Spring Couscous Salad

It’s officially spring, and what says spring better than a couscous salad, loaded with tons of arugula, fresh peas, herbs, and a garlicky marinade. This salad is foolproof and so easy to make!! 

The base of this salad is pearl couscous, fresh peas, loads of arugula (aka rocket), mint, parsley, and lemony red onions, which are tossed together in an olive oil marinade with garlic and za’atar that takes this salad to flavor town!! 

Serve this on its own (it’s actually a super balanced salad; couscous is high in protein and fiber), throw in some chickpeas for added protein, or serve this alongside roasted chicken/lamb. 

Ingredients For This Couscous Salad

• Red onion: Feel free to use canned pickled red onions if you want them extra pickly and zesty!
• Lemons: You’ll need both the zest and juice.
• Pearl couscous: Linking the couscous I use here. Bob’s Red Mill pearl couscous is also another great option. 
• Fresh peas
• Arugula: Feel free to swap this out for a different salad green.
• Mint
• Parsley
• Roasted pistachios: While these are optional, they add a nice crunch to the salad. 
• Olive oil
• Garlic
• Za’atar: Za’atar is a staple spice blend in Middle Eastern cuisine – it’s a blend of sumac, oregano, thyme, sesame seeds, and salt.
• Sumac: I absolutely adore sumac and like to add a generous sprinkle to the salad when I’m ready to serve. It adds a nice sour/tangy note!
• Kosher salt

A Few Notes 

• If you’ve never cooked pearl couscous before, think of it like cooking rice. Simply let it come to a boil, cover, and simmer until all the water is absorbed. Then turn off the heat, let it sit for about 5 minutes, and fluff with a fork. To prevent the couscous from sticking, toss in 1-2 tsp of olive oil. 
• Za’atar is a Middle Eastern spice mix that typically has sumac, oregano, thyme, sesame seeds, and salt, so if you can’t find it at the store you can easily make your own. Mix together 1 tsp each of sumac, dried oregano, dried thyme, toasted sesame seeds, cumin, coriander, and 1/4 tsp kosher salt.

Can’t wait for you to make this salad! Don’t forget to leave a rating and review – means the world.  And if you’re looking for more spring salads, highly recommend my spring orzo salad. 

Spring Couscous Salad

5 Stars 4 Stars 3 Stars 2 Stars 1 Star 5 from 11 reviews

• Author: Yasmeen Ali
• Prep Time: 15 minutes
• Cook Time: 30 minutes
• Total Time: 45 minutes
• Yield: 2–3 servings 1x
• Category: Dinner, Salad
• Cuisine: Middle Eastern, American

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Description

What says spring better than a spring couscous salad, loaded with tons of arugula, fresh peas, herbs, and a garlicky marinade.

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Ingredients

Scale 1x2x3x

Red Onions

• 1/2 (75 g) small red onion, thinly sliced
• 4 tbsp (35 g) lemon juice 
• 1 tsp lemon zest
• 1 tsp kosher salt 

Couscous & Greens

• 1 cup (135 g) english peas
• 1 cup (160 g) pearl couscous (plus 1 1/2 cups water and 1 tsp kosher salt)
• 1 cup arugula, roughly chopped
• 1/2 cup (10 g) firmly packed parsley, finely minced
• 1/2 cup (10 g) firmly packed mint, finely minced
• 1/2 cup roasted pistachios, roughly chopped 

Marinade

• 4 tbsp (45 g) olive oil
• 3 (16 g) garlic cloves 
• 2–3 tsp za’atar* (use 2 tsp for a milder flavor)
• 1/2 tsp ground cumin 
• 1 tsp kosher salt, plus more to taste (this salad needs a lot of salt)
• Sumac for serving

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Instructions

1. Start off by blanching the peas in boiling water. I like to blanch them for 1 1/2 minutes, this is just the right amount of time to cook the peas without making them mushy. Drain the peas and set aside, and then cook the couscous in the same pot you used for the peas. 
2. Cook the couscous. Pour the couscous and water into the pot, along with a generous pinch of salt. Bring to boil on high heat, then reduce to low, partially cover the pot, and let simmer for 8-10 minutes or until all the water is absorbed. Cover the pot and let it sit off the heat for 5 minutes, then fluff with a fork and toss with 1-2 tsp of olive oil to prevent the couscous from sticking.
3. Prep the onions. To a bowl, add in the onions, lemon juice, zest, and salt. Toss together and set aside. 
4. While the couscous cooks, prep the herbs, arugula, and pistachios. I like to roughly chop the arugula so it’s easy to spoon the salad without getting a faceful of leaves. Once the couscous is done, add it to the bowl of onions, along with the arugula, herbs, and pistachios. 
5. Make the marinade. Rinse and pat dry the pot you used for the couscous and add in the garlic and olive oil (I like to use the same pot to save on dishes). Gently fry the garlic over medium heat until it just starts to brown. Remove from the heat and stir in the zaatar, cumin and kosher salt.
6. Toss and serve. Pour the marinade over the salad and toss to combine. Season to taste with sumac and kosher salt.

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Notes

*If you can’t find za’atar, mix together 1 tsp each sumac, sesame seeds, dried oregano, dried thyme, cumin, coriander, and 1/4 tsp kosher salt.