This Greek couscous salad features a colorful array of fresh Greek ingredients and tender pearl couscous tossed in a flavorful red wine dressing.
We’re all about the loaded salads around here once we roll into the new year! 2022 is off to a colorful start.
Naturally, we’re starting things off with a big ol’ loaded Greek salad that is definitely NOT lacking in indulgence! With plenty of veggie goodness filling in the cracks.
Take it from me, this is a lunch salad sent from heaven, y’all.
My number one goal for salads around here is to make certain they’re non-boring and just as loaded with flavor as anything else.
Mission accomplished with this Greek beauty you see here today. This is the kinda energy 2022 needs!
This Greek Couscous Salad features…
- Tender pearl couscous
- Cucumbers, cherry tomatoes, kalamata olives, chickpeas, and lots of feta cheese
- A tangy homemade red wine dressing
Making the Greek Couscous Salad
(scroll down to the bottom of post for the full recipe)
Ingredients You Will Need
- Pearl couscous
- Cucumber
- Cherry tomatoes
- Feta cheese
- Kalamata olives
- Chickpeas
- Parsley
- Red wine
- Olive oil
- Dijon mustard
- Apple cider vinegar
- Honey
What is Pearl Couscous?
Pearl couscous is similar to regular couscous, only the balls are slightly larger and “pearl-shaped.”
You can use regular couscous here if you desire, but if you have it on hand, we highly recommend giving the pearl couscous a try! You can find it in the pasta/grains section of most grocery stores.
Tips for Perfect Couscous Salad
- Simmer couscous until al dente – cook the pearl couscous according to package instructions until the couscous is tender with just a slight chew (aka al dente)
- Cool couscous before assembling salad – rinse the couscous well under cold water until cooled. At this point, you can chill your couscous in the fridge or assemble the salad right away.
- Assemble salad – toss couscous with Greek ingredients or arrange them decoratively on top in a serving bowl.
- Make the dressing – this is just a very simple red wine vinaigrette made with dry red wine, Dijon mustard, apple cider vinegar, honey, and olive oil.
- Toss salad with dressing – when you’re ready to serve salad, drizzle dressing over top and toss well until evenly coated.
Make Ahead Instructions
You can assemble the entirety of this salad ahead of time in meal prep containers for up to 4 days. For best results, store dressing separately in small dressing containers and drizzle over salad just before serving.
Recipe Variations
There are several different ways you can change up this salad!
- Use pasta instead of couscous – any type of short pasta will work great in place of the couscous in this salad.
- Try a different dressing – a balsamic vinaigrette, Italian, etc.
- Swap out veggies – not a fan of cucumbers? You can leave them out or swap out for a veggie you like!
This salad, y’all, it’s just SO loaded with the goods! It feels indulgent with the tangy feta and flavorful red wine dressing, but at the same time it’s so light and refreshing with all the veggies.
Plus it gives you another recipe to meal prep for the week! How can a simple salad have so many wins??
Save this recipe using the ‘save to recipe box’ button below. If you make it, please let us know! Leave a comment + star rating below, or take a photo and tag it on Instagram with #wholeandheavenlyoven.
Try these other loaded salads next!
Greek Couscous Salad with Red Wine Dressing
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Ingredients
Greek Couscous Salad
- 3 cups cooked pearl couscous (cooled)
- 1 medium cucumber, diced into 1/2-in cubes
- 1-1/2 cups cherry tomatoes, halved
- 1/2 cup kalamata olives, halved
- 1/2 cup crumbled feta cheese
- 1 can (15 oz) chickpeas, drained and rinsed
- 2 tablespoons fresh minced parsley
Red Wine Dressing
- 1/3 cup dry red wine (not cooking wine)
- 2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
- 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
- 1 tablespoon honey or agave nectar
- 1/3 cup extra-virgin olive oil
- Salt and pepper to taste
- Lemon wedges for serving, optional
Instructions
Greek Couscous Salad
- In a large serving bowl, combine couscous, cucumber, cherry tomatoes, olives, feta, chickpeas, and parsley. Refrigerate until ready to serve.
Red Wine Dressing
- In a medium bowl, whisk red wine, vinegar, mustard, and honey until smooth. Slowly drizzle in olive oil, whisking constantly until dressing is smooth. Season dressing with salt and pepper to taste.
- When ready to serve, drizzle dressing over salad and toss to combine. Serve immediately with lemon wedges for squeezing over top if desired. Enjoy!
Lola says
This salad looks like something I want to eat asap!! Couple questions…how much uncooked pearl couscous do I measure out? And can I substitute something for the red wine in the dressing? I’m not a wine drinker. Thank you!
Sarah says
Hi Lola – you will need about 2 cups of uncooked pearl couscous. For the red wine, you can substitute apple juice or white grape juice. Let me know how it goes! 🙂