Garden-Fresh Veggie Couscous Salad with Cilantro Lime Vinaigrette
Light and refreshing, this couscous salad is loaded with crunchy, garden-fresh vegetables, crumbled feta cheese, and a cilantro lime vinaigrette. An easy side dish, it comes together in about 25 minutes and is perfect for potlucks and BBQs, weeknight dinners, or a quick and simple vegetarian lunch. It’s packed full of deliciousness that will have you coming back all summer long.
Spring here in California has been mild so far, but that hasn’t stopped my tastebuds from craving a taste of summer. One of my favorite ways to satisfy that craving is with this veggie couscous salad. It’s light but satisfying, with the crisp crunch of in-season garden-fresh vegetables.
While I love to take this salad to a BBQ, I love it even more when I get to eat it all myself. Selfish? Maybe, but you probably haven’t yet tasted this salad!
The recipe makes about 12 servings and lasts for about 3 – 5 days in the fridge, so it’s nice to have someone help you eat it, but it’s okay if you don’t. I won’t judge.
What You’ll Need
The list of ingredients for this couscous salad may look a bit long, but you can’t have a salad loaded with summer vegetables unless you include lots of vegetables! To make it a bit easier, let’s break it down into the couscous, the veggies and cheese, and the homemade dressing.
For the couscous you’ll need water, salt, and plain couscous. You are looking for Moroccan couscous, the tiny little pieces, not the larger pearl couscous I use in this tilapia recipe. On the veggie list, we have avocado, a large slicer tomato, a large English cucumber, yellow bell pepper, sweet onion, and feta cheese. For the vinaigrette, we will need cilantro, fresh limes, olive oil, black pepper, and salt. Once you’ve gathered all of that, let’s dive in!
Couscous Salad Video with Step-by-Step Instructions
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How to Make Couscous Salad – Step-by-Step Instructions
The preparation for this veggie couscous salad is super simple. We make the couscous and chop the veggies, and then everything ends up getting mixed together in one large bowl. Even the dressing. It’s just that easy.
This recipe is an excellent one for practicing your knife skills, but I will give a word of caution on the timing. If you are still getting comfortable with a knife or prefer to take things slow and steady, it may take you a little longer than the estimated 20 minutes to chop everything up.
- Make the couscous – measure out the water in a small lidded sauce pan. Bring the water to a boil over a high flame. Stir in the couscous along with the salt, cover the pot with the lid and remove from the heat. Let stand for 5 minutes to absorb, then remove the lid. Fluff the couscous with a fork and allow it to cool.
- Chop all the veggies – Remove the ends of the cucumber, peel if desired, then chop into a medium to small dice. Core and chop the bell pepper, chop the tomato, then chop the onion. The pieces should be small enough to get multiple flavors on your fork, and you should aim to get all the vegetables around the same size. Place all the veggies into the large mixing bowl.
- Grab your bunch of cilantro and divide it in half. Remove any thick stems, then finely chop the rest and add to the mixing bowl.
- Add the now-cooled couscous into the bowl with the vegetables and stir to combine.
- Roll out two limes to release the juices, then slice them in half. Add the juice from three of the lime halves into the bowl of vegetables. You may need the fourth, but you won’t know for sure until you taste it after adding the rest of the dressing ingredients.
- Add in the olive oil, pepper, salt, and feta cheese. Mix again to combine thoroughly. Now we get to taste it. Since the size and flavor of the veggies may vary, you may need more lime, salt, or pepper to balance the flavors if needed.
- Finally, add in the chopped avocado. Mix it in gently, being careful not to turn the avocado to mush.
Tips for Success
Whenever you try a recipe for the first time, it’s helpful to know about the tips and tricks that make it easier to get great results straight off the bat. Since I’ve been making this recipe for years, I know a thing or two about getting it right.
- Don’t forget to fluff the couscous after 5 minutes. No, it’s not going to overcook if you let it go longer, but it is much more difficult to break up once it has cooled in the bottom of your saucepan. Fluffing while it’s still hot is much easier and much quicker.
- Go for a firm but tender avocado. While a soft avocado is great for spreading on a bacon avocado burger, a firmer one will keep its shape better in this salad. It’s also going to last longer in the fridge if you have leftovers.
How to Store and Reheat
This couscous salad can be served immediately, or you can place it in an airtight container and store it in the fridge for 3 – 4 days. Personally, I think it tastes best on day two, so if you plan to take it to a potluck, go ahead and make it the day before.
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Garden-Fresh Veggie Couscous Salad with Lime Vinaigrette
Ingredients
For the couscous
- 1 1/3 cup water
- 1 1/3 cup plain couscous
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
For the salad
- 1 large slicer tomato
- 1 English cucumber
- 1 yellow bell pepper
- 1/2 sweet onion
- 1/2 bunch cilantro
- 2 limes, juiced
- 1/4 cup olive oil
- 1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 6 ounces feta cheese, crumbled
- 1 avocado
Instructions
Make the couscous first:
- In a small sauce pan with a fitted lid, bring 1 1/3 cups of water to boil over a high flame.
- Stir in 1 1/3 cups of couscous and 1/2 tsp of salt. Cover the pan with the lid and remove from the heat. Allow to stand while covered for at least 5 minutes to absorb the water. Remove the lid, fluff the cooked couscous with a fork, and let it cool.
To make the salad:
- Meanwhile, remove the ends of the cucumber, then peel if desired. I like removing part of the peel but not all of it. Chop the cucumber into a medium to small dice and place into the large mixing bowl.
- Core and chop the tomato and yellow bell pepper, and chop the onion into the same size dice as the cucumber and place in a large mixing bowl.
- Using half of a bunch of cilantro (adjust for taste), remove any thick stems, then finely chop the rest and place in a large mixing bowl.
- Add the now-cooled couscous to the vegetables. Stir to combine, breaking up any remaining chunks of couscous as you go.
- Roll out two limes to release the juices, then slice them in half. Juice 3 lime halves into the bowl of vegetables, reserving the fourth to adjust for taste later. Be careful to avoid adding the seeds.
- Add in the olive oil, pepper, salt, and feta cheese. Mix again to combine thoroughly. Taste test, then add more lime, salt, or pepper if needed.
- Add in 1 chopped avocado and fold in gently, being careful not to turn the avocado to mush.
- Serve immediately or cover and store in the fridge for 3 – 5 days.
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Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated and is for general information purposes only. For the most accurate information, calculate using your select brands and exact measurements.
Hmm, I’ve made a variant of this for several years using orzo or pepe pasta. I generally cook the pasta first, then rinse and drain and set it aside. Also, when I have them, I add fresh raw peas.
That’s a pretty side salad, perfect for Spring 🙂
Thanks Kiran!!
Look how pretty that dish is! All those colorful veggies!
I’m so glad to hear somebody besides me eats crazy things like this for breakfast. I’ve been known to dish up some salad or pasta at 6 am, just because it’s screaming my name! Tradition is out the window on those days.
Yay!! I am not alone! I usually prefer leftovers for breakfast instead of making something new. Maybe I’m lazy, but they are just too good to pass up!