- Course: Side Dish
- Skill Level: Easy
- Cost: Inexpensive
- Favorited: 186 Times
Recipe
Catherine Carey
I was first introduced to a cold couscous salad by an old friend from high school. His family was from France and his mother entertained St. Tropez-style poolside in Greenwich, Connecticut, and often served Mediterranean delicacies. I always regretted not asking her for this recipe so I had to create my own. I have been making it for years and often spur of the moment with whatever ingredients happen to be in my refrigerator. It is most delicious when made with fresh herbs from the garden.
Ingredients
- 2 cups couscous
- ¼ cup extra virgin olive oil
- 1 pint grape tomatoes, halved
- English cucumber, peeled and diced
- ½ cup chopped flat-leaf parsley leaves
- ½ cup chopped mint leaves
- 4 scallions, trimmed and chopped
- Juice of 2 lemons
- 1½ cups crumbled feta cheese
- Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
Directions
Bring 3 cups water to a boil in a saucepan. Stir in the couscous, cover, remove from the heat, and set aside for 5 minutes. Transfer the couscous to a large bowl and fold in the oil, tossing with a fork as the couscous cools to keep the grains from clumping. When the couscous has cooled, fold in the remaining ingredients. Transfer to a large serving bowl.
Notes
Couscous comes in several textures. For this recipe, medium couscous is preferable to very fine couscous.
© 2009 The Society of Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center and Florence Fabricant
Nutritional Information
Nutritional information is based on 1/8 teaspoon added salt per serving.






parksloper
09.17.11 Flag commentI have to amend my comment, since 'healthy' could be misleading.
This is a DELICIOUS, simple recipe. You can use lime juice, too. My go-to recipe for lunch these days.
parksloper
09.05.11 Flag commentRelatively quick to make. I mixed it together and had it sit overnight before serving it up.
We used Greek feta rather than French, and a regular cucumber with seeds removed, rather than English cucumber. Tastes healthy!
mtbootz
07.03.11 Flag commentI made this salad and it was yummy.
I made the couscous as directed. I washed the mint and parsley (didn't chop until just before it went into the salad,) chopped all the other veggies (I added diced yellow pepper for additional color) but the tomatoes, crumbled the cheese, stuck everything in its own little container and refrigerated overnight.
The next day I was able to just put everything in a bowl, add the lemon juice, toss, and serve on a bed of red leaf lettuce.
No muss, no fuss, nutritious and delicious.