I love packing up a picnic for lunch or dinner, and heading out to the park. It’s even fun to pack up the picnic basket and eat dinner at the backyard picnic table. I love it when I find new salads or summer side dishes that can be made ahead to marinate all morning, and then packed up for a picnic. This picnic perfect Couscous Salad is one of those salads. It even tastes great if you whip it up and eat it right away. It’s also a great salad to bring to a potluck, pool party or neighbor’s BBQ.
This couscous salad is full of summer flavor with cherry tomatoes, fresh mint an parsley. My garden is bursting with fresh herbs right now, so I love a recipe like this that uses them up.
Picnic Perfect Couscous Salad
ingredients:
1 1/2 cups cooked couscous (1 cup dry will yield 1 1/2 cups cooked)
2 tablespoons very finely chopped red onion
1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil
2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice
1 English cucumber, unpeeled, seeded and finely chopped
1 pint of cherry tomatoes, halved
2 tablespoons chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
2 tablespoons chopped fresh mint
sea salt and freshly ground pepper to taste
directions:
Cook the couscous according to package directions. 1 cup dry makes 1 1/2 cups cooked couscous. After the couscous is cooked, drain using a fine mesh strainer, and then rinse it immediately with cold water, and then drain well. The couscous will seem sticky straight from the pot, but no worries, it won’t be sticky after it’s rinsed and drained.
In a large bowl, add 1/2 cup olive oil, chopped onion, and 2 tablespoons lemon juice, whisk until combined. Stir in the couscous, cucumber, tomatoes, parsley and mint. Add in a bit of salt and pepper to taste and toss to combine.
Serve this salad right away or store covered in the refrigerator for later. If you prepare this salad the day before for an event, just omit the mint and parsley, cover and chill the salad, and then stir in the freshly chopped mint and parsley just before serving.
Enjoy!
Picnic Perfect Couscous Salad
About a MomIngredients
- 1 1/2 cups cooked couscous 1 cup dry will yield 1 1/2 cups cooked
- 2 tablespoons very finely chopped red onion
- 1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil
- 2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice
- 1 English cucumber unpeeled, seeded and finely chopped
- 1 pint of cherry tomatoes halved
- 2 tablespoons chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
- 2 tablespoons chopped fresh mint
- sea salt and freshly ground pepper to taste
Instructions
- Cook the couscous according to package directions. 1 cup dry makes 1 1/2 cups cooked couscous. After the couscous is cooked, drain using a fine mesh strainer, and then rinse it immediately with cold water, and then drain well. The couscous will seem sticky straight from the pot, but no worries, it won't be sticky after it's rinsed and drained.
- In a large bowl, add 1/2 cup olive oil, chopped onion, and 2 tablespoons lemon juice, whisk until combined. Stir in the couscous, cucumber, tomatoes, parsley and mint. Add in a bit of salt and pepper to taste and toss to combine.
- Serve this salad right away or store covered in the refrigerator for later. If you prepare this salad the day before for an event, just omit the mint and parsley, cover and chill the salad, and then stir in the freshly chopped mint and parsley just before serving.
- Enjoy!
Looks delish and healthy too. I’d imagine it work also work well if you used quinoa in place of couscous for those wanting an extra protein kick!
I have never tried couscous. This recipe makes me want to give it a go!
I haven’t tried Couscous before, I wouldn’t know where to start so thanku for the recipe xx
Looks like an awesome salad for the fourth. I will have to try and make this. Thanks for sharing.
That looks delicious! My kids will eat couscous (they aren’t always the easiest to feed), so this would be a hit with the whole family.
Looks delicious! I can’t do couscous because of a wheat allergy, but I bet I can do cauliflower “rice” and get the same texture. I’m totally going to try it!
I’ve had couscous before but never in a salad. It sounds interesting!
I will have to give this recipe a shot. My family will eat couscous, which is a shock. So I will see if they like it in a salad. Thanks for the recipe.
What a great recipe! I am a summer salad fanatic and I love fresh mint–so this is definitely a recipe I will try and probably make all the time. Thank you for sharing.
I’ve never cooked my own couscous before, but I may have to take the plunge! This looks too good to pass up!