This Easy Couscous Salad with Feta is bursting with Mediterranean flavors and textures! It is quick, simple and delicious. Serve it on its own or with grilled chicken, skewers or fish to make the perfect summer side.
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This vegetarian couscous salad is a guaranteed crowd-pleaser because it is filling and flavorful! It’s packed with fresh vegetables, tangy feta cheese, and juicy olives, all tossed in a lemon dressing making it a great summer lunch option.
The great thing about this salad is that it is easily customizable. For example, if you love olives, you can add more, or if you are a feta cheese fan, you can also increase the amount. It really depends on your preference!
Serve this salad with oven-baked chicken kebabs or oven-baked salmon. If you love couscous, you'll also enjoy my Moroccan tomato couscous, Easy Lebanese Fattoush Salad and Lebanese tabbouleh recipe.
What I Love About This Recipe
- It is filled with mouthwatering Mediterranean flavors.
- This salad is refreshing and filling.
- It is quick and easy to make.
- It is very easy to customize.
Ingredients
- Couscous: I used small couscous for this salad but feel free to use medium or large couscous instead. Read the instructions on the packaging to avoid overcooking the couscous.
- Boiling water: To cook the couscous.
- Olive oil: Use good-quality olive oil for the best flavor. It is added to the dressing and couscous to prevent it from sticking together.
- Feta cheese: Select good-quality feta for the best flavor. You can cut it into cubes or sprinkle it on top.
- Black olives: Select good-quality pitted olives for this recipe. Chop them roughly so that they are bite-sized and easy to eat.
- Cucumber: You can use an English cucumber, Persian cumbers or mini cucumbers for this recipe. Dice them so that they are bite-sized and easy to eat.
- Tomato: Use fresh tomatoes for this recipe. Roma tomatoes, cherry tomatoes or beef tomatoes work well in this recipe. Dice them.
- Red onions: Dice red onions for the salad. If you are not a fan or have none to hand, swap them with green onions instead.
- Parsley: Select fresh parsley for this recipe. Remove the stem before chopping.
- Mint: Select fresh unbruised mint and remove the stem before chopping.
- Lemon: Use the zest and juice from a lemon to make the dressing.
- Balsalmic vinegar: Add a splash of balsamic vinegar or any other vinegar of your choice for the dressing.
- Salt: To taste.
- Black pepper: To taste.
Equipment
- Saucepan
- Chopping board
- Chef's knife
- Salad bowl
Recipe Variations
- If you want to sweeten this salad, add half a cup of raisins or pomegranates.
- Add one cup of cooked or canned chickpeas for a more hearty salad.
- If you are not a fan of feta, then swap it with halloumi.
- You can also use any dressing of your choice. Sun-dried tomato dressing is a popular alternative.
How to Make Couscous Salad
- Follow the cooking directions on the couscous package. Season the couscous with salt and drizzle some olive oil over it while it is cooking. Once the couscous is ready, add it to a bowl and let it cool down while you prepare the rest of the ingredients.
2. Add lemon juice and zest to a bowl or jar. Next add vinegar, salt to taste and black pepper to taste. Shake or whisk the ingredients together to make the dressing.
3. Chop feta and olives. Then dice tomatoes, cucumbers and red onions. Chop parsley and mint and add all ingredients to a bowl along with the couscous. Finally, pour the dressing on top of the salad and toss to mix everything together.
4. Serve this flavorful Couscous Salad with Feta as a side or main for lunch.
Tips and Tricks
- Coucous: Do not overcook the couscous, as this will result in a soft and mushy salad. Make sure you read the instructions on the packaging.
- Olives: Use olives that have no pits or take out the pits yourself. This will prevent you from accidentally biting into a hard pit in the salad.
- Customize: As always, feel free to add less or more of each ingredient to suit your taste. You can also add additional ingredients to the dressing.
FAQs
Yes, couscous can be eaten cold. It is usually eaten cold when served as a salad.
It can be made in a variety of different ways. Some popular ingredients include feta, pomegranate, cucumber, olives and chickpeas.
It tastes delicious with roasted vegetables, chicken, lamb, beef and fish.
Refrigerate in an airtight container for up to 3 days.
Couscous Feta and Olive Salad
Equipment
- 1 Saucepan
- 1 chopping board
- 1 Chefs knife
- 1 Salad bowl
Ingredients
- 200 g of couscous
- ½ a large cucumber diced
- 200 g of feta chopped
- 3-4 large tomatoes diced
- 1 cup of pitted black olives chopped
- ¾ cup of parsley chopped
- ½ cup of mint chopped
- 1 lemon juice and zest
- 1 tablespoon of balsamic vinegar
- Salt to taste
- Pepper to taste
- ⅓ cup of olive oil
Instructions
- Cook couscous according to package directions. Season with salt and olive oil. Transfer to a bowl and let it cool.
- In another bowl or jar, whisk or shake lemon juice, zest, vinegar, salt and pepper to make dressing.
- Cut feta, olives, tomatoes, cucumbers and onions. Chop parsley and mint. Add to couscous and toss with dressing.
- Enjoy this delicious Couscous Salad with Feta for lunch or as a side dish.
Notes
- Couscous: Follow the package directions carefully to keep the couscous fluffy and not soggy.
- Olives: Use pitted olives or remove the pits yourself to avoid any unpleasant surprises in the salad.
- Customize: Adjust the amount of each ingredient to your liking. You can also experiment with different dressing ingredients.
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