Fluffy couscous, juicy pomegranate seeds, and fresh herbs pair together perfectly to make this fall-inspired Pomegranate Couscous Salad. It's easy to prepare and makes for a filling lunch or dinner side dish.
Tired of the typical squash-heavy fall salads? So are we! This recipe is the perfect way to add some variety to your fall salad routine. It's a unique recipe that incorporates some flavors that might not receive regular usage in your kitchen, like couscous, pomegranate, and pistachio.
It's also the perfect salad to serve around the holidays, since it's both delicious and festive.
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Why We Love This Recipe
- Quick and easy: Simply cook the couscous, whisk together the dressing, and toss everything together for a quick and easy dish. This salad should only take about 30 minutes to prepare.
- Bursting with flavor: With mint, green onion, parsley, pistachios, and pomegranate seeds, this salad is bursting with fresh flavor! It makes for a great change-up to the usual heavy and one-note fall salads.
- Great for the holidays: Since there are no greens that can wilt, this salad is super transportable, meaning you can take it to all of your holiday gatherings, and it will retain its great flavor!
Ingredients
Here's what you'll need to make this pomegranate couscous salad:
Ingredient Notes
- Couscous: We're using couscous for this pomegranate couscous salad. However, feel free to sub in quinoa for a gluten free option that's equally as delicious. Farro would also be a great option.
- Parsley and Mint: For this salad, we definitely suggest using fresh herbs. The dried versions of these herbs simply don't provide the same taste or texture in this salad.
- Pomegranate seeds / arils: The star ingredient of this salad: pomegranate seeds. They're tart and juicy, and team up with the couscous to create an unexpected and delicious combination. Pomegranates are in season during the fall and winter in the Northern Hemisphere, so make this salad once the weather gets cold!
- Pistachio: Pistachios provide a mild and nutty crunch to this salad. Feel free to sub them with any other nut you have on hand. We think pecans, cashews, or walnuts would work really nicely here.
How to Make Pomegranate Couscous Salad
(1) Whisk together dressing ingredients and set aside.
(2) Cook couscous according to package directions. Add in ¼ teaspoon of salt and 1 tablespoon of olive oil.
(3) Once the couscous has cooled, toss it with the dressing until evenly coated. Then stir in parsley, mint, green onion, pistachios and pomegranate seeds.
Variations
- Choice of nuts: We used pistachios, but you can sub in your favorite nuts, including walnuts, pecans, cashews, or almonds.
- Types of herbs: We really like mint and parsley, but you can also try basil or dill instead.
- Swap out the couscous: If you don't have any couscous on hand, swap it out for quinoa, farro or wild rice!
- Dried fruit: Fall is a great time to enjoy dried cranberries or apricots, so feel free to chop them up and mix them in to this salad!
- Cheese: Feta is a delicious addition to this recipe, and we totally recommend crumbling some on top! Shaved parmesan or even goat cheese would be another great option.
- Veggies: Add in chopped cucumber, red pepper, carrots, or radish.
Tips and FAQs
- Cool the couscous: Once the couscous has fully cooked, make sure to let it sit in a separate bowl for 20-25 minutes. Tossing the couscous with a fork a couple of times during this process will help to release some extra heat. We cool the couscous because we don't want its residual heat to warm up the pomegranates or the fresh herbs. This salad definitely tastes best served cool.
- Cook the couscous first: Since we need to let the couscous cool, you can cook it first, and then prepare the rest of the recipe as it cools.
- Stir in pomegranate LAST: One thing we learned about this salad: stir in the pomegranate seeds at the end. These little seeds have a bright red color that will stain the couscous if stirred in early on.
- Storage: Place salad in an airtight container and keep in the fridge for 2-3 days.
- Serving suggestions: This salad is great by itself or paired alongside a fall-inspired soup like this Vegan Cream of Mushroom Soup. It's also great as a base for a fall-inspired bowl. You can stir in Roasted Spanish Potatoes or another starchy vegetable! For the meat eaters in your family, this would be great with some leftover turkey as a day after Thanksgiving bowl.
While commonly mistaken for a grain or a seed, couscous is actually a pasta that's made from a combination of semolina (a high-gluten flour) and water. It's then rolled into very small, mostly uniform pieces.
There are a lot of methods out there, but our favorite is as follows:
1. Cut off the top and bottom of the pomegranate.
2. Score the pomegranate along the ridges that the pomegranate naturally has.
3. Over a bowl, pull the pomegranate into a star-like shape.
4. Pull away the pith and use your hands to extract all of the seeds.
More Fall Recipes to Enjoy
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📖 Recipe
Pomegranate Couscous Salad
- Total Time: 25 minutes
- Yield: 4-6 servings 1x
- Diet: Vegan
Description
Fluffy couscous, juicy pomegranate seeds, and fresh herbs pair together perfectly to make this fall-inspired Pomegranate Couscous Salad. It's easy to prepare and makes for a filling lunch or dinner side dish.
Ingredients
Salad:
- 1 cup uncooked couscous
- ⅔ cup pomegranate seeds
- ½ cup pistachios, roughly chopped
- ½ cup chopped fresh parsley
- ¼ cup well chopped fresh mint leaves
- ⅓ cup finely chopped green onion
- Salt and pepper to taste if needed
Dressing:
- ⅓ cup extra virgin olive oil
- 3 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice
- 2 teaspoons maple syrup
- ½ tsp kosher salt
- Pepper to taste
Instructions
- Whisk together dressing ingredients and set aside.
- Cook couscous according to package directions. Add in ¼ teaspoon of salt and 1 tablespoon of olive oil.
- Once the couscous is done cooking, transfer to a bowl and let cool, stirring a few times.
- Once the couscous has cooled, toss it with the dressing until evenly coated. Stir in parsley, mint, green onion and pistachios, then gently stir in pomegranate seeds.
Notes
Cool the couscous: Once the couscous has fully cooked, make sure to let it sit in a separate bowl for 20-25 minutes. Tossing the couscous with a fork a couple of times during this process will help to release some extra heat. We cool the couscous because we don't want its residual heat to warm up the pomegranates or the fresh herbs. This salad definitely tastes best served cool.
Cook the couscous first: Since we need to let the couscous cool, you can cook it first, and then prepare the rest of the recipe as it cools.
Stir in pomegranate LAST: One thing we learned about this salad: stir in the pomegranate seeds at the end. These little seeds have a bright red color that will stain the couscous if stirred in early on.
Storage: Place salad in an airtight container and keep in the fridge for 2-3 days.
Choice of nuts: We used pistachios, but you can sub in your favorite nuts, including walnuts, pecans, cashews, or almonds.
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 10 minutes
- Category: Salads
- Method: Stovetop
- Cuisine: American
Nutrition
- Serving Size: Small bowl
- Calories: 451
- Sugar: 7.7 g
- Sodium: 167.7 mg
- Fat: 26.4 g
- Carbohydrates: 47.4 g
- Fiber: 5.7 g
- Protein: 9.6 g
Keywords: pomegranate couscous salad
Allison Mackey
This looks delicious! Making it soon for my family.
★★★★★