Name: Quick & Easy Couscous Salad
Prep time: 10 min
Cook time: 5 min
Total time: 15 min
Cuisine: WFPB
Ingredients: 1 cup whole wheat couscous (see notes for gluten-free option); 1 1/4 cups water; 1/2 english cucumber; 1 medium tomato; 4 individual stalks green onion; 3 tbsp lime juice; 2 tbsp fresh dill (see notes); 1 1/2 tsp garlic granules; 1/2 tsp salt

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Looking for a super simple side that requires minimal effort? Well, I’ve got just the recipe for you. This couscous salad is light, vibrant and full of flavour. Perfect for those hot summer days.

This quick and easy couscous salad is bright, vibrant, and delicious. It’s also made WFPB, vegan, oil-free and nut-free. I’ve also suggested an alternative to make it gluten-free for those who need it. Check out the substitutions section for that.

Inspiration

I love couscous. It’s one of my favourite grains. Partly due to the lovely flavour but mostly due to the quick cooking time. I love that I can have it on the table in under 10 minutes. Chop up some veggies while it’s in the pot and you’ve got yourself a pretty great side dish.

That seems to be a sticking point for a lot of people. They tell me they want to eat healthier but they don’t have the time to cook. Of course, I take this as a call to action and my desire to help quickly takes over.

That’s where the inspiration for this dish came from. I was looking for a quick dish that required very little effort to put together but delivered on flavour in a big way. This couscous salad hits all the boxes I was aiming for.

I also completely love the combination of lime and dill. If you’re thinking this sounds weird, they are complementary in the tastiest way. If you try this dish (which I really hope you do) you’ll see exactly what I mean.

Ingredients

A simple meal should be made from simple ingredients, right? That’s exactly what you’ll find with this couscous salad. A few simple ingredients and less than 15 minutes are all that’s required to put this together.

You will need:

Whole-wheat couscous
Water
Tomato
Cucumber
Green onions
Lime juice
Dill – fresh or dried will work
Garlic granules
Salt

Substitutions

I used fresh dill in this recipe, but you can use dried as well. Just use half the amount as dried herbs tend to have a stronger flavour than fresh.

Unfortunately, couscous is not gluten-free. If you are sensitive to gluten, you can substitute brown rice couscous instead. Just have a look at the cooking directions because it generally takes a little longer to cook. You would just prepare the brown rice couscous according to the package directions and then stir in the remaining ingredients when done.

As far as the vegetables I’ve included, you really can change them up to suit your preferences. Just aim for veggies that tend to go well with lime and dill flavours. You could do a celery, radish, carrot combo for a crunchier texture. Bell peppers would also work well.

Making Couscous Salad

I love how easily this dish comes together thanks to the quick-cooking star of the show, couscous.

You’ll want to start by bringing the water to a boil in a small saucepan.

Once it’s come to a boil, remove from the heat, stir in the couscous and put the lid on. You’ll want to leave it for at least 5 minutes to allow the water to get absorbed.

While the couscous it’s doing its thing, take a few minutes to dice up the tomato, cucumber, green onions and dill (if using fresh).

Once done, transfer the couscous to a bowl, add the rest of the ingredients and give it a good stir.

Now it’s ready to serve. I told ya this one was easy. 😉

Next time you’re looking for a quick and easy side, or even a dish to bring to a potluck, whip up this quick & easy couscous salad. It’ll take you no time at all and is no fuss to prepare because you can serve it cold. You can just sit back and relax while the compliments roll in.