Filled with vegetables, spices, and a simple vinaigrette, this Couscous Moroccan Salad is brimming with flavor! It’s a complete meal with added chickpeas for protein, and it has a hint of sweetness from raisins and mint. This salad is perfect to bring to a picnic or enjoy as a light summer dinner. Serve on its own, or add to greens such as arugula or spinach.
One of my very first introductions to Moroccan flavors was a chickpea stew my mom made for me after watching the Food Network. I had recently become vegetarian, and she wanted to try a new recipe that she thought I would enjoy. It also didn’t hurt that it was super cost-effective and easy to make!
Years later I still make this Moroccan Chickpea Stew that is aromatic and filling. This salad is a light summer take on that stew that I know you’re going to love!
It has the same flavors, with hints of cinnamon, coriander, and turmeric. The vinaigrette is quick and easy to pull together with lemon juice and olive oil. Slivers of almonds give it crunch, while the chickpeas and couscous give it bulk. However, this salad is super refreshing too, with fresh chopped vegetables, and herbs such as mint and parsley.
It’s a great recipe to bring to a pot-luck or picnic. It makes A LOT! So get ready to serve a crowd, or save some leftovers to enjoy throughout the week!
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💗 Why You’ll Love this Recipe
- Vegan and Dairy-Free
- Inexpensive
- Huge Servings
- Healthy and Light
- Complete Balanced Meal
- Quick and Easy
🥣 Ingredients and Notes
Couscous: Not a grain or a seed, couscous is a kind of pasta. It’s made from semolina and water. It is not gluten-free, as semolina is made from wheat. It is popular in Moroccan and North African recipes. It cooks quickly and is combined with water or vegetable broth.
Vegetables: You’ll need one red bell pepper diced, one regular cucumber peeled and deseeded, as well as one small red onion diced.
Chickpeas: A popular legume used in Moroccan cooking, chickpeas add texture and protein.
Raisins: Plump sweet raisins add a hint of sweetness.
Almonds: Adds a nice crunch.
Herbs and Spices: Fresh mint, freshly chopped parsley, and turmeric give this salad a refreshing and herbal flavor.
Vinaigrette
Lemon Juice: You’ll need one lemon juiced. If you don’t have lemon, you can use lime juice instead.
Olive Oil: If you are oil-free you can use vegetable broth instead of olive oil.
Spices: This dressing is full of Moroccan spices such as cinnamon, turmeric, and coriander.
Garlic: Two cloves of minced garlic give this vinaigrette a rounded flavor.
📋 How Do I Make Moroccan Couscous
Prepare the Vegetables: Wash and dice the red pepper. Peel the cucumber and remove the seeds, then dice. Dice the small red onion.
Prepare the Couscous: Bring 2 cups of vegetable broth or water to a boil. Add a tablespoon of olive oil and a pinch of salt. When the water comes to a boil. and the couscous. Cover, and remove from the heat. Allow the couscous to sit for 5 minutes covered. Then fluff with a fork.
Prepare the Vinaigrette: While the couscous is sitting, prepare the vinaigrette. Add the juice of one lemon, olive oil, minced garlic, cinnamon, coriander, and salt. Whisk together until combined.
Toss it All Together: Add the couscous, diced vegetables, and drained and rinsed chickpeas to a large bowl. Toss to combine. Then add the raisins, almonds, chopped mint, and chopped parsley. Pour the vinaigrette over the top, and toss to evenly combine.
❓ Recipe FAQS
Yes! This salad is super healthy and full of vitamins and nutrients!
Fiber: Couscous is an excellent source of fiber.
Vitamins and Minerals: Red pepper, cucumbers, red onion, and fresh herbs add essential vitamins and minerals such as vitamins A, B, C, and K.
Good Source of Protein: Chickpeas and couscous are excellent sources of plant protein.
Couscous has fewer calories than rice and quinoa. It’s also rich in protein which helps you feel fuller longer. With only 200 calories in 1 cup of cooked couscous, it is a healthy addition to your weight loss meal plan.
The most popular spices used in Moroccan cuisine include cardamom, cumin, cloves, cinnamon, nutmeg, mace, allspice, ginger, coriander, peppercorn, paprika, fenugreek, and turmeric. This couscous salad has many of these spices added to the vinaigrette and the salad giving it a distinct Moroccan flavor.
