20-minute Greek Couscous Salad makes a great quick weeknight dinner but it’s also perfect for parties! This easy recipe is sure to be a crowd-pleaser.
This easy and healthy couscous salad is a weeknight and party favorite in our house! It’s a great filling ‘salad’ that is perfect to make in advance just like my Bavarian Potato Salad but this one is much quicker to prepare.
Couscous is my go-to healthy grain! It might not be as healthy as quinoa but it’s much better tasting in my opinion and really easy to prep. My secret to making couscous taste even better is to replace part of the water with chicken stock. It gives the couscous much more flavor!
I use this trick for every salad I make with couscous and everybody loves it! We often bring this salad to family get-togethers or to barbecues but we also have it for dinner at home. It’s a great meal on its own!
This easy dish is full of Mediterranean flavors like feta cheese, cucumbers, and olives. And the cherry tomato mixture works as a dressing and makes this salad taste so good.
I love that it is so easy and quick to make!
If you can boil water, you can make couscous! Using precooked couscous makes making dinner super quick. Instant couscous has already been steamed and dried, so it doesn’t need to cook, just let it sit for a few minutes after adding it to the boiling water and chicken stock.
You can make the salad in the morning and let it sit in the refrigerator until it’s time to eat or you can serve it warm for lunch and have the leftovers cold for dinner with some chicken.
It’s a great salad for entertaining guests. You have to try it!
– Julia
20-minute Greek Couscous Salad
Ingredients
- 2 cups dry instant Couscous
- 1 cup water
- 1 cup chicken stock
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- ¼ salt
- 1 medium onion, diced
- 1 clove garlic, finely diced
- 3 tbsp olive oil
- 1 tbsp tomato paste
- 1 pinch of sugar
- pepper
- 2 ½ cups cherry tomatoes, halved
- 2 tbsp chopped fresh basil
- 2 tbsp chopped fresh mint
- 8 oz feta cheese, crumbled
- 2 cups diced cucumber
- 1 cup pitted olives, halved
Instructions
- In a small pot bring chicken stock and water to a boil. Add 1 tbsp olive oil and ¼ tsp salt.
- Turn off the heat and add the couscous. Stir with a fork and let sit for about 10 minutes until the couscous is fluffy and has absorbed all the liquid.
- Heat up 2 tbsp olive oil in a skillet. Saute chopped onion until glossy then add finely diced garlic and saute for one more minute. Add the tomato paste and saute briefly. Add the tomatoes, season with salt, pepper and a pinch of sugar. Saute for 5 minutes. Stir occasionally.
- Transfer couscous to a large bowl and fluff with a fork. Add the tomato mixture, basil and mint to the couscous. Fork through until combined then add cucumber, feta, and olives.
- Serve warm or cold. This salad keeps fresh in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 2 days.
Nutrition Information
Julia @ HappyFoods Tube says
I am quite new to couscous but I like it (tried it years ago and didn’t like it for some weird reason) so looking for recipe ideas. Love this salad and the colors! It’s something I would order right away in a restaurant!
Christa Crous says
Fantastic salad! I have made it a few times and the family just love it. Thank you .
Julia says
Thank you so much, Christa! I’m so happy your family liked it.
IGOR @ COOKING THE GLOBE says
Awesome salad. Adding to my list of to-do things. Thanks!
Ahu @ Ahu Eats says
Oooh, I love this and I think I have couscous in my pantry already! If I’m not using instant couscous is there anything I should modify?
Julia says
Thank you, Ahu! Most couscous you will find in supermarkets will be instant couscous. If you don’t have instant couscous I would follow the instructions on the package. I think non-instant couscous needs to be steamed several times. I hope I could help!
Ilona @ Ilona's Passion says
Perfect salad for me. So healthy! Pinning:)
Julia says
Thank you, Ilona!