Arugula Couscous Salad with Feta
- PREP 10min
- COOK 10min
- TOTAL 20min
Our arugula salad, made with an easy lemon vinaigrette, pearl couscous, cucumbers, and feta, is crave-worthy. Once you make it, you’ll be itching to make it again. For this salad, we particularly love pearl couscous (often called Israeli couscous). It cooks quickly and gives the salad enough substance to stand on the plate by itself. You can substitute the couscous for pasta, quinoa, or other cooked grains like barley or wheat berries.
You Will Need
For the Salad
1 ½ cups dried pearl couscous, about 3 cups cooked
3 ounces baby arugula or tender salad greens, about 4 cups
Half of a hothouse (seedless) cucumber, chopped
2 ounces feta cheese, crumbled, about 1/2 cup
For the Dressing
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice, about 1/2 large lemon
4 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
1/2 teaspoon honey or maple syrup
1 tablespoon minced preserved lemon, optional
1 teaspoon dried basil or a handful chopped fresh basil leaves, optional
Sea salt and fresh ground black pepper
Directions
Bring a medium saucepan of salted water to a boil. Add couscous and cook until tender, 8 to 10 minutes. Drain, then add to a large bowl.
Meanwhile, make the lemon vinaigrette. Whisk lemon juice, olive oil, honey, preserved lemon, and basil until it looks thick and blended. Season to taste with salt and fresh ground black pepper (we add a generous pinch of each).
Toss the cooked and drained couscous with the dressing, then set aside for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally, until cooled slightly. Finish the salad by adding the arugula, cucumbers, and feta. Toss well, then serve.
Adam and Joanne's Tips
- Storing: The salad will keep overnight in the fridge. As it sits, the arugula may wilt slightly, but still will taste great.
- Couscous: If you cannot find pearl couscous (also called Israeli couscous), substitute with a regular couscous, small pasta shape such as orzo or cooked grains like quinoa, wheat berries and barley.
- The nutrition facts provided below are estimates. We assumed 1/2 teaspoon of added salt.