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A healthy Mediterranean Israeli Couscous Salad recipe that is perfect any time of year. Packed full of healthy veggies and flavors like arugula, cucumber, sun-dried tomatoes, dill and of course fluffy couscous. All drizzled with an incredibly tangy mustard vinaigrette dressing. An easy recipe you can enjoy warm or cold any day of the week!
I am obsessed with this Mediterranean Israeli Couscous Salad since I always up for a good salad any day, especially for an easy lunch or dinner during the week. This healthy Salad is now at the top of my list and I have made it 3 times this week already.
My family went crazy for it, mostly because of all of the beautiful colors and textures matched with the incredible flavors in this salad. It really is crazy good!
We ate it with grilled chicken this past weekend and it was so filing and satisfying. It went pretty quick and now the recipe is being requested from the family so I am hurrying to get it posted so you can all enjoy it as well. This salad is perfect for any time of year but would be so great for Summer parties.
It has peppery arugula, salty feta cheese, cool cucumbers, tangy sun dried tomatoes, crunchy sweet apples and sunflower seeds and the most amazing dijon lemon dressing. It is a wonderful mediterranean side dish everyone will love.
Why you will just love this Israeli Couscous Salad
- Super quick and easy to make in under 15 minutes.
- Packed full of great flavors and textures your whole family will love!
- It’s beautiful! Haha. But we do eat with our eyes so the pretty colors are a bonus.
- It stores great and is the perfect healthy side dish or mediterranean main meal any day of the week!
- Brings that boring salad routine from bummer to yippee, Israeli couscous salad!
What is couscous?
Israeli couscous or pearl couscous is a type of small round pasta that you can typically find in the grain isle of your local grocery store near the rice.
It cooks very quickly in boiling water or stock and is a great addition to salads or just as a side dish mixed with cooked veggies.
Ingredients needed to make this incredible salad
Super simple ingredients that you can get pretty much all year round.
How to make an israeli couscous salad
- Add all of the salad ingredients to a large salad bowl.
- Mix up the dressing made from a few simple ingredients – dijon mustard, vinegar, maple syrup, olive oil, salt & pepper. Add all ingredients to a mason jar fitted with a lid and shake well to emulsify.
1. ADD ALL SALAD INGREDIENTS TO A LARGE BOWL 2. MIX UP THE DRESSING
3. Pour the amazing tangy mustard dressing onto the couscous salad and toss.
So simple, packed with crazy flavor and texture and a salad you can make and eat all week long. Plus it is super nutritions with all of those veggies. I love the fluffy couscous mixed in with the crisp veggies and creamy, tangy dressing. This is a salad you will want to eat and make all the time.
Just like this amazing Roasted Beets and Butternut Squash Salad that is also made with arugula and a delicious, easy dressing.
I could eat either salad everyday!
Make Ahead Tips
To make this Israeli couscous salad ahead: Cook and cool the couscous, chop the veggies, combine the veggies and couscous in separate airtight containers and store them in the fridge undressed for up to 3 days.
Make the dressing either the day of serving or you can make it in advance and store it in a mason jar with a tight fitting lid. Check out this salad dressing post for more make ahead dressing options.
Other Mediterranean recipes you may also love
- Quick and Easy Mediterranean Chickpea Salad
- Roasted Mediterranean Sweet Potatoes With Quinoa
- Roasted Mediterranean Cauliflower Rice
- Easy 5 Minute Green Goddess Dressing
- Easy Beet and Goat Cheese Salad
Recipe Tips and Variations for making this Israeli couscous salad
- You can use spinach or arugula in this salad. I prefer the arugula but spinach also works great if you cannot find arugula.
- Israeli couscous is so versatile and easy to find and make, it cooks in roughly 5-10 minutes. You can cook it in vegetable stock for more flavor or just water seasoned with some salt and olive oil. You can make the couscous ahead of time and let it cool completely before adding it to the salad.
- For even more texture you can add in chopped pecans or walnuts. I used sunflower seeds since they were available and one of my faves for a salad.
- Grapes in place of apples are also a delicious variation. Purple or green grapes would totally work.
- If you want to make this salad vegan then simply use vegan cheese or omit the cheese altogether. I just liked the creaminess and soft, salty taste and texture it adds to this dish.
- Add more protein. Sliced, grilled chicken, cooked shrimp, crispy chickpeas
- You can pair this salad with these with this Crispy Breaded Chicken Breast or these 10 Minute Healthy Turkey Meatballs for a healthy easy dinner idea.
I hope you try this recipe! If you do, then please leave a rating and comment below. I would love to hear how yours turned out!
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Mediterranean Israeli Couscous Salad – Easy Recipe
- Total Time: 10 minutes
- Diet: Vegetarian
Description
A healthy Mediterranean Israeli Couscous Salad that is perfect any time of year. Packed full of healthy veggies and flavors like arugula, cucumber, sun-dried tomatoes, dill and of course fluffy couscous. All drizzled with an incredibly tangy mustard vinaigrette dressing. An easy recipe you can enjoy warm or cold any day of the week!
Ingredients
For the salad
- 4 cups fresh arugula
- 1.5 cups of cooked couscous – about 1 cup dried couscous, cooked
- 1 medium cucumber diced
- 1/4 cup chopped purple onion
- 1 medium apple cored and diced
- 1/4 cup sliced sun-dried tomatoes
- 1/4 cup crumbled goat cheese
- 2 tablespoons sunflower seeds
- 2 tablespoons freshly minced dill
For the dressing
- 2 tablespoons dijon mustard
- 1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
- 1 tablespoon real maple syrup
- Kosher salt and black pepper – a pinch of each
- 1/4 cup olive oil
Instructions
To make the salad
- Add the arugula, couscous, cucumber, onion, apple, and sun-dried tomatoes to a large salad bowl and top with the goat cheese, sunflower seeds and fresh dill.
- Make the dressing: Combine the mustard, vinegar, maple syrup, salt and pepper in a small mixing bowl or mason jar and whisk well to combine. Continue whisking while drizzling in the olive oil to fully emulsify.
- Pour the dressing over the salad and lightly toss to coat everything in the dressing. Top with extra dill if desired.
- Serve chilled or at room temperature.
Notes
- You can use spinach or arugula in this salad. I prefer the arugula but spinach asl works great if you cannot find arugula.
- Israeli couscous is so versatile and easy to find and make, it cooks in roughly 5-10 minutes. You can cook it in vegetable stock for more flavor or just water seasoned with some salt and olive oil. You can make the couscous ahead of time and let it cool completely before adding it to the salad.
- For even more texture you can add in chopped pecans or walnuts. I used sunflower seeds since they were available and one of my faves for a salad.
- Grapes in place of apples are also a delicious variation. Purple or green grapes would totally work.
- If you want to make this salad vegan then simply use vegan cheese or omit the cheese altogether. I just liked the creaminess and soft, salty taste and texture it adds to this dish.
- To make this salad ahead: Cook and cool the couscous according to the package directions, chop the veggies, combine the veggies and couscous in separate airtight containers and store them in the fridge undressed for up to 3 days. Make the dressing either the day of serving or you can make it in advance and store it in a mason jar with a tight fitting lid. Check out this salad dressing post for more dressing options.
- Add more protein. Sliced, grilled chicken, cooked shrimp, crispy chickpeas
- You can pair this salad with these Roasted Mediterranean Sweet Potatoes or this Roasted Mediterranean Cauliflower Rice with Chickpeas
- Prep Time: 10
- Category: Quick and Easy Salads
- Method: Tossed
- Cuisine: Mediterranean
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