Mediterranean Pearl Couscous Salad

An easy to make Mediterranean pearl couscous salad. Tossed in a delicious tomato garlic sauce, crumbled feta, and Kalamata olives.This is the perfect side salad to serve with fish or chicken!

Do you ever crave something without knowing what it is you’re craving? I do. A lot. Sometimes I can imagine the taste. Without knowing exactly what it is I wanna eat. Or how to make it. This time it was something with tomatoes, crumbled feta cheese, garlic, and a hint of lemon juice.

And that is how this Mediterranean Pearl Couscous Salad was born.

I’ve made it twice in the last two days, you guys! Once for bringing life to the idea and making sure it tasted just the way I imagined it. And again because I just didn’t get enough the first time! I can still taste that luxurious garlic and tomato creaminess. I’m telling you, you’re going to be making this recipe a lot this summer.

Speaking of summer. It was like, 150 degrees F here in Texas yesterday. I was melting away. The only thing that kept me going was the bowl of couscous salad that was waiting for me.

I love the sweet-tartness of cherry tomato. And when combined with sweet basil and robust garlic, I am one happy camper! I personally love this recipe with 5 cloves of garlic. My breathe smells lovely afterward (ahem) not really. You can definitely cut it back to about 3, but i’m gonna say don’t knock it till you try it!

I used 3 types of tomatoes for this recipe. You don’t have to. I find that combining the 3 types creates a really unique flavor. I used 1 cluster tomato, 1 Roma, and 10.5 oz (1 box) of cherry tomatoes. The cherry tomatoes provide a slightly tart flavor. I wanted to keep those whole for the beautiful color and flavor they provide. The cluster and Roma tomatoes were turned into the sauce. They have a lower acidity which provided the perfect flavor for it.

Let’s start. Cut the larger tomatoes into quarters and cherry tomatoes into halves. Place the tomatoes on a baking sheet with cut side down. Along with the garlic cloves, bake at 250 degrees F for 1 hour. Remove from the oven and let cool completely.

While the tomatoes are baking, cook your pearl couscous (aka Israeli couscous). Place 1 tablespoon of olive oil in a 2 quart sauce pan. Sautee the couscous for 5 minutes. Add 1 and 3/4 of chicken or vegetable stock and lower the heat. Let cook for 12 minutes, covered. Or until liquid is absorbed. Spread the pearl couscous on a baking sheet. Let it cool for 15 minutes.

While the Israeli couscous is cooling, make your sauce for the salad. In a blender, combine the Roma tomato, cluster tomato, garlic cloves, a couple tablespoons of water, a couple tablespoons of lemon juice, lemon zest, olive oil, smoked paprika, salt, and pepper. Blend until smooth.

In a large bowl, toss the pearl couscous with the cherry tomatoes, scallions, kalamata olives, crumbled feta, parsley, and basil. Drizzle the prepared sauce over the couscous mixture. Let stand for 5 minutes. Any extra sauce will get sucked up by the couscous. Adjust salt and pepper to taste.

I look forward to lunch when this little number is waiting for me in the fridge. It makes me so HAPPY! Are you singing the song? I can’t get it out of my head!

I know i’m calling it a salad. But there’s no spinach, lettuce, carrots or any of the usual salad components. It’s perfect to serve for lunch or dinner by itself, or along with a protein. Chicken or fish would go great.

And that sauce, I could sip that sauce by the spoonful!

I live for food like this.

 

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