I’ve really fallen in love with Greek flavors lately. I love the brightness feta and lemon give to pasta or cucumber and tomato salads. I’ve brought all of that together with this simple and delicious Greek Couscous Salad. If you liked the Greek Bowl Recipe I posted recently, you will love this yummy salad.
With a salad like this, you want to add max flavor at every step. Cooking the couscous with some sautéed garlic, lemon juice, and chicken or veggie broth really seals in some amazing flavor to each piece of couscous.
Any good Greek Salad is going to have red onion, cucumber, grape tomatoes, Kalamata olives, and feta. You can bet all of those are packed into this delicious and vibrant salad. I also added some yellow bell pepper and love the crunch and flavor it brings to the salad.
This salad is simple to throw together but looks fancy and tastes amazing. It’s perfect for potlucks or backyard barbecues. I even love having a bowl of it for lunch. I know you’ll love it, too! You have just enough summer left to find an excuse to make this Greek Couscous Salad. I can’t wait to hear how you like it!
More Delicious Salads that can feed a Crowd
- Classic Broccoli Salad
- Potato Salad with Old Bay and Bacon
- Spaghetti Pasta Salad
- Classic Macaroni Salad
- Frog Eye Salad
- Mediterranean Couscous Salad
step-by-step pictures of how to make Greek Couscous salad
Frequently Asked Questions about Greek Couscous Salad
If I use the NEAR EAST BRAND of CousCous to make this salad, which flavors would work best?
You could use the original (you will need three boxes) and make it according to the recipe, or you could use the garlic and olive oil one and just add the lemon and chicken broth. The pine nut one would also be good or the chicken and herb. If you use the chicken and herb, use water instead of chicken or veggie broth because the chicken flavor will already be added.
If I don’t have couscous, what type of pasta would you recommend for this salad?
If you don’t have couscous or can’t find it where you live, orzo pasta would work well. You will need to prepare it according to the package directions. Be sure to salt the water. When you drain it, sprinkle it with a little lemon juice and olive oil while it is hot, so it will absorb the flavors. Let it cool before you add the veggies, feta, and dressing.
Does it matter what color of bell pepper I use in the salad?
Not necessarily. I like to use a color of pepper that isn’t already showing up in the salad. It makes the overall salad more eye-pleasing. I usually use yellow or orange. I also feel like the flavor of a green pepper doesn’t go as well with the flavors in the salad as yellow, orange, and red.
Do I really need to put feta in the salad and in the dressing?
Having feta in both the salad and the dressing really adds to the Greek flavor of this salad. However, if that much feta is too strong for your taste, you can leave it out of one or the other, or you could cut the amount in the dressing by half.
Why does the dressing look kind of curdled? Is that okay?
Good question. Yes, your dressings may come out looking a little curdled. This will not affect the flavor, and once you’ve stirred it into the salad, you will not even see it at all. This happens sometimes because of the mixing of lemon juice and feta with olive oil. I think it has to do with the fat levels and the acid of the lemon…I’m not a science person, but I think that’s why. 🙂
Should I make this salad ahead of time?
You can make it a day in advance if you want to. If you do, it will be nice and cold when you serve it, but there is no need to make this salad ahead of time. Each level of it is so flavorful that it will taste amazing even served right away.
How long can this Greek Couscous salad stay good in the fridge?
This salad can stay good for up to 5 days if covered tightly. Technically, you could still eat it up to seven days later but the veggies would probably be getting a bit limp and soggy at that point.
- ¼ cup olive oil
- 2-3 cloves garlic, crushed or finely chopped
- 2½ cups couscous
- 3 cups vegetable or chicken broth
- 2 tsp fresh lemon juice
- 1 chopped bell pepper, I prefer yellow or orange
- 2 cups grape tomatoes, halved or quartered
- 1 English cucumber, quartered and sliced
- 1 small red onion (approx ⅓-1/2 cup) thinly sliced or diced
- ½-3/4 cup feta, crumbled
- 1 cup Kalamata olives, halved or quartered
- DRESSING:
- ¼ cup freshly squeezed lemon juice
- ¼ cup red wine vinegar
- 1 tbsp sugar
- 1 tsp salt
- ½ tsp basil
- ¼ teaspoon dry oregano
- ⅛ tsp red pepper flakes (this will not make the dressing spicy, just flavorful)
- ¼ tsp freshly ground black pepper
- 3 cloves garlic, smashed and peeled
- 1 cup olive oil
- ⅓ cup feta cheese
- In a large sauté pan that has a lid, sauté the garlic in the olive oil until light brown. Add the 3 cups of vegetable or chicken broth and bring to a boil. Once boiling add the couscous, stir, cover with lid, and remove from heat. Let stand for 5 minutes.
- Once five minutes is up, fluff with a fork and let couscous completely cool. While couscous is cooling, you can chop your veggies and prep your dressing.
- For the dressing, combine all dressing ingredients in a blender or food processor and mix until completely incorporated. The dressing may appear to be separating or curdled. Don't worry. It will mix in perfectly with the salad.
- Once couscous is cool, add the chopped veggies, olives, and feta. Pour the entire amount of dressing over it and toss everything together until well coated. Add salt and pepper to taste.
- Enjoy!
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