasta Salad
- Mediterranean Chickpea Salad
- Greek Lemon Rice
- Greek Salad Dressing
- Greek Seasoning
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Mediterranean Couscous Salad with Feta & Tomatoes
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Ingredients
- 3 cups cooked pearl couscous
- 3 Tbsp. olive oil good quality
- 1 lemon juice
- 1 Tbsp. Greek seasoning store-bought or homemade
- ½ tsp. salt to taste
- ¼ tsp. black pepper
- 1 English cucumber or 3 cocktail diced
- 1 pint cherry tomatoes quartered
- ½ cup feta cheese
- 1 15-oz. can chickpeas rinsed and drained
- ¼ red onion finely diced
- 3 Tbsp. fresh parsley finely chopped
Instructions
- Cook pearl couscous on the stovetop.3 cups cooked pearl couscous
- Once cooled, combine cooked couscous, oil, lemon juice, Greek seasoning, salt and pepper in a large bowl. Toss to completely coat the couscous.3 Tbsp. olive oil, 1 lemon, 1 Tbsp. Greek seasoning, ½ tsp. salt, ¼ tsp. black pepper
- Mix in cucumber, tomatoes, feta cheese, beans, red onion, and parsley. Refrigerator for 30 minutes or up to overnight.1 English cucumber or 3 cocktail, 1 pint cherry tomatoes, ½ cup feta cheese, 1 15-oz. can chickpeas, ¼ red onion
- Add additional chopped parsley just before serving and enjoy!3 Tbsp. fresh parsley
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Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Absolutely love this recipe! It’s so refreshing and I have literally made and eaten it daily since first making it. I added colorful peppers which was delicious. I also plan to add some chopped carrots which I expect will also be terrific. I’ve played around with how I’ve cooked the couscous. I cooked a little less and drained off a little bit of extra liquid as I prefer couscous that isn’t quite so mushy. Any suggestions for keeping it “al dente?”
Yay! So happy to hear you enjoyed the recipe, Ann! A little less water and cooking it slightly less will yield an al dente finish, but you’ll need to play around to get the texture you like. Thanks so much for taking the time to leave a comment and rating!
I’m assuming when you say 3 cups pearl couscous cooked, you mean the cooked amount should be 3 cups, not three cups raw and then cooked? Some clarity would be helpful.
Yes, Kara! 3 cups cooked pearl couscous is what you’ll need for this recipe. 1 cup of raw pearl couscous should end up giving you roughly 3 cups cooked. Hope this helps!