You won’t believe this combination of easy couscous salad with a dreamy basil vinaigrette! It’s easy, great for meal prep, and perfect every time.
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One of my favorite salad hacks? Grains! No really, level up your salads with grains.
In this salad, we’re using pearl couscous to make our salad more satisfying but not feeling weighed down by heavy ingredients. The couscous is responsible for giving a soft, spring bite to balance out the crunchy veggies in the dish.
Level it up even more? This this basil vinaigrette made with fresh basil gives a huge burst of flavor that’s just incredible.
As a long-time vegan and someone who loves to host people, meals like this are simple, yet delicious not matter if you need a quick lunch or a starter course for friends coming over.
What is pearl couscous?
It’s important to note that we are using pearl couscous in this recipe. It is different than Moroccan or Golden couscous which is smaller.
Pearl couscous is larger and easily absorbs spices and flavors of any liquid it’s cooked in. It is small balls of semolina (wheat) flour that is toasted and then cooked in liquid to expand into tiny, soft, fluffy, balls.
You can find pearl couscous in traditional (white flour), whole wheat, and tri-color options.
Jump to:
Why You’ll Love This Recipe
- Flavor – Salads don’t have to be boring. Between the sumac onions and the basil vinaigrette, you wont’ be able to get enough!
- Meal Prep – The couscous, onions, and dressing can all be prepped ahead for the week. That means you’re just left with tossing the leafy greens together when ready.
- Easy- The couscous is ready in under 15 minutes and so is the rest of the dish (though the onions benefit from marinating a bit longer)
Recipe Ingredients
Gather your ingredients!
Pearl Couscous
Make sure you buy couscous that says “pearl” on the label. It’s distinct in it’s texture and size that makes a difference with each bite you take.
Substitute: You can use other types of couscous, just know that it would be so soft and fluffy because it’s smaller in size. Alternatively, you can do this with quinoa, riced cauliflower, farro or orzo.
Leafy Greens
We’re doing a mixture of baby arugula and baby spinach. I love the peppery taste of the arugula and sweetness that comes from baby spinach.
Substitute: Any lettuce or leafy green will work here. Romaine, spring mix, massaged kale, etc.
Sweet Peas
We’re using frozen sweet (green) peas for our recipe to add a little protein, as well as texture and taste to our dish.
Substitute: Edamame, sugar snap peas, white beans, brown lentils, asparagus are all additions and/or substitutions with the peas.
Mini Cucumbers and Pecans
Cucumber for a crunchy veggie and pecans for a crunchy protein to our dish. They add not only texture, but flavor too.
Substitute: Pecans can be changed out for cashews, pistachios, or walnuts. And mini cucumbers for bell peppers, carrots, sugar snap peas, or bite size pieces of cauliflower.
Sumac Onions
We did red onions, olive oil, sumac seasoning, salt, and red pepper flakes.
Substitute: Because these are just marinated, you really want to stick with the red onion. The red pepper flakes can be omitted or reduce/increased depending on spice preference.
Basil Vinaigrette
Fresh basil, shallots, garlic, olive oil, lemons, white wine vinegar, kosher salt, and red pepper flakes are the ingredients you’ll need for your homemade dressing.
Substitute: Shallots can be replaced with red onions, lemon for lime, white wine vinegar for white or apple cider vinegar, and again the red pepper flakes can be omitted or reduce/increased depending on spice preference. Alternatively, you can use your own store-bought dressing if you’d prefer on this salad.
See my recipe card below for a complete list of the ingredients with measurements.
How to Serve Curry Hummus?
This salad is great all on it’s own; however, if you’re looking for some meals to serve with it, here’s some of our favorites:
- Vegan Lentil Loaf
- Creamy Lemon Garlic Pasta
- Butternut Squash Risotto with Roasted Broccoli
- Roasted Cauliflower Steaks w/Romesco Sauce
- Vegan Lentil Meatballs with Swedish Sauce
- Marry Me Tofu
- Cauliflower Piccata
- Mediterranean Roasted Chickpeas and Potatoes
Other Vegan Salads to Try:
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Couscous Salad Recipe
Ingredients
Sumac Marinated Onions
- 1 large red onion, thinly sliced
- 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
- ½ tablespoon sumac (more to taste if desired)
- ¼ teaspoon salt salt to taste if needed
- ⅛ teaspoon red pepper flakes (more or less to taste)
Basil Vinaigrette:
- 1 ½ cups fresh basil leaves, packed (70g)
- 1 medium shallot, roughly chopped
- 1 clove garlic, roughly chopped
- ½ cup extra virgin olive oil (100g)
- 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice + zest from ½ of the lemon
- 1 teaspoon white wine vinegar
- 1 teaspoon sea salt
- ⅛ teaspoon red pepper flakes
For the Salad:
- 1 cup pearl couscous (160g)
- 1 teaspoon sea salt
- 1 cup frozen green peas (135g)
- 1 cup baby arugula (30g)
- 1 cup baby spinach (30g)
- 2 mini cucumber, thin, round slices
- ½ cup roasted pecans, roughly chopped (57g)
Instructions
- Sumac Onions: Place 1 large sliced red onions in a medium sized bowl. Add in 1 tablespoon olive oil, ½ tablespoon sumac, ¼ teaspoon salt, and ⅛ teaspoon red pepper flakes. Stir together until onions are well coated. Place in fridge for at least 20 minutes before using. Can prep ahead overnight.
- Basil Vinaigrette: To a small blender or using an immersion blender, add 1 ½ cups packed basil, 1 medium roughly chopped shallot, 1 roughly chopped clove of garlic, ½ cup olive oil, 2 tablespoon fresh lemon juice and the zest of ½ of the lemon, 1 teaspoon each white wine vinegar and salt, and ⅛ teaspoon red pepper flakes. Blend until you have a smooth and cohesive dressing. Place in fridge until ready to use.
- Couscous: Cook 1 cup pearl couscous according to packaged instructions, adding in 1 teaspoon of sea salt when adding the couscous. When finished, let it sit for 5 minutes before removing the cover. Then, remove cover, fluff with a fork and add in 1 cup of frozen green peas. Stir together and replace the lid. Allow to sit for 10 minutes.
- Salad: Between 2 bowls or plates, evenly divide the 1 cup each of arugula and spinach, 2 mini cucumbers, and ½ cup of pecans. Add desired amount of sumac onions, cooked couscous, and vinaigrette.
Notes
Video
Nutrition
Recipe FAQs:
Pearl couscous is made from wheat. You can swap it for riced cauliflower or quinoa. The pecans can be swapped for sunflower seeds.
The pearl couscous, onions and dressing can be made up to 5 days in advance. We recommend putting the salad together with the greens at the time of eating.
We don’t recommend freezing this recipe.
This is a definite repeat on the menu. The dressing is pretty much drinkable.. from a spoon I poured it on about 4 times, it is that good! Another exceptional recipe. And those sumac onions .. 🙂
totally agree with all of this LOL
I couldn’t find pearl couscous. What can I use instead?
Thanks.
regular couscous could be used, as well as quinoa, orzo, or other tiny pastas
Made this salad last night, and it’s INSANELY delicious!!! As you wrote, big flavor! This is one of those recipes that will become a regular in my kitchen. Thank you, thank you!!
Happy you enjoyed it!