Couscous salad with pomegranate, feta, chickpeas and vegetables is a colorful and hearty side dish, or a light main course. This vibrant dish is packed with interesting textures and lovely flavors, and the resulting salad is an absolute joy to eat.
I love a good couscous salad. The soft grains make a good alternative to the more typical salad carbs like pasta, while also making the dish more satiating. This is a great, quick recipe for a weekly meal prep. I often make several portions of this recipe to have for lunch through the week.
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Ingredients needed for couscous salad with pomegranate
Couscous: This is the main component in the dish. If you're not a fan, the recipe can also be made using bulgur, quinoa or barley! Couscous is very easy to prepare, and is done by the time you finish chopping the other vegetables.
Chickpeas: My personal favorite legume, and a great vegetarian protein source. Chickpeas go very well with couscous, and I love the texture it adds to the dish. The chickpeas also ensure that the salad is filling and more satiating.
Pomegranate: I love these crunchy, little jewels! They bring so much to the dish in terms of sweetness and texture.
Feta cheese: I personally love feta cheese in this dish, but it can be omitted for a dairy free, vegan salad. I just like the creaminess and saltiness of feta, and think it compliments the other flavors well.
Red onion: Optional, however a welcome addition to the dish.
Peppers: Adding some color, crunch and fiber.
Flaked almonds: Adds some healthy fats to the dish.
Spinach: Need some leafy greens! Can be substituted for any other leafy green spinach is my personal favorite.
How to make this salad
First, we need to make 150 g cooked couscous. Add approximately 75 g uncooked couscous to a bowl. Use a kettle or a pot to boil water, and add boiling water to the bowl, covering the couscous and then some. Leave it to soak for 5-10 minutes, until the water is absorbed and the grains have softened. If the couscous grains don't soften enough, you can add some more boiling water. Then, move the cooked couscous to a salad bowl.
To the salad bowl, add drained and rinsed chickpeas, finely diced onion and peppers, pomegranate seeds, ripped or chopped spinach and flaked almonds. Add crumbled feta cheese if using, or leave the feta out if you want to make a dairy free salad. Use a spoon to combine all the ingredients before serving.
If you want to add a dressing, I suggest making a simple lemon pepper vinaigrette, pesto or tahini dressing. Couscous salad with pomegranate would also taste great with a pomegranate based dressing.
What to serve with this salad
I love serving this salad as a light main course for lunch, but you can also enjoy it as a side dish with your favorite mains. I think the flavors in the couscous salad with pomegranate would go really well with Greek turkey burger, balsamic maple glazed salmon, pulled gammon, cod wrapped in prosciutto, apricot chicken, marinated chicken or lemon chicken.
More delicious salad recipes
- Orzo salad with spinach, feta and lemon
- Kale salad with apples and cranberries + tahini dressing
- Tuna bulgur salad with chickpeas
- Mediterranean chickpea salad
- Chicken and mango salad
Couscous salad with pomegranate
Ingredients
- 150 g cooked couscous about 75 g uncooked
- 1 pepper
- 75 g pomegranate
- ½ tin chickpeas 130 g cooked chickpeas
- ½ red onion
- 50 g feta cheese
- 2 tablespoon flaked almonds
- 1 handful spinach
Instructions
- First, prepare the couscous. Add 75 g uncooked couscous to a bowl, and fill with boiling water until the grains are covered with about an inch. Leave to soak for a few minutes. When all the water has bee absorbed, taste test to make sure that the grains are soft. If not, add more boiling water and let soak a bit longer. You can also use 150 g cooked couscous.
- Finely dice 1 pepper and ½ red onion, and add to a salad bowl.
- Add all the remaining ingredients to the salad bowl. Crumble the feta cheese when adding, and rip or chop the spinach. Ideally you want to let the couscous cool for a minute or two to let it reach room temperature before adding it.
Notes
- This recipe makes 2 large main course servings, or 4-6 servings as a side dish.
- Leftovers can be stored in the fridge for up to 5 days. This recipe is not suitable for freezing.
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