Summer Couscous Salad

Try my easy Couscous Salad with chickpeas, cucumbers, fried zucchini and grilled halloumi cheese – all tossed with a zesty citrus garlic dressing! The perfect summer salad to serve at a bbq party.

This summer couscous salad with chickpeas, zucchini and grilled halloumi might very much end up being your favorite salad of the season. It’s fresh and bursting with flavors, perfect as a tasty vegetarian main dish or the ideal companion to any grilled meat or fish.

If you are a pasta salad lover looking to introduce some variety in your salad recipe rotation, couscous is what you’re looking for. It’s filling yet light and very easy to prepare (it’s even quicker than pasta).

Basically, all you have to do is pour some boiling water or stock on the raw grains, cover it for four minutes, then fluff it up with a fork and it’s ready!

In this couscous salad, I love the addition of chickpeas, grilled zucchini and grilled halloumi but the best part is…the dressing! Oh the zesty dressing!

Whatever adaptation you decide to make to this couscous salad with chickpeas, please, please, stick to the dressing. It’s made with very simple ingredients – fresh mint, garlic, olive oil, lemon and lime – but it makes all the difference!

Bon appétit!

If you tried this Couscous Salad with Chickpeas, don’t forget to rate the recipe below and let me know how it went in the comments – I love hearing from you! You can also follow me on Instagram, Pinterest and Facebook for more deliciousness and behind-the-scenes!

5 from 1 vote

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Summer Couscous Salad

Try my easy Couscous Salad with chickpeas, cucumbers, fried zucchini and grilled halloumi cheese - all tossed with a zesty citrus garlic dressing! The perfect summer salad to serve at a bbq party or as a side dish.

Course Main Course

Cuisine Mediterranean

Keyword chickpeas, couscous salad, dressing, fresh, halloumi, Israeli, light, salad, summer

Prep Time 20 minutes

Cook Time 20 minutes

Total Time 40 minutes

Servings 4 people as a main

Calories 561 kcal

Ingredients

Couscous:

• 1 cup chicken stock or vegetable stock for vegetarians
• 1 1/2 cups couscous 9 oz, 250 g

Salad:

• 1 1/4 cups chickpeas 400g can, drained and rinsed
• 2 medium zucchini skin on
• 5 oz halloumi cheese 140 g, cut into 0.5-inch / 1 cm slices
• olive oil spray

Dressing:

• 1/3 cup olive oil
• the juice of 1/2 lemon
• the juice of 1/2 lime
• 1 garlic clove germ removed, finely chopped
• 8 fresh mint leaves finely chopped

Instructions

For the couscous:

1. Pour stock into a small pan and bring to boil. Arrange couscous in a large bowl and pour boiling stock over it. Mix with a fork and cover with a plate for 4 minutes. Fluff up couscous with a fork and add in chickpeas.

For the dressing:

1. In a small bowl, combine olive oil, lemon juice, lime juice, garlic and mint. Pour half of the dressing onto couscous. Mix well.

For the salad:

1. Cut zucchini in half vertically and slice them thinly horizontally. Heat a large non-stick skillet over high heat. Spray with olive oil. 

2. Arrange zucchini pieces in one layer and cook for about one minute on each side or until lightly browned. Make sure you don't overcrowd the skillet (I did two batches). Remove from skillet and set aside.

3. Spray the same skillet with a little more olive oil if needed and arrange halloumi slices. Cook about 30 seconds on each side or until lightly browned. Remove from skillet and set aside.

4. Transfer couscous to a serving bowl, top with zucchini and halloumi and drizzle with remaining dressing. Serve immediately.

Recipe Notes

If you want to make this salad ahead, add the dressing at the last minute. Halloumi is better eaten just out of the pan.

You can replace the grilled halloumi with crumbled feta. You can also add other grilled vegetables like eggplant.

Adapted from BBC Good Food 

Nutrition Facts

Summer Couscous Salad

Amount Per Serving (1 /4th)

Calories 561 Calories from Fat 252

% Daily Value*

Total Fat 28g 43%

Saturated Fat 8g 40%

Cholesterol 1mg 0%

Sodium 526mg 22%

Potassium 448mg 13%

Total Carbohydrates 57g 19%

Dietary Fiber 4g 16%

Sugars 3g

Protein 19g 38%

Vitamin A 5.6%

Vitamin C 22.3%

Calcium 39%

Iron 8.3%

* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.