Crunchy Mediterranean Couscous Salad! – My favorite salad…because it doesn’t taste like your having salad! Made with easy to prepare couscous and crunchy veggies, feta and an easy Dijon and Lemon Vinaigrette!
Full of chickpeas, feta, crunchy cucumbers and a plethora of fresh veggies. All tossed in our easy 3 minute Lemon Dijon Vinaigrette!
I tossed this together this morning, had it for lunch and can’t wait for another scoop with my grilled chicken for dinner. Makes a big old batch and it will keep for about a week in your fridge. Crunch on!
Ingredients for Couscous Salad
- Couscous – we opted for instant couscous. It’s readily available and quick to cook in the microwave.
- Chickpeas – also known as garbanzo beans
- All the veggies you have! cucumbers, broccoli, bell pepper, tomatoes, green onion, fresh spinach.
- Feta cheese – crumbled
- Lemon Dijon Vinaigrette – easiest vinaigrette you will make!
I used the veggies I love the most but you could switch out to accommodate your faves or what ever you have on hand. I am a broccoli fanatic…I rarely go a day without it. Most nights my house smells like old socks from steaming or roasting that stuff.
To keep your cucumbers crunchy, we like to remove the seeds. Simply run a spoon down the middle and remove the inner soft area. This will help keep your salad fresh for days.
This is my favorite Vinaigrette! I have a bottle of it in my fridge at all times. It’s a simple blend of lemon, dijon, light olive oil and vinegar, but when you blend it all up, it gets a creamy consistency that is really good! Makes a nice marinade for chicken and pork as well!
How to make the couscous in the microwave for this
Crunchy Mediterranean Salad!
1 cup whole wheat or plain couscous
1 cup water
1/4 teaspoon salt
Combine in microwave bowl. Cover. Micro for 3 minutes on high. Let sit for 2-3 minutes covered. Fluff with fork. Perfect couscous every time!.
NOTES:
- Easily substitute chilled quinoa for the couscous. Here is a super easy way to prepare your quinoa! Oven Baked Quinoa.
- Purchase a store bought Italian vinaigrette in place of the homemade stuff…not gonna judge ya! I like to stay away from Balsamic vinaigrettes for this recipe though, only because it turns the salad a bit brown due to the color of the balsamic.
- Other add-ins we love! Kalamata olives, artichoke hearts, hearts of palm, red onion, roasted red pepper (yum!). Add grilled chicken or shrimp and make it a whole meal!
We love this recipe SO much we’ve even created a video for it- Check it out, we like to make cooking easier on ya!
A few more salad recipes we think you will love!
- Crunchy Thai Chicken Salad with Peanut Dressing!
- Quick Pickled Bean Salad
- Chinese Chicken Salad
- Winter Italian Salad
Let’S EAT!
Clink!
Kathi
What do you think about this recipe? Have questions? Comment below! Don’t forget to like us on Facebook, and connect with us on Instagram and tag your @Laughingspatula recipes with #laughingspatula, while you’re at it…We love to see your pics!
Crunchy Mediterranean Couscous Salad
#wprm-recipe-user-rating-0 .wprm-rating-star.wprm-rating-star-full svg * { fill: #343434; }#wprm-recipe-user-rating-0 .wprm-rating-star.wprm-rating-star-33 svg * { fill: url(#wprm-recipe-user-rating-0-33); }#wprm-recipe-user-rating-0 .wprm-rating-star.wprm-rating-star-50 svg * { fill: url(#wprm-recipe-user-rating-0-50); }#wprm-recipe-user-rating-0 .wprm-rating-star.wprm-rating-star-66 svg * { fill: url(#wprm-recipe-user-rating-0-66); }linearGradient#wprm-recipe-user-rating-0-33 stop { stop-color: #343434; }linearGradient#wprm-recipe-user-rating-0-50 stop { stop-color: #343434; }linearGradient#wprm-recipe-user-rating-0-66 stop { stop-color: #343434; }
Ingredients
- 2 cups cooked coucous – cooled See notes above for easy microwave prep
- 1 cup chopped broccoli florets
- 1 english cucumber, seeded and chopped
- 1 red bell pepper, seeded and chopped
- 1 fresh tomato, seeded and chopped
- 1 15 ounce can chickpeas, drained and rinsed also known as garbanzo beans
- 1/2 cup crumbled feta cheese
Lemon Dijon Vinaigrette
- 1 clove garlic
- 3 tablespoons dijon mustard
- 3/4 cup light olive oil
- 1/4 cup white or apple cider vinegar
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
Instructions
-
Prepare coucous according to package directions. Cool to room temperature.
-
Toss cooled couscous, chopped veggies and feta together in a large bowl
Lemon Dijon Vinaigrette
-
add all ingredients to blender and blend for 30 seconds. you can also just toss in a jar and shake shake shake! (just mince the garlic very fine )
-
pur in desired amount of dressing a few tablespoons at a time. You will not need all the dressing. After the next day you may want to add additional dressing as desired.
-
Store in refrigerator for up to 5 days.
Nutrition
The post Crunchy Mediterranean Couscous Salad appeared first on Laughing Spatula.
