Summer Dinner Series: Couscous Salad with Cucumbers and Tomatoes

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It’s summer and it’s hot. If you’re like me, you do NOT want to turn on multiple heat-creating appliances or spend an hour in the kitchen just to feed your family. And, if you’re like me, you want light, refreshing meals when it’s hot. Nourishing and easy meals that take little energy to prepare are the best!

Grilling is a great way to cook in the summer because it doesn’t heat up the house. We grill a lot, even in cooler weather. But there’s nothing like grilling in the summer. Chicken is our go-to meat of choice, and I’ve darn near perfected the grilled chicken breast. Seriously, so good. But having a delicious, healthy side dish is vital to our summer dinners.

Chicken can be boring without a strong side dish.

Something you need to learn about me … I don’t follow recipes precisely. I like to change them up to suit my needs. Or to whatever ingredients I have on hand. That’s one thing you learn as you gain experience in the kitchen: how to adapt recipes to make the meal work for you. Because of that, on this site, you’ll find me often linking to an original recipe but then telling you how I changed it to make it my own. I encourage you to follow the link and view the original recipe, and try whichever version you think will work for you and your family! Or try both!

I found a couscous salad recipe when I was looking for something to take to my husband’s family reunion last week. It was perfect for a carry-in and it’s even more perfect as a side for grilled chicken. Here’s the original recipe from Mighty Mrs. I don’t like green onions, so I never put them in a dish when the recipe calls for them. I also don’t care for mint in anything that’s not sweet. So, here’s how I made it:

Ingredients for couscous salad recipe

• Israeli (or pearl) couscous. I’ve linked to my favorite brand. You can use any kind, but the Israeli/pearl kind is best for this. It’s actually pasta, not a grain, but you’ll most often find it in the rice aisle at the store.
• English cucumber. I started using English cucumbers last year, and haven’t looked back. 10/10, highly recommend over regular cucumbers.
• Cherry, globe, or grape tomatoes. Really, any kind works. Even the multi-colored ones (makes the salad look even prettier!) Just cut them into like-sized pieces.
• Red onion. Best onion flavor for this type of dish, but use a regular onion if that’s all you have.
• Fresh parsley. Use flat leaf if possible. I only had the other kind, and it worked, but I prefer flat leaf.
• Lemons for juicing. You’ll need about 1/4 cup. I got that from one lemon, but it was a juicy one! Buy two if you’re worried about not having enough juice.
• Olive oil. This olive oil is my fave. Chrissy Teigan recommended it on her insta a few years ago. Good flavor and not expensive.
• Water. I used 1 1/2 cups to cook my couscous, but you should follow your package’s directions.
• Sea salt. Flavor your couscous water and also salt to taste at the very end after you put everything together.
• Naan (or pita) – optional.
• Butter or more olive oil for toasting naan/pita

How to make couscous salad:

• Cook couscous with olive oil. Set aside to cool.
• Chop your vegetables and parsley, throw into a bowl.
• Juice your lemons and remove seeds.
• Combine cooled couscous with your veggies.
• Stir in lemon juice and olive oil. Add salt to taste.
• Toast naan/pita with butter or olive oil.

Couscous Salad

A bright and refreshing couscous salad, perfect for serving with grilled chicken.

Print Recipe Pin Recipe

Prep Time 10 minutes mins

Cook Time 8 minutes mins

Total Time 20 minutes mins

Course Side Dish

Cuisine Mediterranean

Servings 8

Ingredients

  

• 1 cup Israeli (pearl) couscous
• 1 1/2 cup Water
• pinch Sea salt
• 1 tsp Olive Oil
• 1 cup Grape, cherry, globe tomatoes, chopped
• 1 cup English cucumber, chopped
• 1/4 Red onion, chopped
• 2 tbsp Fresh parsley, chopped
• 1/4 cup Freshly squeezed lemon juice 1-2 lemons
• Sea salt, to taste

Instructions

 

• Add water to medium pan and bring to a boil. Stir in couscous and 1 tsp olive oil. Cover and reduce heat to low. Simmer for 8 minutes. Once cooked, set aside to cool completely.
• While couscous cooks and cools, chop cucumber, tomatoes, onion, and parsley. Add to a large bowl.
• When couscous is completely cooled, combine with chopped veggies.
• Stir in lemon juice and olive oil, to taste. Toss together and add salt as needed.

Notes

Refrigerate if not serving immediately. 

Toast pita or naan for a great accompaniment. 

• Cut pita or naan into triangles and brush with butter. Toast in oven until done. Serve immediately. 

Keyword couscous, cucumber, salad, side dish, tomato