If you’re after a super quick delicious meal that you can enjoy when you’re in a hurry, or out, this vegan Mediterranean couscous salad is perfect!
How often do you take lunch to work with you? Every day, once a week or maybe a couple of times a month? I’ve really tried to implement this in our household but was always falling short because I’d be planning on taking dishes that would just take way too long to prep. Sound familiar?
This is how this vegan Mediterranean couscous salad came about. I’d been keen to try pearled couscous for years but never really knew what to do with it or if it was an ingredient I’d be able to find easily.
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The ingredients used in this vegan Mediterranean couscous salad
I managed to get my hands on some pearled couscous in a local bulk store a few months back and thought to experiment. It seemed like the perfect ingredient for a cold salad that would be easy to take to work.
The components used in this salad came together by way of a random combination of ingredients I thought would taste nice together. It has that Mediterranean influence mixed in with some staples that we have like rocket (arugula), and peppers.
Now, don’t shy away from this recipe because of some of the ingredients that I have used. They can be substituted or altered to suit you. I’ll include those alternatives in the recipe below.
Since it’s quite a quick and easy salad to put together, my husband Michael gets this for lunch every couple of weeks, and he loves it!
Even though you don’t really see the feta in the images of the final dish, there are beautiful chunks of feta on the plate. The couscous tends to stick to it and cover it up, so it’s not very noticeable.
You can use something similar to the feta you see above that is creamy and rich. You can add more if you like the taste of the cheese in the recipe, I just wanted to balance out the flavours and not have anything overpower the whole dish.
How to cook pearled couscous
To a pot, add 1 cup of pearled couscous (aka Israeli couscous) with 1 ¼ cup / 310ml of water. Bring it to a boil then reduce heat to a gentle simmer and cook for 10-12 minutes. You want the couscous to be tender.
If you want some extra flavour, you can first toast it on some olive oil for a couple of minutes and then add the water. It’s super easy to cook pearled couscous, don’t you think?
This vegan Mediterranean couscous salad offers a range of colours, flavours and textures. It’s a great little recipe to introduce into your rotation. You’ll be surprised how easy and quick it is.
Other recipes you’ll love:
- Simple Potato and Radicchio Salad
- Rainbow Falafel Salad
- Roasted Eggplant and Pepper Buckwheat Salad
- Spiced Carrot & Millet Salad
- Warm Vegan Lentil Salad with Tempeh (Gluten-Free)
- Healthy Vegan Burrito Bowl
If you try this recipe, let me know! We’d love for you to leave a comment and rating below. If you want to go that extra mile, tag us on Instagram or share your photo of the recipe on Pinterest.
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Vegan Mediterranean Couscous Salad
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 10 minutes
- Total Time: 20 minutes
- Yield: 2
Description
This quick and easy vegan Mediterranean couscous salad is full of rich flavours. Perfect for lunch during the week, you’ll be adding it to your rotation in no time!
Ingredients
- 1 cup pearled (Israeli) couscous
- 1 cup grilled red peppers, diced (from a jar)
- 1 cup rocket (arugula)
- 8 halves sun-dried tomatoes, sliced into strips
- 8 pitted kalamata olives, chopped
- ⅓ cup parsley, chopped (around 2–3 sprigs)
- 75g / 2.65 ounces vegan feta,* chopped
- ¼ cup olive oil (opt-out if adding oil from sun-dried tomatoes or cheese jar)
- Salt, to taste
Instructions
- Cook the pearled couscous as per packet instructions. Run it under cold water to cool down before using.
- In a large bowl, combine all ingredients and toss well.
Notes
Vegan feta: Any softer nut or soy-based feta would work. There are more and more available in supermarkets these days.
- Diet: Vegan
Yummy! Would love to try that 🙂
Let me know if you do and what you think 🙂