Recipes Discovered

Couscous Salad Recipe

I am always searching for interesting twists on classic dishes. I was planning on making a pasta salad for our barbecue today, and when I was looking at recipes, I found one for couscous salad. Couscous is a very tiny pasta that is popular in Moroccan and Mediterranean cuisine. Instant couscous cooks very quickly (5 minutes) and takes on the flavor of whatever liquid it’s cooked in, which makes it a great pasta to pair with vegetables.

To make the couscous, I boiled 2 cups of chicken stock and poured that over 1 1/4 cups of couscous with a dash of salt. I covered it and let it stand for 5 minutes before fluffing it and then letting it cool.

In another bowl, I combined a diced red onion, diced cucumber (I used a seedless English cucumber), and diced orange bell pepper. In another small bowl, I whisked together about a tablespoon of olive oil and the juice and zest of one lemon. I added the cooled couscous to the veggies,  poured the dressing over everything, and then sprinkled chopped parsley on top (I like parsley more than cilantro). I didn’t add anymore salt to the salad, but I did add a bit of pepper.

This salad is such a great alternative to regular pasta salad. It’s very light and has a refreshing flavor from the lemon. The pasta get a lot of flavor from the chicken stock and makes a perfect balance to the crunchy vegetables. It’s served at room temperature and since there is nothing in it that can spoil, it makes a great salad to take on picnics.  Plus, it’s a very attractive dish with all the different colored vegetables. Overall, a definitely crown pleaser and a delicious side side.