This Vegan Mediterranean Couscous Salad is packed full of pearl couscous, chickpeas, sun-dried tomatoes, cherry tomatoes, pesto and arugula!
When the first day of Spring 2019 hit a couple weeks ago I told ya'll that what Spring means to me is...PESTO! And I wasn't lying, was I?
So far we have made Vegan Sausage & Spinach Skillet Lasagna, Vegan Broccoli Pesto Pasta and Eggplant Sandwiches (complete with an arugula pesto, of course).
So let's keep the party going today with my Vegan Mediterranean Couscous Salad. This salad is PERFECT for Spring and Summer. Serve it hot or cold (the leftovers are amazing), and add or remove anything you want to make it your own.
I have been obsessed with cherry tomatoes lately. Like I can never get enough. So these were at the top of my list when I thought about making this salad. But I didn't want them to get lonely, so I thought sun-dried tomatoes also needed to make an appearance.
And from there, we were off.
Now let me tell you that couscous is not one size fits all. There are different varieties of couscous. But if you want yours to be the big fluffy ones like mine, then make sure to use pearl couscous. I got mine at Trader Joe's.
Once your couscous is cooked, add in the tomatoes to start to get them blistering. Then add in the chickpeas and pesto. And lastly add in a big handful of arugula.
Awwwww, arugula. Another Spring staple of mine.
I like adding arugula to the salad while it is still hot and then serving it up over more arugula before eating. That way you get a nice balance of wilted and fresh arugula in each bite.
You could also add fresh cucumber, zucchini, olives, white beans, parsley. Get creative with what you have on hand.
Like I said, eat this hot or cold. I like eating it hot the first time around and then cold for leftovers. Whatever floats your boat. This salad is going to be the perfect party side dish all Spring long!
More of a visual person? Check out the video:
Vegan Mediterranean Couscous Salad
Ingredients
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 2 cloves garlic chopped
- 1 ⅓ cups pearl couscous
- 10 oz cherry tomatoes cut in half
- 4 oz sun-dried tomatoes, packed in oil roughly chopped
- ¼-1/2 cup vegan pesto to taste
- salt & pepper to taste
- red pepper flakes to taste
- ½ lemon juiced
- 1 14-ounce can chickpeas drained and rinsed
- 1 large handful arugula plus more for serving
- 5 basil leaves chopped
Instructions
- Heat olive oil in a pan over medium heat and garlic and couscous. Sauté the couscous, constantly stirring, until slightly browned. Add water according to package instructions and top with a lid.
- Once couscous is cooked, remove the lid and fluff it with a fork. Add the cherry tomatoes, sun-dried tomatoes and pesto (start with ¼ cup of pesto) and continue to cook on low for 3-5 minutes.
- Add the chickpeas, salt, pepper, red pepper flakes and lemon juice to the pan. Toss to combine.
- Turn the heat off and add the arugula and basil. Toss to combine.
- If you are eating this warm, serve it right away. If not, allow it to come to room temperature and then place in the fridge until ready to serve.
- Serve with additional pesto, arugula and basil to taste.
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If you make any of these recipes be sure to snap a photo + post it + and tag #thissavoryvegan and @thissavoryvegan!
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