Quick Look at this Make Ahead Greek Couscous Salad
- Ready In: 20 minutes!
- Serves: 12
- Main Ingredients: pearl couscous, kalamata olives, artichokes, chickpeas, tomatoes, cucumbers, feta, and our super easy Greek vinaigrette dressing!
- Dietary Info: dairy-free and vegetarian
- Flavor Profile: light and refreshing with all those traditional Greek flavors.
- Best For: light lunch, meal prep, picnics, potlucks, BBQs, and special occasions.
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Why This Salad Is Always on Our Summer Menu
- Satisfying and filling, but not heavy!
- Perfect for Summer with all that fresh produce.
- Make-Ahead Friendly: flavor only improves as they have time to mingle and soak it all up.
- Easy to Customize – adjust any amounts as desired, add protein, swap veggies, etc.
- Great texture and pairs with almost anything for dinner!
Key Ingredients + Substitutions
Be sure to see the recipe card below for a full listing of ingredients, instructions, and estimated nutritional information.
- Israeli Pearl Couscous – small, round shaped pasta. This variety is slightly larger than regular couscous to help support the textures of the salad. It has a soft, chewy texture.
- Chickpeas – adds texture to the salad, plus a great plant-based protein.
- Feta Cheese – omit to make this couscous salad dairy-free or use a dairy-free alternative.
- Sun Dried Tomatoes – highly recommend the oil-packed sun dried tomatoes for the best flavor.
- Greek Vinaigrette – use your favorite store bought variety, or try our homemade Greek vinaigrette for a punch of great flavor.
Meal Prep Tips
There are two ways to prep this couscous salad ahead of time:
- Cook the couscous, chop vegetables, and make or buy the vinaigrette. Store everything separately in the refrigerator and mix shortly before serving.
- Make the entire salad, but be sure to reserve some of the vinaigrette or keep the bottle handy in the fridge. Cover and refrigerate for up to 4 days. Add the reserved vinaigrette right before serving to help revive the salad.
How To Make CousCous Salad
Step 1 – Cook the couscous according to package directions.
Step 2 – Mix the Greek vinaigrette, if you are making the homemade version.
Step 3 – Put all ingredients (except the dressing) in a large bowl to toss.
Step 4 – Pour the dressing over the top and toss again.
Pro Tip
For best results, reserve a small amount of the dressing and let the rest of the salad chill for 1-2 hours. Toss with the small amount of reserved dressing right before serving because the couscous will soak up quite a bit of it.
Best Ways To Serve A Greek Couscous Salad
There are a variety of different ways to enjoy this fresh salad;
- Side Dish: enjoy with our smoked lamb chops or perfectly grilled steaks for a special occasion.
- Light Lunch: divide the salad in between meal prep containers as lunch for the week. Feel free to add some grilled shrimp skewers or leftover grilled chicken breasts for added protein.
- Round Out a Greek-Inspired Dinner: keep these flavors going with our Greek Chicken Meatballs or Greek lamb burgers.
Erin’s Testing Tips: What We Learned
- Fully cool the couscous before adding in the rest of the ingredients.
- Don’t add ALL of the dressing right away. Reserve a small amount to add later, especially if you are letting it chill for a bit before serving.
- Taste right before serving to see if anything needs to be adjusted to your preferences.
Greek Couscous Salad FAQs
There are a lot of CouCous varieties out there, but all are made with semolina flour, which gives these little balls of pasta their yellow-ish hue and nutty flavor. Pearl couscous, also known as Israeli couscous, is smaller and more irregular in shape than Moroccan couscous. Another very similar pasta is Acini di Pepe, which is often mistaken for couscous. The biggest difference between the two are their cooking methods. Both are excellent in grain salads, grain bowls, and pasta salads.
Yes, it is actually preferred to let all the flavors mingle together in the fridge. Just be sure to save a little dressing to add right before serving.
Highly recommend serving cold or chilled. The flavors are just better after chilling in the fridge and the crisp vegetables give it a nice crunch.
This couscous pasta salad will keep in the refrigerator for up to 4 days when stored in an airtight container.
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Ingredients
- 1 cup pearl couscous
- 1 cup cherry tomatoes, halved
- 1 cup cucumbers, halved and quartered
- 1 cup small canned artichoke hearts, halved
- ½ cup canned chickpeas, drained and rinsed
- ½ cup kalamata olives
- ½ cup feta cheese, crumbled (regular or dairy-free)
- ¼ cup sun dried tomatoes, chopped
- ¼ red onion, sliced
- 2 teaspoons garlic, minced
- ¼ cup Greek salad dressing, more, as needed
Optional Garnish:
- fresh parsley, chopped
Instructions
- Cook Couscous: Bring a large pot of water to a boil, add 1 cup pearl couscous. Stir and cook according to package directions. Drain and rinse under cool water to cool the pasta down.
- Combine: In a large bowl, add the cooked, cooled couscous, 1 cup cherry tomatoes, 1 cup cucumbers, 1 cup small canned artichoke hearts, ½ cup canned chickpeas, ½ cup kalamata olives, ½ cup feta cheese, ¼ cup sun dried tomatoes, ¼ red onion and 2 teaspoons garlic. Mix to combine.
- Dressing: Add ¼ cup Greek salad dressing on top and toss to combine. Taste and add additional dressing, salt or pepper if desired.
- Serve: Enjoy with fresh parsley for garnish!
Notes
- Ingredient Measurements: the measurements provided are a great starting point, but feel free to adjust. Add more or less of anything you want to make it your own!
- Dressing: as the couscous sits with the dressing on top, it will soak some of it up. So if the salad sits for a bit or is stored overnight, definitely add a splash or two of dressing to revive. Feel free to use store-bought or our Homemade Greek Dressing!
- Dairy-Free: use a dairy-free feta cheese or omit.
- Storage: store in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 4 days.
Bridget says
Perfect for summer!