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    Home / Recipes / Vegan Salads

    Mediterranean Couscous Salad

    Published: Feb 11, 2020 · Modified: Jun 27, 2022 by Kathy Carmichael · This post may contain affiliate links.

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    Mediterranean Couscous Salad Recipe

    When I was food prepping last week, I noticed I had the perfect ingredients for a Mediterranean couscous salad. I also realized I had a lot of zucchini, summer squash, and tomatoes I needed to use before they went bad. In fact, I hate throwing any food away.

    Although couscous is believed to be pasta, it is actually small steamed balls of crushed durum wheat semolina.  A light and beautiful base for any salad, couscous absorbs the flavors of spices of any dressing. Of course, I made an oil-free red wine lemon vinegarette.

    MEDITERRANEAN COUSCOUS SALAD IN 15 MINUTES 

    Not only is couscous a wonderful base for any salad, it literally takes 5 minutes to cook with little to no effort. That, with chopping a few vegetables, and dinner is ready. 

     

    Mediterranean Couscous Salad 1jpg

    For this Mediterranean couscous salad, all you need is the following ingredients:

    • Couscous
    • Zucchini
    • Summer Squash
    • Red Bell Pepper
    • Red Onion
    • Tri-Colored Grape Tomatoes
    • Chickpeas
    • Kalamata Olives
    • Fresh Parsley

    OTHER POSSIBLE SUBSTITUTIONS TO CONSIDER:

    • White or Yellow Onion
    • Cucumber
    • Orange, Green, or Yellow Bell Pepper
    • Mint
    • Quinoa instead of Couscous 

    Even though this salad is made with couscous in mind, remember quinoa or another grain of choice can be used instead. 

    Also, a time-saving tip is to use a vegetable chopper to quickly dice your vegetables, while keeping them all uniform size. 

    HOW TO COOK COUSCOUS IN 5 MINUTES

    In order to make the perfect couscous, all you need is 2 parts water to 1 part couscous. Simply boil 2 ½ cups of water with a teaspoon of salt. Then, quickly add 1 ¼ cups couscous, stir, remove from heat and cover for 5 minutes. 

    In other words, making couscous literally takes 5 minutes from start to finish. When the couscous is done cooking, just fluff with a fork and let cool. 

    Once all the veggies are cut and the couscous is room temperature, it's time to toss the Meditteranean couscous salad. 

    mixed couscous saladjpg

    MAKING THE OIL-FREE RED WINE VINAIGRETTE

    Mediterranean Couscous Salad dressing 

    The dressing, though simple, is lemony and perfect for the combination of ingredients. 

    All you need is:

    • Red Wine Vinegar
    • Fresh Lemon Juice
    • Garlic
    • Hummus (oil-free)
    • Italian Seasoning Blend
    • Water

    And, it simply gets whisked together and dressed before serving. A little dressing, for instance, goes a long way. 

    Dress the couscous salad

    So, if you are looking for a quick and easy dinner or a great meal prep lunch idea, look no further. 

    Or, serve the Mediterranean couscous salad as a side dish with these wonderful entrees: 

    • Skinny Vegan Greek Spinach Pie
    • Vegan Lasagna
    • Skinny Detox Lentil Vegetable Soup
    • Skinny Oil-Free Pizza Sauce and Pizza Dough
    • Vegan Eggplant Parmesan
    • Vegan Stuffed Shells Recipe
    • Chickpea Soup
    • Skinny Greek Wrap Sandwich
    • Vegetable Panini w/ Vegan Pesto Artichoke

    Mediterranean Couscous Salad Recipe

    📖 Recipe

    Mediterranean Couscous Salad Recipe

    Mediterranean Couscous Salad

    Kathy Carmichael
    Mediterranean Couscous Salad is a light and delicious entree salad or side dish in 15 minutes or less.
    5 from 2 votes
    Print Recipe Pin Recipe
    Prep Time 10 mins
    Cook Time 5 mins
    Total Time 15 mins
    Course Salad
    Cuisine Mediterranean
    Servings 6 servings
    Calories 186 kcal

    Ingredients
      

    Vegetables

    • 1 zucchini diced
    • 1 yellow summer squash diced
    • 1 red onion diced
    • 1 cup sliced tri-colored grape tomatoes
    • 1 red bell pepper diced
    • ½ cup parsley chopped
    • 1 can chickpeas drained and rinsed
    • ¼ cup kalamata olives

    Couscous

    • 1 ¼ cup couscous
    • 2 ½ cups water
    • 1 teaspoon sea salt

    Dressing

    • ¼ cup red wine vinegar
    • ¼ cup water
    • Juice of 1 lemon
    • 2 cloves garlic minced
    • 2 Tablespoons hummus I used oil-free
    • 2 teaspoons Italian seasoning
    • Salt and pepper to taste

    Instructions
     

    COOKING THE COUSCOUS

    • In a medium-sized saucepan, boil 2 ½ cups water with 1 teaspoon salt.
    • Add 1 ¼ cups couscous quickly and stir.
    • Cover and remove from heat
    • Let sit for 5 minutes
    • Fluff with a fork and allow to cool

    VEGETABLES

    • Cut all vegetables in uniform size
    • When couscous is cool, add all ingredients to a bowl and toss (except for the dressing)
    • Refrigerate until ready to serve

    DRESSING

    • Combine all ingredients in a measuring cup and whisk together.
    • Refrigerate dressing until ready to use
    • Drizzle on salad when ready to serve

    Notes

    In order to make the perfect couscous, all you need is 2 parts water to 1 part couscous. Simply boil 2 ½ cups of water with a teaspoon of salt. Then, quickly add 1 ¼ cups couscous, stir, remove from heat and cover for 5 minutes. 
    In other words, making couscous literally takes 5 minutes from start to finish. When the couscous is done cooking, just fluff with a fork and let cool. 

    Nutrition

    Calories: 186kcalCarbohydrates: 36gProtein: 7gFat: 2gSaturated Fat: 0.3gPolyunsaturated Fat: 0.5gMonounsaturated Fat: 1gSodium: 512mgPotassium: 416mgFiber: 4gSugar: 4gVitamin A: 1415IUVitamin C: 49mgCalcium: 55mgIron: 2mg
    Tried our recipe?Let us know how it was!
    Kathy Carmichael

    Hi! My name is Kathy, I am a retired high school English teacher & vegan enthusiast and blogger. My entire blog is fully plant-based vegan. I truly believe what we eat & how we live determines our health & the preservation of our planet! 🙂

    www.kathysvegankitchen.com/about-me/

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    Hi, I'm Kathy! I love creating delicious whole foods plant-based recipes. I believe what we eat & how we live determines our health & the preservation of our planet!

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