Curried Couscous Salad

A healthy and satisfying curried couscous salad with a wonderful flavor and packed full of healthy ingredients. ?Quick to assemble, it’s perfect for taking to work for lunch, enjoying as a light dinner or serving as a side dish.
There’s a story behind the creation of this dish.? A few years ago my husband and I went on our usual Friday night date night.? I was trying to shed a few holiday pounds and I didn’t want to go to a restaurant just to end up paying a premium for a salad.? But I was also starving.? So here’s what happened:My Latest VideosBest homemade sweet and sour sauce recipe!0 seconds of 1 minute, 19 secondsVolume 0%
Before we moved on to the “date” portion of the night we had to pick up a couple of groceries from the store. ?We headed over to the deli where my husband grabbed a sandwich and I got a small portion of a couple of different salads to try.? One of them was a curried couscous salad and one bite and I was sold.? I knew I’d have to recreate it at home so I left a few bites of it to take home so that I could do a side-by-side taste comparison as I worked on the perfect copycat recipe.? The end outcome was perfect – the flavor and texture spot on!
Below left:? My copycat.? Below right:? The original salad from the deli.

The flavors in this savory-sweet salad and the contrasting textures make this salad an absolute delight.
This salad keeps for a few days and the flavor is even better the next day after the flavors have had time meld.

Curried Couscous Salad Recipe
Let’s get started!
A ton of healthy ingredients go into this salad: ?Garbanzo beans, carrots, celery, parsley, green onions, extra virgin olive oil, vinegar, honey, raisins (or?dried currants if you prefer, they’re smaller – or even dried cherries or cranberries), curry powder, and turmeric.? And if you want to bump up the health factor you can even substitute quinoa or millet for the couscous.

To prepare the couscous, simply add the water to a medium saucepan along with the salt and olive oil, bring to a boil, add the couscous, immediately turn off the heat, cover, and let sit for 15 minutes.
After 15 minutes, fluff with a fork and place it in a very large mixing bowl. ?Set aside.

Combine all the dressing ingredients and whisk until combined. ?Set aside.
Add all the veggies, the parsley, raisins and garbanzo beans to the couscous. Look at that beautiful array of colors and nutrients.

Stir to combine, then pour the dressing over it, about 1/3 at a time, stirring between additions to combine the salad.
That’s it! ?The couscous absorbs the color of the curry and turmeric beautifully.

Cover the couscous with a lid or plastic wrap. ?Because of the vinegar/acid content, make sure it’s in either a glass or plastic bowl. ?Refrigerate overnight for best results. ?The flavors need time to meld.
This couscous salad is perfect as a light lunch or as a side with dinner. ?Enjoy it along with some grilled chicken or fish.
Enjoy!

For more delicious salads try our:

Thai Quinoa Salad
Greek Wheat Berry Salad
Southern Sorghum and Black Eyed Pea Salad
Greek Orzo Salad
Asian Wheat Berry Salad
Mexican Wheat Berry Salad

 

 

Curried Couscous Salad

Kimberly Killebrew
Packed with nutrients and LOADED with flavor, this delicious curried couscous salad is sure to become a favorite!

 

 

Prep Time 15 minsCook Time 10 minsTotal Time 25 mins

 

Course Main Dish, Side DishCuisine American, Indian

 

Servings 8Calories 354 kcal

Ingredients??2 cups uncooked couscous1 cup finely shredded carrot3/4 cup finely chopped celery3 green onions , finely sliced1/2 cup chopped fresh parsley1 cup canned drained garbanzo beans1/2 cup raisins or dried currants1-2 tablespoons finely minced preserved lemon (optional but fabulous)For the Dressing:1/3 cup apple cider vinegar1/3 cup extra virgin olive oil3 tablespoons honey (Vegans: use agave nectar)2 tablespoons curry powderhomemade curry powder recipe1 tablespoon turmeric powder1 tablespoon vegetable broth powder1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
Instructions?To prepare the couscous, bring 2 cups of vegetable or chicken broth along with 1 teaspoon salt and 1 teaspoon extra virgin olive oil to a boil in a medium saucepan. As soon as it’s boiling, add the couscous, immediately turn off the heat, cover and let sit for 15 minutes. Fluff the couscous with a fork and put it in a very large mixing bowl. SetAdd all veggies, parsley, garbanzo beans, raisins/currants and preserved lemon to the couscous and stir to combine.To prepare the dressing, combine all the ingredients in a mixing bowl and whisk until emulsified.Pour the dressing over the couscous salad, 1/3 at a time, stirring to combine between additions. Cover and refrigerate overnight so the flavors have time to meld. Because of the vinegar/acid content, use a glass or plastic bowl.Serve as a light lunch or as a side dish along with chicken, fish, etc.