This pearl couscous salad recipe with arugula, often called an Israeli couscous salad, is creamy, tangy, salty, and so delicious! With lemon juice, fresh mint, lemon zest, yogurt, and more! Pearl couscous is a larger version of the traditional tiny pasta couscous.
Clearly, this is different than a lot of regular couscous salad recipes. This recipe is a lot more like an arugula salad, which a creamy couscous dressing. Which, I know that sounds weird, but I promise it is delicious.
The fun part of this is that you can add whatever you want to it! Red onion, feta cheese, cherry tomatoes, and fresh parsley would all be great additions!
Table of Contents:
🎥 Watch the video of this recipe
🥣 Why you'll love this Pearl Couscous Salad:
- Simple, Fresh Ingredients. These are all easy to find, fresh ingredients.
- Unique and Versatile Dish. This dish is different than a normal mediterranean couscous salad and it makes a great side dish to a main course.
- Great any time of year! I LOVE to eat creamy, refreshing grain salads like this in the summer time!
What is Pearl Couscous?
Pearl couscous is actually a pasta, made of semolina durum wheat flour. It is often confused with being a grain or rice. Pearl couscous is also actually slightly different from Israeli couscous and is very different from regular couscous. Regular couscous is very small, sometimes uneven pieces of wheat pasta. Israeli couscous is like pearl, but actually a bit smaller. Sometimes, it can be used in place of rice. It is the base of many hearty salads with fresh flavors.
🥗What you need for this recipe:
Ingredients and Substitutions:
- Pearl Couscous - This is sometimes called Israeli couscous in grocery stores, which is small pearls of couscous. If you can't get that, I would try to use ditalini pasta.
- Plain Whole Milk Yogurt - or a dairy free yogurt.
- Lemon Juice & Zest - Fresh is preferred.
- Avocado - I don't recommend omitting this, as it greatly changes the salad!
- Arugula - I think arugula works best, but you could always just another light salad green!
- Mint leaves - Have fun here, add fresh mint, but also any other herbs that sound good!
- Salt & Cracked black pepper - Use kosher salt and fresh cracked black pepper. I recommend also using flaky sea salt at the very end.
Tools and Equipment:
- Medium Saucepan or Pot
- Mixing Bowl
- Sharp Knife
📋 How to make Pearl Couscous Salad:
Step 1: Prepare Ingredients
Bring 1.5 cups of water to a boil over medium heat. Salt the water generously and add 1 cup of couscous. Cook couscous until it is done, according to time on package directions.
Drain the couscous and rinse thoroughly with cold water in order to cool and remove excess starch. If the couscous is clumping, mix a bit of oil into it.
Step 2: Mix the Couscous
Once the couscous has cooled, stir in the yogurt and lemon juice in a large bowl, as well as some salt and any other seasonings you want. Let it sit for a few minutes to absorb the yogurt.
At this time, cube your avocado and remove mint leaves from the stems.
Step 3: Assemble the Salad
Toss the arugula with the couscous until it is evenly combined. Toss in the avocado cubes as well, gently. Sprinkle with salt, zest the lemon on top of the salad, and top with mint leaves. If you want more lemon flavor, add another squeeze to the top. Optionally, drizzle with a little bit of extra virgin olive oil.
Garnish with more zest and flaky salt. Serve chilled.
💭 Expert Tips & Tricks
- For the best result, treat the creamy couscous as though it is a salad dressing!
- If you don't have couscous, you can use another small type of pasta, like a ditalini.
- I recommend using Diamond Crystal Kosher Salt for the most accurate results. Additionally, I like to garnish with a bit of Maldon flaky sea salt.
- For more flavor, try to toast the couscous in a dry pan before cooking in water until it is golden brown. This will give it a nice nutty flavor.
Storage & Reheating Tips:
- Store in the Fridge: Store in the refrigerator in an airtight container for 4-5 days.
- Store in the Freezer: Store in a freezer-safe airtight container for up to about 3 months.
- How to Reheat: Always inspect leftovers for impurities or mold by using your eyes and nose. Eat chilled or at room temperature.
Recipe FAQs
Pearl couscous is made with semolina flour or wheat flour, making it the same as regular pasta in terms of nutrition. It is not unhealthy on it's own, but can be easily made healthy or unhealthy by how it is prepared.
Regular couscous is also made from semolina flour, but it is small, non-uniform pieces of wheat pasta. Pearl couscous is a larger round ball of pasta.
Related Recipes
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📖 Recipe
Pearl Couscous Arugula Salad Recipe
Ingredients
- 1 cup Pearl couscous
- 1½ cups water for boiling couscous
- ¼ cup Plain whole milk yogurt or dairy free yogurt
- 1 tablespoon lemon juice
- 2 handfuls arugula
- 1 avocado cubed
- 2-3 sprigs mint leaves
- ½ teaspoon salt plus more to taste
- lemon zest
- cracked black pepper
Instructions
- Bring 1.5 cups of water to a boil over medium heat. Salt the water generously and add 1 cup of couscous. Cook couscous until it is done, according to time on package directions.
- Drain the couscous and rinse thoroughly with cold water in order to cool and remove excess starch. If the couscous is clumping, mix a bit of oil into it.
- Once the couscous has cooled, stir in the yogurt and lemon juice in a large bowl, as well as some salt and any other seasonings you want. Let it sit for a few minutes to absorb the yogurt.
- At this time, cube your avocado and remove mint leaves from the stems.
- Toss the arugula with the couscous until it is evenly combined. Toss in the avocado cubes as well, gently.
- Sprinkle with salt, zest the lemon on top of the salad, and top with mint leaves. If you want more lemon flavor, add another squeeze to the top. Optionally, drizzle with a little bit of extra virgin olive oil.
- Garnish with more zest and flaky salt. Serve chilled.
Notes
- For the best result, treat the creamy couscous as though it is a salad dressing!
- If you don't have couscous, you can use another small type of pasta, like a ditalini.
- I recommend using Diamond Crystal Kosher Salt for the most accurate results. Additionally, I like to garnish with a bit of Maldon flaky sea salt.
- For more flavor, try to toast the couscous in a dry pan before cooking in water until it is golden brown. This will give it a nice nutty flavor.
Mary H says
Never had couscous before so thought I’d try. SO GOOD. It’s a great salad for any occasion. It didn’t take long to make and perfect for someone who wants to try something new!