Salads are delicious when you add colors to them. Here is one such colorful, crunchy, and filling salad made with pearl couscous / Israeli couscous, mixed veggies, fresh herbs, and lemon vinaigrette.
Recently, I started having five small meals instead of three. And I love salads around 10:30 to 11:00 AM, and it helps to reduce my carbs intake during lunch. During January, I posted three bean-based salad recipes under the elevenses theme that love to eat as my mid-morning snack. Today, I share a grain-based salad, and this is an excellent option for both lunch and elevenses. The grain that I used is the pearl couscous.
Pearl Couscous and Substitutes:
Couscous is ground pasta made from semolina. When we say couscous, it refers to the small variety, but for this salad, I used the pearl variety (the granules are little larger) which is popularly known by other names like Israeli couscous, Ptitim (in Hebrew), Jerusalem couscous. You can read the difference between the couscous varieties here.
I love both the type, but for salad and pulavs, I prefer the pearl variety. But you can use any small pasta like orzo or small macaroni shells for this salad. You can make it more healthy by replacing couscous with millets or quinoa.
How to Cook Couscous in Instant Pot?
You can cook couscous in your preferred way either on the stovetop or in the microwave. But I find Instant Pot method easy and I cook my couscous over the weekend, cool it down and store it in the fridge. For ½ cup of couscous, I used ½ cup of water + 2 tbsps. I pressure cook it for 3 minutes and release the pressure quickly after 5 minutes for a soft and tender couscous.
Lemon Vinaigrette:
Even though I love balsamic vinaigrette, when it comes to grain-based salads, I prefer lemon vinaigrette. I use an equal amount of olive oil and lemon juice for my lemon vinaigrette. Also, I make it fresh when required. I have used lemon zest also in this recipe as it adds that fresh flavor to the salad.
When it comes to salad, you can adjust the ingredients according to your preference. The same goes for the veggies included as well. I know cherry tomatoes would have added a flavor to this salad but I skipped it. Be creative with your salads and build your unique flavor profile.
Now without further ado, here is how I made the Mediterranean style couscous salad,
Ingredients:
- ½ cup pearl couscous
- ½ cup + 2 tbsps water to cook the couscous
- 1 cup water for the inner pot
- For the Vinaigrette:
- 1 tbsp lemon juice
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- ¾ tsp freshly grated pepper
- 1 tsp salt
- For the Salad:
- ¼ cup diced onion
- 2 tbsp fresh cilantro chopped
- ¼ cup diced cucumber
- ¼ diced red bell pepper
- 2 tbsp fresh mint chopped
- ¼ diced black olives
- 2 tsp lemon zest
Steps:
Cook the couscous:
- Rinse and drain the couscous and add it a pan/pot that fits inside the inner pot of the Instant Pot. Add the water.
- Now add 1 cup of water to the inner pot and place the trivet. Then put the couscous bowl with water on top of the trivet.
- Close the lid and ensure the vent is in the sealing position.
- Cook for 3 minutes at high pressure and release the pressure quickly after 5 minutes.
- Allow it cool thoroughly before adding it to the salad.
Assembling the Salad:
- Add the veggies(onion, cucumber, olives, red bell pepper), fresh herbs, lemon zest, and the couscous and mix.
- Add the lemon juice, olive oil, salt, and pepper just before serving. Mix thoroughly and serve.
Recipe Notes-
- Instead of couscous, you can use millets, quinoa, bulgur wheat or any other grain of your choice.
- Adjust the salt and pepper according to your preference.
- Depending upon the sourness of the lemon juice, adjust the quantity. If required, add a tsp of sugar to balance the flavor.
PS: If you try this couscous salad, please don’t forget to comment and rate this recipe. Also, please check out my videos and do subscribe to my YouTube channel.
📖 Recipe
Couscous Salad | Mediterranean Style Couscous Salad
Ingredients
- ½ cup pearl couscous
- 1 cup water for the inner pot
For the Vinaigrette:
- 1 tbsp lemon juice
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- ¾ tsp freshly grated pepper
- 1 tsp salt
For the Salad:
- ¼ cup onion diced
- ¼ cup cucumber diced
- ¼ red bell pepper diced
- ¼ black olives diced
- 2 tbsps fresh cilantro chopped
- 2 tbsps fresh mint chopped
- 2 tsp lemon zest
Instructions
Cook the couscous:
- Rinse and drain the couscous and add it a pan/pot that fits inside the inner pot of the Instant Pot. Add the water.
- Now add 1 cup of water to the inner pot and place the trivet. Then put the couscous bowl with water on top of the trivet.
- Close the lid and ensure the vent is in the sealing position.
- Cook for 3 minutes at high pressure and release the pressure quickly after 5 minutes.
- Allow it cool thoroughly before adding it to the salad.
Assembling the Salad:
- Add the veggies(onion, cucumber, olives, red bell pepper), fresh herbs, lemon zest, and the couscous and mix.
- Add the lemon juice, olive oil, salt, and pepper just before serving. Mix thoroughly and serve.
Notes
- Instead of couscous, you can use millets, quinoa, bulgur wheat or any other grain of your choice.
- Adjust the salt and pepper according to your preference.
- Depending upon the sourness of the lemon juice, adjust the quantity. If required, add a tsp of sugar to balance the flavor.
Nutrition
I am not a nutritionist. The nutritional information is provided as a courtesy and is an estimate only. It varies depending upon the product types or brands.
I have recently started using couscous and like this healthy option in my soups and salad.. Your salad bowl is a healthy and filling option.. looks so tempting!!
Thanks Swati.
Am coming across couscous a lot these days. I have to give it a try. How does it taste ? Your dish looks amazing, will try ur recipe
It tastes more like Pasta shushma.. Give it a try, I am sure you will like it.
Very colourful salad bowl. Never tried couscous, after seeing this healthy and delicious salad, want to give a try.
Thanks, Pavani. Please do try and let me know how you liked it.
Such a colourful salad. Those pearl cous cous adds so much beauty to it. And I am sure it is super filling too.
Thanks Gayathri.
This salad recipe is perfect for summer… super healthy and tasty. love it.
Thanks :-)
This salad recipe is perfect for summer… super healthy and tasty.
Lovely salad , bookmarking as I have a pack of these couscous pearls and have been looking for something like this.
Thanks Vaishali. Please do try and I am sure you will love it.
Though i have read a lot ,have never tried using couscous in my food.. but now im super tempted to try..Looks awesome..
Thanks, Sharmila. Try this pearl one, you will like it.
Very colorful salad. Very healthy and nutritious too. We can do lot of variations.
Thanks Narmadha.
OMG! such a cute looking salad, Srividhya. I need to get those pearls for sure. Love the dressing as well.
Thanks much, Harini.
This would make a great weekday lunch! Very colorful and nutritious. Good one.
Thanks :-)
That salad looks out of the world Srividya, must have made a filling meal.
Oh yeah. :-) These days I prefer these grain-based salads. :-)