When I used to think of salads I would think of your standard, boring old lettuce, cucumber, and tomato salad. If you are the same – stop it right now! Salads are one of the most versatile meals you can make, and they can be super exciting and delicious! Lately, I’ve been trying to get a bit more adventurous with my salad-making skills. This roast tomato and pearl couscous salad is a game-changer.
It works as a side dish to some tasty greek chicken breast but it’s also amazing enough to eat on it’s own!
So what is pearl couscous?
Pearl couscous, or Israeli couscous, is quite different from the regular couscous we are all familiar with. Would you believe it’s actually pasta?! Similar to orzo, the little balls are made with semolina flour. I didn’t even know this myself until researching for this recipe. Pearl couscous has a slightly chewy texture and not a lot of flavour. That’s why when I cook it (the same way you would cook pasta – makes sense now!) I use chicken stock instead of just plain water. Vegetable stock would work great too!
If it’s real couscous you’re craving, try my Spicy Chickpea and Sweet Potato Power Bowl, in that one I use a combination of brown rice and couscous. It’s delish! I also use the crispy chickpeas in that recipe – they are just too good.
As for the dressing I wanted something light and zesty, so I went with a lemon vinaigrette. The recipe for this isn’t my own, I got it from epicurious. All you need is:
- olive oil
- lemon juice
- lemon zest
- dijon mustard
- salt & pepper
This salad comes together pretty quick (just 15 minutes!) because you can multitask a lot of the steps. While the couscous is cooking, roast the tomatoes and crisp up the chickpeas in the air fryer. If you don’t have an air fryer just pop them in the oven on a separate tray to the tomatoes. You can chop up the cucumber and herbs and make the dressing while everything else cooks!
And finally, if you like this Roasted Tomato & Pearl Couscous Salad be sure to leave a comment and/or give this recipe a rating! I love to hear from you guys. And of course, if you do make this recipe, don’t forget to tag me on Instagram!
ROAST TOMATO AND PEARL COUSCOUS SALAD
Course: LunchDifficulty: Easy4
servings15
minutesA delicious and refreshing lunch idea.
Ingredients
1 cup pearl couscous
2 cups chicken stock
2 cups cherry tomatoes halved
1 can chickpeas
1 tbsp garlic powder
1 tbsp paprika
1 large Lebanese cucumber diced
small handful parsley finely chopped
1/4 cup crumbled feta
basil for garnish
- Zesty Lemon Vinaigrette
4 tbsp olive oil
juice of 1 lemon
1/2 tsp lemon zest
1/4 tsp dijon mustard
salt and pepper to taste
Directions
- Cook couscous in a pot of boiling chicken stock for about 10 minutes.
- Drain a can of chickpeas and using paper towel, try to remove as much moisture as possible. Toss with olive oil, paprika, and garlic powder and chuck in the air fryer at 180 degrees for about 12 minutes. Give them a shake halfway through.
- While that’s cooking, roast your tomatoes with a splash of olive oil, salt, and pepper in the oven at 180 degrees for about 10 minutes.
- Combine dressing ingredients in a small bowl.
- Let the couscous cool in the fridge a bit before adding it to the salad.
- Stir together the couscous, cucumber, tomatoes, chickpeas, dressing, and parsley and top with feta and some basil leaves for garnish.
Notes
- If you don’t have an air fryer roast the chickpeas in the oven on a separate tray to the tomatoes.
