Vegan Couscous Salad

Name: Vegan Couscous Salad
Prep time: 20 min
Cook time: 25 min
Total time: 45 min
Cuisine: Moroccan
Ingredients: 4 cups cooked pearl couscous (~2 cups uncooked); 2 tablespoons olive oil; 1 small yellow onion, diced (~1 cup); 1 tablespoon garlic, minced (2 large cloves); 1 1/2 tablespoon lemon zest; 1/2 tablespoon freshly squeezed lemon juice; 2 cups diced eggplant, cut into 1/2-inch pieces (~1/2 of a large eggplant); 1/4 cup water; 2 cups diced zucchini, cut into 1/2-inch pieces (1 large or 2 small zucchini); 1 cup diced bell pepper (1 small bell pepper); 1 cup diced Roma tomatoes, deseeded (~2-3 large tomatoes); 1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley; 1 teaspoon kosher salt; 1 15.5 ounce can white beans, drained and rinsed; 2/3 cup roughly chopped golden raisins*; 1/2-2/3 cup roughly chopped pistachios; 1/3 cup extra virgin olive oil; 3 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice; 2 tablespoons tahini; 2 teaspoons honey or agave; 1 tablespoon Harissa spice blend (or 2 tbsp Harissa paste)**; 1 teaspoon dried oregano; 3/4 teaspoon kosher salt; 3/4 teaspoon cumin

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This Mediterranean- and North African-inspired Vegan Couscous Salad is loaded with vegetables and coated in an herby, lemony, and tangy dressing. It's a nutritious and filling side dish option that can be served instead of rice or a boring side salad.

Overhead of the vegan couscous salad in a big white bowl. — This is one of my favorite salads we've shared to date!

Not only is this vegan couscous salad super fresh and packed with vegetables, but it's also quite filling since it's a pasta salad in disguise: couscous isn't a grain, but a tiny ball of pasta.

Lemon juice and zest keep the salad light and tangy, and a dash of harissa adds a dose of flavorful spice that rounds out a balanced and delicious dish.

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Why We Love This Recipe
Ingredients
Ingredient Notes
Instructions
Tips and FAQs
More Salad Recipes to Enjoy
📖 Recipe
💬 Reviews

Why We Love This Recipe

Nutritious: This recipe is absolutely packed with vegetables, like zucchini, eggplant, bell pepper, onion and tomatoes. It also has white beans for some extra plant-based protein and pistachios, olive oil and tahini for a dose of healthy fats. It's a well-balanced salad that's perfect for any meal.
Meal prep friendly: This is one of those recipes that actually tastes even better after a day in the fridge. Prep it at the beginning of the week and enjoy it for a quick meal when you need it!
Enjoy warm or cold: This vegan couscous salad is delicious either way!
Surprisingly easy: Although this recipe has a relatively long ingredient list, it's easy to prepare. Simply boil the couscous, sauté the vegetables, whisk together the dressing and toss everything together.

Ingredients

Here's what you'll need to make this vegan couscous salad:

Ingredient Notes

Couscous: We're using pearl couscous (aka Israeli couscous) for this vegan couscous salad. You can also use regular couscous if that's what you have on hand. However, feel free to sub in quinoa for a gluten free option that's equally as delicious. Farro would also work well in this recipe.
Parsley: For this salad, we definitely suggest using fresh parsley. You could also use cilantro or basil in a pinch.
Harissa spice blend: Harissa is a red chili paste or spice blend that's a very popular condiment throughout North Africa (it's the national sauce of Tunisia) and the Middle East. In addition to the chili peppers, harissa also often contains spices like cumin or coriander, hints of garlic, and sometimes lemon, tomatoes, or bell peppers.
- If you can't find a powdered Harissa spice blend, you can always sub in 2 tablespoons of harissa paste or sauce. If you can't find any harissa, you can use a mix of paprika and chili powder instead.
Pistachio: Pistachios provide a mild, nutty crunch to this salad. Feel free to sub them with any other nut you have on hand, including cashews, almonds or pine nuts.
Golden raisins: You can use regular raisins instead, but we think golden raisins have a much more substantial texture that works better in salads. Apricots or dates will also work well, just be sure to chop them a bit, otherwise they'll be too big for the salad.
White beans: White beans, navy beans, or cannellini beans will work.
Roma tomatoes: Feel free to substitute with whatever tomatoes you have on hand.
Agave: You can also use honey or maple syrup instead.

Close up view of vegan couscous salad in a bowl with two serving spoons holding some up. — Every bite is packed with flavor!

Instructions

STEP 1: Whisk together the dressing ingredients until well combined, and let the dressing sit while you make the rest of the salad.

STEP 2: Cook couscous according to package directions.

Left: whisking the dressing together. Right: cooked couscous in a saucepan. — Pearl couscous typically takes about 15 minutes to cook.

STEP 3: While the couscous is cooking, add 2 tablespoons of oil to a large skillet over medium heat. Add the onions and sauté for 3-4 minutes, then stir in garlic and lemon zest and cook for another 1-2 minutes.

Next, stir in the eggplant and ¼ cup of water and cook for another 8 minutes.

Left: cooking the onions and garlic. Right: adding in the eggplant and lemon zest. — The steam from the water helps the eggplant soften faster.

STEP 4: Add in the zucchini, pepper, tomatoes, parsley, lemon juice, and salt and increase the heat to medium high. Stir frequently and continue cooking for another 8 minutes, until all of the vegetables are fork tender.

STEP 5: Add the cooked couscous, beans, raisins, nuts and vegetable mixture to a large bowl and stir to mix ingredients together. Toss mixture with dressing until evenly coated.

Left: adding in the rest of the veggies to the onion mixture. Right: tossing together all the ingredients in a bowl. — You can enjoy this vegan couscous salad warm or cold!

Tips and FAQs

Storage: Place the salad in an airtight container and store in the refrigerator for up to 5 days.
Refrigerate for an hour before serving: This isn't required, but encouraged. After you toss everything together, give the vegan couscous salad an hour or so to soak up all of the flavor from the vinaigrette. The salad will be more flavorful, and it tastes best chilled (in our opinion). If you don't have time, no worries – it's also delicious warm!
Meal prep: You can make this entire salad (including tossing it in the dressing) in advance and enjoy throughout the week for a quick, easy meal. We think it tastes even better when it has a chance for the flavors to meld together, so it's a great option to add to your meal prep menu!
Customize: Another great thing about this salad? It's super easy to customize with vegetables and toppings of your choice. Here are a few ways to make it your own:
- Swap out some of the vegetables for ingredients like carrots, winter squash, red onion, cauliflower, etc.
- Swap the golden raisins with finely chopped medjool dates or dried apricots.
- Try a different nut, like cashews, pine nuts or slivered almonds.
- Try a different grain, like regular couscous, farro, or quinoa (for a gluten free option).

What is couscous?

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.

What's the difference between regular and pearl couscous?

The main difference between pearl couscous and regular (Moroccan) couscous is the size of the pasta. Pearl couscous (as suggested by the name) consists of pea (or pearl) sized granules. Regular couscous is much smaller.

Vegan couscous salad with serving utensils and sparkling water. — This salad can easily be made in advance as the flavors will continue to absorb in the fridge.

More Salad Recipes to Enjoy

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