Couscous Summer Salad, because juicy nectarines and avocados and mint and cucumbers and chickpeas and cherries and couscous and fresh sweet corn definitely go together, right? (TRUST! THEY DO.)
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YUM! Perfect summer salad for lunch. Husband approved too! I used peaches, since I had some local ones here in Ohio 🙂 Can’t wait for the next round of it for dinner tonight!
Miranda
You could describe this salad as confusing and delicious and can’t-stop-thinking-about-it all rolled into one.
Here’s who will especially enjoy this summer dream of a salad:
- Lazy summer people – and I say this with a lot of love because I GET YOU
- Healthy-ish people, where you at
- People who like sweet-leaning salads (think goddess curry chicken salad and similar)
- People who like to NOT turn on the oven right now
- People who like anything-you-have-on-hand recipes
- People who eat juicy nectarines like their life depends on it
If any of these apply to you, you are in for a treat.
A confusing, delicious, can’t-stop-thinking-about-it Couscous Summer Salad treat.
Okay, admittedly, we are working with a high number of chopped ingredients here, which does involve a small but worth-it time commitment.
The good news is that as you chop and sip your lemonade (duh), you will soak your couscous and cherries and spices in some hot broth for a total of, what, like, five minutes?
So… yeah. Lazy summer people unite.
Toss, drizzle, taste, drizzle, taste, taste, taste.
And I know it’s a short story, but that’s really all there is to it.
This salad is tastefully, texturally, and colorfully busy, which is just the most fun thing right now when all of our produce is so fresh and juicy and crisp.
I think I’ve made it at least four times in the last two weeks. I couldn’t love it more right now.
Dear summer, bringer of Couscous Summer Salads into our lives, WE LOVE YOU!
Couscous Summer Salad
- Total Time: 20 minutes
- Yield: 6 servings 1x
Description
Couscous Summer Salad! Spiced couscous, juicy nectarines, crunchy cucumber, avocado, chickpeas, cherries, sweet corn, and mint. It’s sunshine in a bowl!
Ingredients
Couscous Salad Base:
- 1 cup couscous (uncooked)
- 1/2 cup dried cherries
- 1 teaspoon ground cumin
- 1 teaspoon ground coriander
- 1 1/4 cups chicken or veggie broth, warm
- salt and pepper
Toss-Ins
- 1 can chickpeas, rinsed and drained
- 2 pieces of fresh sweet corn, kernels cut off the cob
- 2 nectarines or peaches, diced
- 1 cucumber, diced
- 1 avocado, cut into chunks
- 1/4 red onion, finely diced
- 1/2 cup pepitas, sunflower seeds, or something crunchy
- 2 cups arugula or spinach
- parsley / mint / basil / any herbs, really
- lemon juice, honey, olive oil for dressing
Instructions
- Combine couscous, cherries, cumin, coriander, and salt and pepper in a bowl. Pour warm broth over everything and let stand until the couscous is cooked, about 5 minutes. Let it cool.
- Toss everything together and season to taste!
Notes
This keeps for about a day as leftovers, although keep in mind that the leftovers will be softer than the day before, obviously. If you want to make this farther in advance for meal prep or something like that, just prep all the elements separately and toss together just before serving.
- Prep Time: 15 mins
- Cook Time: 5 mins
- Category: Dinner
- Cuisine: American
Keywords: couscous salad, couscous summer salad, summer salad
One More Thing!
This recipe is part of our easy summer dinners page. Check it out!
Looks delightful! Could I use quinoa in place of the couscous?
Yes!
In response to Valerie Swenson’s question about the salad dressing, you indicated you would start with 3 tablespoons lemon juice and 4 tablespoons olive oil. How much honey would you use for that amount of lemon juice and olive oil?
This was so delicious and my little guy even loved it!
In my country the weather is very hot, I think this is a great dish.
Like the concept of this but when I followed the recipe all I had was uncooked couscous and chopped up veggies. If you make this cook the couscous on the stove
This is my favorite salad OF ALL TIME. It’s light and slightly sweet but yet somehow still filling. The flavors balance each other so well. It pairs really well with grilled fish or chicken but can be eaten as a stand alone for lunch (which I often do). Summer in a bowl. I’m obsessed.
Question on the corn – do you cook it first? Thanks.
No need to cook first!
Love this Salad…
I added apricots & it was a big hit..
Thanks for all your great recipes.
I loved the flavour !!
Is the corn off the cob raw or cooked?
We used raw here, but cooked could work as well!
Never mind – found earlier comment where you answered this question. Just missed it scrolling through comments earlier. Thanks.
Yummyu !!!! I like salad also Nice blog…
This was such a perfect summer lunch! So bright and flavorful (the fresh mint made it!) – super unique combo of flavors. I used pearl couscous so followed the package cooking instructions, but cooked in chicken broth with the cumin/coriander. Loved it, will definitely be making again.
Glad you enjoyed this, AJ!
I made this today for lunch and it was amazing! I substituted the dried cherries for dried cranberries and didn’t use any dressing. The couscous mix had enough flavor that I didn’t need any dressing. Perfect summer recipe!!!
Glad you enjoyed this salad, Erica!
This is a great seasonal recipe, so I had everything to make this already. I just had it for lunch and it’s delicious!!
🎉
Perfect salad for summer or anytime. I love that it can be made vegetarian!
The summer salad is generous and healthy and insanely tasty as well .would love to try this at home.
Nice post!
Yummm! This salad looks delicious and so nutritious too. I’ve found it hard to find salads that will be filling as well as healthy so glad I’ve come across this. I also stumbled upon this post about salad catering for offices which is also a great idea for working lunches https://www.elizabethandrews.com.au/blog/corporate-salad-catering/
I am obsessed with couscous. This dish looks absolutely perfect for summer!
http://alexagmarsh.blogspot.com/
For weight loss, salads are the best option. This salad looks so colorful and healthy too. Can we use another oil instead of olive oil?
We haven’t tried this with another oil yet, but we’d love to hear if you do!
Thank you for sharing valuable information. Nice post. I enjoyed reading this post
Look so delicious !!! I want to eat it all at the first moment once I see them.
Thank you very much for sharing these foods ..
The colors are so amazing together. I would kill for a plate of this salad for lunch, right about now
Really impressive post.I enjoyed your article and planning to rewrite it on my own blog.
Love this best sliced vegetable and fruits you have in salad. Summer is not over get. I am going to use the best vegetable slicer I have at home. Thanks Lindsay your recipes are healthy and yummy.