Mediterranean flavours shine in this Greek Couscous Salad. Fresh, vibrant and so easy to make. The perfect side dish for any meal, and great for parties and BBQs.
Greek food is so delicious. This zoodle salad is made with spiralized zucchini. A fun twist on a classic dish. Love nachos? Give these Greek nachos a try, paired with homemade hummus.
This salad combines fluffy couscous, cucumbers, feta cheese, juicy tomatoes, and black olives tossed in a simple homemade Greek dressing. Always a hit at any gathering.
If you are like me, I am always on the lookout for lots of interesting salad recipes. We often turn salads into dinner with the addition of some protein. Makes for an easy and healthy meal.
We like to entertain, especially in the summer, and you can never have too many salad recipes to draw from. Whether it is pasta, potato, coleslaw, or fresh veggies, salads are always welcome.
Simple Couscous Salad
This couscous recipe combines all the ingredients that you would find in a traditional Greek salad.
- Pearl couscous
- Olive oil
- White balsamic vinegar
- Greek seasoning
- White sugar
- Cucumber
- Grape tomatoes
- Black olives
- Feta cheese
Simple easy ingredients that you can find in any grocery store.
Greek Couscous Salad Is Easy To Make
Here is the condensed version, but all the instructions are in the recipe card below.
The first thing you need to do is precook the couscous. I used tri-colour pearl couscous. I like to lightly toast it before cooking. You can skip this step and cook the couscous according to package directions.
Combine all the Greek salad dressing ingredients in a small bowl, and set aside.
Once the couscous is cooked and cooled, add it to a large mixing bowl along with cucumbers, tomatoes, olives, and feta cheese. Add the salad dressing and give it a good toss to combine.
This Mediterranean inspired salad is ready to eat. You can serve it at room temperature, or place it covered in the fridge until ready to use.
Types Of Couscous
Couscous comes in three varieties, small, medium, and large.
- Pearl or Israeli couscous is a medium size. It is about the size of peppercorns and is great for salads since it has a chewy texture and nutty flavour. It comes in a tri-colour, whole wheat, and regular.
- Moroccan couscous is a tiny variety similar to the size of quinoa. Perfect in lots of great recipes, especially soups.
- Lebanese is larger than Israeli, almost pea-sized. Perfect for stews since it takes the longest to cook.
1 cup of dry couscous will yield about 2 cups of cooked couscous. It can be cooked in water or any stock. Too much liquid and it will be soggy, not enough liquid and it will be hard. Always check package directions.
Couscous resembles a grain, but it is a type of pasta made from flour. It is not gluten-free.
Suggestions/Recipe Tips
Couscous can be prepared ahead of time and stored in the fridge until ready to use. I adjusted the amount of water when cooking to produce a nice chewy texture. Toasting it before cooking brings out the nutty flavour, but you can skip this step if you would rather not do it.
You can serve this as soon as it is made, or chill in the fridge. Leftovers will last for 3-4 days stored covered in the fridge.
Fresh herbs can be added as a garnish. Parsley or basil would be great.
Black olives are traditional for Greek salads, but feel free to use any kind you like.
You can use store bought salad dressing in place of homemade.
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Serve this couscous side dish at lunch, brunch, or dinner. It goes great with grilled koftas, chicken skewers, or zucchini burgers.
Looking for more Mediterranean dishes? Give these a try:
- Lamb Rolls are a fun twist on egg rolls.
- Eggplant Slices are a great alternative to garlic bread.
Greek Couscous Salad
Ingredients
- 1 cup uncooked pearl couscous cooked according to directions
- 4 tablespoons olive oil divided ( 1 + 3)
- 1 ½ tablespoons white balsamic vinegar
- 1 teaspoon Greek seasoning
- ½ teaspoon white sugar
- 5 ounces cucumber diced
- 4 ounces grape tomatoes diced
- 2 ounces black olives sliced
- 4 ounces feta cheese crumbled
Instructions
Cook Couscous
- Heat 1 tablespoon of olive oil in a skillet over medium high heat.
- Add the dry couscous and lightly toast for 1-2 minues, be sure not to burn it. The pearls should have a nice light brown colour.
- In a pot bring to a boil 1 ⅓ cups of water.
- Add the toasted couscous, bring to a boil, then turn the heat to low. Cover and cook for about 12- 14 minutes until tender.
- Remove from heat, place in a large mixing bowl to cool.
- You can add 1 tablespoon of the Greek salad dressing to the couscous to prevent it from sticking.
Salad Dressing
- Combine the remaining olive oil, white balsamic vinegar, Greek seasoning and sugar. Mix well and set aside until ready to use.
Salad
- Wash and cut the olives and cucumbers. Crumble the feta cheese.
- In a large bowl combine the cooked couscous, with the diced vegetables, feta cheese and salad dresssing.
- Mix well. It can be served at room temperature, or cover and chill to serve later.
Choclette
It was really fun making your Greek salad with couscous. I love twists on classic recipes and this one worked really well. I now have one more summer salad up my sleeve, Yay!
Gloria Duggan | Homemade & Yummy
This is a nice change from regular Greek salad. We often have it for dinner.