Couscous Salad
Prep. Time
30 minutes
Cook Time
10 minutes
Servings
3-4 plates
Difficulty
Easy
Nut-Free, Soy-Free, dairy-free, egg-free
This is a fresh, balanced Mediterranean salad built around crisp vegetables, creamy avocado, and peppery arugula—simple, clean ingredients that come together in the best way with just olive oil, lemon, and salt. It’s the kind of salad you’ll find on repeat across the region, especially when paired with a bowl of fluffy couscous on the side. The couscous isn’t just a filler—it’s a natural extension of the meal, adding substance without weighing it down. Everything comes together quickly, and it’s easy to scale up for a crowd or pack for a road trip lunch.
Ingredients
For the Salad
1/2 English cucumber (or 2 regular cucumbers)
12-15 cherry tomatoes (any kind)
1/2 bell pepper (any color)
6-8 radishes
A handful of arugula leaves
1/2 medium avocado
1 celery stalk (with leaves if any)
1/2 onion, any kind
2-3 tbsps extra virgin olive oil
1/2 lemon, freshly squeezed
Salt, to taste
For the Couscous
Store-bought fine couscous
Boiling-hot water
Exrta virgin olive oil
Salt
Instructions
Making the Salad
To a mixing bowl-
Cut the cucumber and celery (include the leaves if you’ve got them—they add great flavor) longitudinally to 3 slices and then cut them to small pieces.
Cut the cherry tomatoes to halves and then to 3 thirds (6 pieces total).
Chop the pepper to 1/2 inch pieces.
Peel and dice the avocado.
Roughly chop a handful of arugula leaves and add everything to a large bowl.
Finely slice ½ an onion. If using yellow, keep it thin so it doesn’t overpower. If using scallions, remove the root/head, and chop the entire onion (both the white and the green).
Drizzle extra virgin olive oil, squeeze over the juice of the lemon, and season generously with salt to taste.
Toss gently to combine and serve right away while the avocado is fresh and the vegetables are crisp.
Making the Couscous
Prepare as instructed on the box. I make this with extra virgin olive oil, since its a healthier plant-based fat than other options.
Notes
If preferred, make the salad in advance *except* for the avocado, olive oil and salt. Those should only be added right before serving, to maintain freshness. Keep refrigerated if intend to serve more than a couple of hours later.
For this recipe I used yellow onion to check if it works, but scallions and red onions actually pair beautifully with this salad and are my favorite kinds!
Feel free to play with various vegetable combinations - others that work here are for example thinly sliced cabbage, parsley and other kinds of tomatoes.
The Latest Bite
Wonderful Parsley Salad
I usually buy parsley with the idea that I’ll use “just a little” in a recipe, and then I’m left with a big bunch staring at me from the fridge. This salad is my solution. Instead of letting those greens wilt away, I chop the whole thing and make it the main event. It’s fresh, full of flavor, and takes almost no effort.
The best part is how forgiving it is. Walnuts give it crunch, but almonds or pecans work if that’s what’s in the pantry. Cheese adds creaminess and the dressing is quick to whip together with what we usually have on hand, and it makes the parsley feel less like “just herbs” and more like a real salad.
This isn’t a kid-friendly dish in our house (the parsley is just too “green” for them), but it works great for the adults. I’ll make it at home when dinner needs something light on the side, or pack it into a container when we’re traveling in an RV and want an easy salad to balance out heartier meals. Since it’s dairy-free and plant-based, it holds up well for hours on the road without the stress of refrigeration worries you get with mayo-based dressings.
It’s fast, flexible, and keeps parsley from going to waste—a little grown-up salad that travels well.