15-Minute Mediterranean Curried Couscous Salad with Broccoli, Chickpeas, carrots, and Feta is an easy vegetarian dish packed with flavor and texture. You can’t go wrong with this dinner or side dish recipe!
Eat this salad cold or at room temperature. This Cobb Pasta Salad and this Grape Salad also make salad season tasty!
Curried Couscous Salad with Broccoli, Chickpeas, and Feta is a favorite because it's consistently good. The crunchy carrots and fresh broccoli combined with the protein-packed chickpeas and spices make it one tasty meal or side.
You seriously can't go wrong with this easy Mediterranean dish. It's just about as easy as boiling water!
It has a unique and wonderful flavor and can be mixed in the same bowl you serve it in! It makes a great meatless Monday idea or summer salad to share with friends.
If you enjoy ethnic flavors, you also will want to try Thai Chicken Quinoa Bowls.
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Why You'll Love the Recipe
- FLAVOR! The combination of flavors (and textures) will be a hit in your family.
- MAKE-AHEAD RECIPE. This tasty recipe is a make-ahead dish that's great for potlucks, picnics, or an easy dinner.
- SUMMER READY! This is perfect light summer food!
Ingredients for Curried Couscous with Veggies
Yes, there are several ingredients, but most are easy to add to the recipe, so it comes together quickly. Like 15 minutes!
- Water - to make the couscous.
- Uncooked couscous - you can use whole wheat or regular couscous.
- Petite broccoli florets - we prefer them chopped small.
- Shredded carrot - it gives the recipe a nice crunch!
- Finely diced red onion - a nice compliment to the other sweet and savory ingredients.
- Raisins - an optional ingredient, but their sweetness and chewiness really make this recipe shine.
- Dry-roasted cashews - chopped to add a little crunch.
- White wine vinegar - the vinegar gives the recipe a little tang.
- Olive oil - this makes sure the recipe isn't too dry.
- Sugar - gives the recipe just a hint of sweetness.
- Curry powder - the hero spice of the dish. If you love curry, double the amount.
- Fresh ginger - minced. Or use jarred ground ginger.
- Salt - sea salt if you have it.
- Chickpeas - aka garbanzo beans, drained and rinsed.
- Feta cheese - crumbled over the finished salad.
Optional Add-in Ingredients
- Pine Nuts
- Dried Cherries
- Roasted Red Peppers
- Chopped Cooked Cauliflower
- Green Onion
- Sliced Almonds
How to Make Curried Couscous Salad
STEP 1 - Bring 1 ¾ cups water to a boil in a medium pan. Gradually stir in your couscous. Remove from heat; cover and let stand for 5 minutes. Fluff with a fork.
PRO TIP: for added flavor, you can toast your couscous before placing it in boiling water.
STEP 2 - Next, while couscous stands and finishes cooking, steam your broccoli florets, covered, for 3 minutes on the stove or in the microwave or until tender. Then, shred your carrots (unless you bought a bag of shredded carrots to use.)
STEP 3 - Once cooled, chop the broccoli smaller if necessary.
In a large bowl, combine your couscous, broccoli, carrot, and next 10 ingredients (carrot through chickpeas), mix to combine.
Finally, sprinkle our salad with feta cheese and serve!
PRO TIP: your mixing bowl can be the same as your serving bowl for one less dish to wash!
How to Make This Curried Couscous with Chickpeas Even Easier
To save on prep time, try using bagged broccoli florets and shredded carrots. It will make the recipe go that much faster!
Cooking Tips
- Toasting couscous gives it more flavor. You can melt a little butter or olive oil in the saucepan and stir in your couscous until it smells fragrant and toasty.
- This recipe can sometimes need extra olive oil to make it moist. Add as much as you'd like until you have the consistency you desire.
- Small broccoli pieces work best, so chop them smaller if you are cooking larger heads.
- If you don't have regular raisins on hand, use currents and golden raisins in this recipe. They taste wonderful.
- For a heartier meal, this dish is wonderful with cooked chicken, shrimp, or thin strips of flank steak mixed in or on the side.
- This couscous is even better if you let it sit for a while before serving to allow the flavors to meld together.
Storing
The couscous salad will keep in the refrigerator in an airtight container for a couple of days.
Recipe FAQs
Couscous by itself can certainly be frozen. However, because of the fresh ingredients in this salad recipe, we don't recommend it as it will change the texture of the grain.
If your couscous is dry, add a drizzle of olive oil and a pint of salt.
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Printable Recipe
Curried Couscous Salad with Broccoli, Chickpeas, and Feta
Equipment
- large bowl
- pot
Ingredients
- 1 ¾ cups water
- 1 cup uncooked couscous whole wheat or regular
- 1 ½ cups small broccoli florets (chopped small if necessary)
- ⅓ cup shredded carrot
- ½ cup finely diced red onion
- ¼ cup raisins optional
- ¼ cup dry-roasted cashews chopped
- 2 tablespoons white wine vinegar
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 tablespoon sugar
- 2 teaspoons curry powder
- 1 teaspoon minced fresh ginger
- ¾ teaspoon salt
- 1 15-ounce can chickpeas (garbanzo beans, drained and rinsed)
- ¾ cup crumbled feta cheese
Instructions
- Bring 1 ¾ cups water to a boil in a medium pan. Gradually stir in couscous. Remove from heat; cover and let stand for 5 minutes. Fluff with a fork.
- While couscous stands, steam broccoli florets, covered, for 3 minutes or until tender. Once cooled, chop smaller if necessary.
- In a large bowl, combine couscous, broccoli, carrot, and the next 10 ingredients (carrot through chickpeas). Mix to combine. Sprinkle with feta cheese and serve.
Video
Notes
-
- Toasting couscous gives it more flavor. You can melt a little butter or olive oil in the saucepan and stir in your couscous until it smells fragrant and toasty.
- This recipe can sometimes need a little extra olive oil to make it moist. Add as much as you'd like until you have the consistency you desire.
- Small broccoli pieces work best, so chop them smaller if you are cooking larger heads.
- If you don't have regular raisins on hand, currents and golden raisins are a great alternative.
- If you want to make it a heartier meal, this recipe is wonderful with cooked chicken, shrimp, or thin strips of flank steak.
- This recipe is even better if you let it sit for a while before serving to allow the flavors to meld.
Nutrition
This recipe was originally published in 2017. It was updated with enhanced instructions in May 2020.
Erin Henry says
Easy the very flavorful!
Matt Taylor says
This looks like such a great dish. I love Mediterranean flavors and dishes. Definitely trying this one out!
Erin Henry says
Yes, a Mediterranean dish that's worth a try, Matt. We think you'll love it!
Anna says
We made this couscous for lunch this week! My whole family loves it!
Erin Henry says
It's got such a good flavor that most love it! It's great leftover the next day too.
Natasha says
It’s one of our favorite healthy dishes at home, it’s so flavorful and easy to make! I added roasted red peppers and it was so delicious.
Erin Henry says
Thanks, Natasha! This is such an easy dish with so much flavor.
Mike says
This sounds absolutely delicious, Erin! I will definitely print this one out. I'm cutting way back on my carbs but I could portion this out!! I hope you have a great rest of your weekend! 🙂
Erin says
Hopefully you enjoyed it, Mike! It's a flavorful dish that's even better the next day, so make a batch and eat a few carbs at a time 🙂