💭 Expert Tips
- Prepare all of your vegetables before doing anything else. Chopping the vegetables takes the majority of the time with this dish.
- Be sure to remove the seeds from the cucumber by using a spoon to scoop them out. The seeds from the cucumber have a lot of extra water, which can cause this salad to become soggy.
- Add your favorite vegetables. You can add other vegetables that you enjoy such as cherry tomatoes, more colored bell peppers, or even roast vegetables like zucchini, yellow squash, and eggplant.
- Couscous cooks quickly. Be sure to check your package directions. In general, the ratio of couscous to liquid is 1:1. After the water or stock comes to a boil, add the couscous, cover, and remove from the heat.
❄️ How to Store and Keep
Cover the bowl with plastic wrap or transfer it to an airtight container. Store in the refrigerator for up to 5 days. This salad is enjoyed cold, so there’s no need to reheat it.
👩🍳 How to Serve
Side Dish: Serve as a side dish with grilled tofu kebabs.
Mixed Greens: Serve on top of mixed greens such as arugula, spinach, or spring mix.
Bring this dish to a picnic, serve it at a BBQ, serve it with lentil soup, or enjoy it as a complete meal!
😋 More Healthy Salad Recipes!
Recipe
Couscous Moroccan Salad
Ingredients
Salad
- 1 large red pepper diced
- 1 cucumber de-seeded and diced
- 1 small red onion diced
- 2 cups dry couscous
- 2 cups vegetable stock or water
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- pinch of salt
- ½ teaspoon turmeric
- 14 ounce can chickpeas drained and rinsed
- ⅓ cup raisins
- ¼ cup sliced almonds
- ¼ cup fresh parsley roughly chopped
- 2 tablespoon fresh mint roughly chopped
Instructions
- Prepare the Vegetables: Wash and dice the red pepper. Remove the seeds. Peel the cucumber and remove the inner seeds, then dice. Dice the small red onion.
- Prepare the Couscous: Bring 2 cups of vegetable broth or water to a boil. Add a tablespoon of olive oil and a pinch of salt. When the water comes to a boil. and the couscous. Cover, and remove from the heat. Allow the couscous to sit for 5 minutes covered. Then fluff with a fork.
- Prepare the Vinaigrette: While the couscous is sitting, prepare the vinaigrette. Add the juice of one lemon, olive oil, minced garlic, cinnamon, coriander, and salt. Whisk together until combined.
- Toss it All Together: Add the couscous, diced vegetables, and drained and rinsed chickpeas to a large bowl. Toss to combine. Then add the raisins, almonds, chopped mint, and chopped parsley. Pour the vinaigrette over the top, and toss to evenly combine.
Video
Notes
- Prepare all your vegetables before doing anything else. Chopping the vegetables takes the majority of the time with this dish.
- Be sure to remove the seeds from the cucumber by using a spoon to scoop them out. The seeds from the cucumber have a lot of extra water, which can cause this salad to become soggy.
- Add your favorite vegetables. You can add other vegetables that you enjoy such as cherry tomatoes, more colored bell peppers, or even roast vegetables like zucchini, yellow squash, and eggplant to add to the salad.
- Couscous cooks quickly. Be sure to check your package directions. In general, the ratio of couscous to liquid is 1:1. After the water of stock comes to a boil, add the couscous, cover, and remove from the heat.
- Keep in the refrigerator for 5 days in an airtight container.
Caroline
Couscous salads are great for the summer, and love the additions in this.
Kathleen
I adore couscous, so I knew that I would love this recipe. Made for a girlfriends brunch and offered some grilled chicken on the side for those of us meat-eaters. It was gobbled up! I did not know that protein packed couscous was lower in calories than quinoa and rice! Learn something everyday!
Anita
This salad is so delicious. I love how colorful it looks, and it is super light and quite filling. Works great as lunch.
Andrea
I love all the flavors in this salad! It looks and sounds amazing!
Mirlene
I barely have made anything with couscous but I will surely try this. The salad looks healthy and light. Hope my family will enjoy this for dinner.