Greek Israeli Couscous Salad

Greek Israeli couscous salad is light but filling and loaded with fresh veggies, garbanzo beans, and lentils plus salty feta cheese. I drizzle the whole bowl with a homemade lemon honey vinaigrette that keeps you going back for more. This amazing salad can be served as a main course, a side dish, or as a light dinner. The entire salad comes together in about 30 minutes so it’s perfect for any day of the week. I love bringing this to a backyard barbecue because the salad can sit at room temperature and taste better after sitting out for a little while. Everyone always loves it and comes back for seconds. It’s definitely a crowd pleaser!

What is the difference between regular couscous and Israeli couscous?

To begin, the couscous that is called for in this recipe is not regular couscous. Israeli couscous is different. Often called pearl couscous it is more like tiny balls of pasta. Both are made with semolina flour, but the size really sets them apart. Traditional couscous is smaller than a grain of rice and cooks up in minutes versus Israeli couscous looks like tiny pearls and takes about 10 minutes to cook. I picked up a box from Trader Joe’s but you can find it in your local grocery store as well.

Here’s what you need to make this greek couscous salad recipe:

First, you need one box of Israeli couscous, one can of garbanzo beans, one cup of cooked lentils, and 1/2 cup of crumbled feta cheese. For the fresh ingredients, you need two Persian cucumbers, 1/2 small red onion, 1/2 cup cherry tomatoes, 1/4 cup kalamata olives, and 1/2 cup fresh basil.  

For the homemade dressing, you need two lemons, one clove of garlic, honey, white wine vinegar, salt, pepper, and olive oil. 

Here’s how to make this Israeli couscous salad:

Start by preparing the couscous by following the package directions. After the couscous is finished cooking remove it from the burner to let it cool completely before adding it to the salad. If you are in a hurry taking the couscous out of the pot you cooked it in will help speed up the cool-down process.  Just add the couscous to the large bowl you will be putting the salad into.

How to make the homemade Lemon Honey Vinaigrette:

While the couscous is cooking prepare the homemade lemon honey vinaigrette. Don’t be intimidated by making your own dressing. It really is very easy to do and tastes so much better than the bottled stuff. I like to use a 2-cup glass measure cup or mason jar for the vinaigrette. I just add everything to it as I go.  

Begin by finely mincing the garlic. After that, zest two lemons and then juice them both. You should end up with about 1/4 -1/2 cups of lemon juice. To that, add the white wine vinegar, salt, pepper, and honey. You can always substitute white wine vinegar with apple cider vinegar or red wine vinegar. Whisk this all together and while whisking drizzle in the extra virgin olive oil.  

If you are finding that the dressing won’t come together and keeps separating you can add a bit of dijon mustard. The mustard helps it emulsify and come together easier. Once it’s combined, set aside until it’s time to dress the salad.  

Prep the veggies

Now it’s time to prep the fresh veggies. First, dice the Persian cucumbers and red onion. Persian cucumbers are baby cucumbers. An English cucumber also works here. But those tend to be very large, so don’t use the entire thing! Halve cherry tomatoes, and roughly chop kalamata olives. If you prefer a different kind of olive that is ok as well. I happen to love the green Italian olives. Lastly, dice the fresh basil.  

Now that the veggies are ready, drain and rinse the garbanzo beans also known as chickpeas. I think it is important to rinse the juice they are canned with. There is a lot of sodium in that liquid that you don’t need.  

Measure out 1 cup of cooked lentils. If you are like me, then shortcuts are always welcome as long as they don’t compromise taste and quality. I use the pre-cooked lentils from Trader Joe’s. You can also find cooked lentils in a pouch in the rice section in some of the larger grocery stores or prepare the lentils from scratch.  

Did you buy a block of feta cheese? If you did, then you are going to need to break it up and crumble it yourself. I usually grab the container with the cheese already crumbled, but many times I have had to do it myself. You can do this now or if you’d prefer, just crumble it over the salad once you have put everything in the bowl.  

Options to consider when making this Greek Israeli couscous salad!

I love this salad, but like many salads I make, the options are endless. It really just depends on what you like. Artichoke hearts or red bell peppers would be a nice addition. Want to bump up the protein, add in grilled chicken. Consider picking up a rotisserie chicken and serving the salad alongside it. You can make this a true middle eastern meal and serve chicken shawarma with hummus and pita bread on the side.  

One last thing option is to consider serving it with crunchy pita chips and eat it like a dip rather than a salad. 

Overall, this Israeli Greek couscous salad has the classic greek salad ingredients that you would expect, plus a couple of new ones you might not have thought of. I hope you enjoy this salad as much as I do.  

Other recipes to try!

Pasta Salad with Spinach tossed with Soy Ginger Vinaigrette

Tuna Pasta Salad

Shredded Kale Salad

Strawberry Kale Salad

Italian Chopped Pasta Salad