No more boring salads! This Rainbow Couscous Salad is seriously delicious and colorful with an array of vegetables.
During quarantine, I've been having a weekly dinner with my best friend, who's a pescatarian (semi-vegetarian who does not eat meat but does eat fish). Typically, our dinners consist of throwing whatever we have leftover together or haven't used for that week. A few weeks ago, we made a delicious couscous salad that featured several colorful vegetables and a simple lemon olive oil dressing. This Rainbow Couscous Salad is seriously refreshing and tasty. The vegetables are the star of this dish. They add not only beautiful color but texture and delicious flavor.
Fill your plate with the colors of the rainbow. What pleases the eye, pleases the body.
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What I love most about this dish, is how customizable it can be. While my Rainbow Couscous Salad features 2 different colors of cherry tomatoes, bell pepper, cucumber, feta, and purple onion. You can introduce even more vegetables or substitute based on your taste preferences of what's in your kitchen like carrots, radishes, and avocado. Even add in greens like spinach or arugula. This serves as a delicious and beautiful side or lunch but add-in some protein to complete the meal like grilled salmon, chicken, or shrimp. Keep it vegetarian with some chickpeas or even cauliflower steak.
The Ingredients for Rainbow Couscous Salad
Red: Tomatoes (I used a variety pack of mini tomatoes that had both red and yellow)
Orange: Bell Pepper
Yellow: Tomatoes (I used a variety pack of mini tomatoes that had both red and yellow)
Green: Cucumber (I used Persian but you could use English or American cucumbers)
White: Feta
Purple: Purple Onion
Israeli Couscous: Sometimes called pearl couscous. It's larger than normal couscous and offers a wonderful chewy texture.
Dressing: Olive oil, lemon juice, lemon zest, crushed red pepper, Djion mustard, salt and pepper.
Really love vegetables? Here are a few other options to make the couscous salad even more veggie-focused and colorful. Radishes, avocado, and carrots.
Want more protein? Serve this salad with grilled salmon, shrimp or chicken. Want to keep it vegetarian? Add in chickpeas!
Rainbow Couscous Salad
Ingredients
- 3 and ½ cups israeli couscous cooked
- 2 cups red cherry tomatoes red and yellow
- 1 bell pepper orange
- 1 cup cucumber I used persian
- 1 cup feta
- ½ cup purple onion
Lemon Olive Oil Dressing
- 2 lemons juice and zest
- ½ cup olive oil
- 2 teaspoon Dijon mustard
- ½ teaspoon red chili flakes optional
- salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
- Slice tomatoes (in half if using cherry tomatoes), dice the red onion, cucumber and bell pepper.
- Add vegetables and feta in a large bowl and toss with cooked israeli couscous.
- In a bowl, combine all salad dressing ingredients and mix until emulsifed. Add to salad and toss. Serve.
- Store leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 days.
Did you make this recipe? Let me know!