Couscous Salad

I’ve shared a version of this salad in my Lazy Cook classes for a while now–turns out I’m not the only lazy cook out there, who knew?–and I frequently run into somebody or another who tells me that they make this salad all the time. So do I! Couscous Salad is in that category of recipes I don’t have a good name for: they’re quick and easy to make, they’re really good, are often better the next day, are best eaten chilled or at room temperature, and they keep for days and days in your fridge. This salad and its culinary cousins definitely need a PR team.

Couscous Salad is what you’d get if pasta salad and tabbouleh (tuh-boo-lee) had a baby. I learned this particular method years ago from Laura Calder’s cooking show, “French Food at Home,” where she calls her couscous salad “picnic tabbouleh”. My very favorite part of her recipe is how the couscous is uncooked; instead, the raw couscous soaks up a simple dressing of olive oil and lemon juice, softening and becoming so incredibly much more flavorful than couscous steeped in hot water.

From there, though, Laura and I part ways. She goes all minty in that traditional tabbouleh way, and I just throw in my favorites: tomato, artichoke hearts, chickpeas, and a ton of feta. Luckily, this recipe is completely forgiving. You could just use extra tomato and basil and leave it at that. You could skip the artichokes, add cucumber, mint, and a heap of chopped parsley, and turn it into actual tabbouleh. You could sub in white beans for the chickpeas I call for if you like, or leave beans out altogether. If you want to go full-on Greek, add cucumber, oregano, chopped onion, and kalamata olives. You can use all sorts of fresh vegetables if you have them. Roasted eggplant? Red bell pepper? It’s up to you.

I almost always have a fast protein of some sort to add to the salad at serving time, because I love this salad served as a complete meal. Shrimp is good, and leftover steak is good, too. But the hands-down favorite around here is marinated grilled or sautéed chicken breast. It, too, can idle for a few days in your fridge. Just remember that your couscous salad will last nearly a week in the refrigerator if you don’t add any meat before serving.

Couscous Salad

2 cups small couscous (as opposed to pearl couscous), uncooked
¾ cup lemon juice
¾ cup extra-virgin olive oil
2 T. red wine vinegar
1 t. dried oregano
¼ red pepper flakes, or to taste
2 cloves minced garlic
½ t. salt
½ t. pepper
1 14.5 oz. can fire-roasted diced tomatoes, drained
1 small red bell pepper, seeded and finely diced (jarred roasted red pepper works well, too)
1 can chickpeas (garbanzos), drained
1 12 oz. jar marinated artichoke hearts, lightly drained
4 oz. feta cheese, or to taste
¼ cup fresh basil, torn or roughly chopped

Put couscous in a good-sized mixing bowl. Whisk the lemon juice and oil together and pour over the couscous. Allow to sit at room temperature an hour or so while the cous cous absorbs all the liquid. Fluff with a fork.

Toss the remaining ingredients with the cous cous, chill, and serve. Couscous salad will keep several days in the fridge. If you feel it’s gotten a little dry, add a little more olive oil, lemon juice, or red wine vinegar to taste.