Does this qualify as a spring veggie salad or a summer veggie salad? Asparagus and lemon are spring-y, but the rest of the veggies might be more summer like. I really didn’t know what to call the whole thing, but I will tell you that it’s delicious and full of those fresh flavors you get in both spring and summer. The roasted baby heirloom tomatoes in here add a gorgeous perfect pop of color and great depth of flavor since they’re roasted with garlic.
I made this recipe to take to a baby shower and it was the perfect side dish to go with the sandwich trays and finger foods. Try it out for your next picnic or party – it’s a crowd pleaser!
Ingredients and Substitutions
Here’s what you’ll need to recreate this Spring Veggie Couscous Salad recipe at home:
- Couscous – If you’ve never tried it before, couscous is essentially a little ball of pasta that’s common in North African, Israeli, and Lebanese cuisine. For this recipe, you’ll want to find the Israeli version, which is often called Pearl Couscous – it’s a bit larger than the other varieties, making it perfect for this cold pasta salad. Orzo would be the closest substitute if you can’t find it, but I highly recommend the effort to pick up and try Pearl Couscous!
- Asparagus – Try to find a medium thickness asparagus. You don’t want those really thick stalks or ones that are too thin. A perfect spring veggie!
- Corn – Okay, I realize that corn is more of a summer veggie, but I love it in this pasta! The corn kernels are just slightly larger than the couscous, which allows them to mix easily and gives each bite a fun mixture of both. The pop of sweetness and the beautiful char you get from grilling corn on the cob make corn a perfect addition to this dish, but you could use frozen sweet corn kernels if you’re in a pinch.
- Cucumber – Opt for the “seedless” English cucumbers to cut down on extra water content, especially if you’ll be meal prepping this or serving leftovers.
- Baby heirloom tomatoes – I love the colors of the baby heirloom tomatoes, but regular cherry tomatoes or grape tomatoes would work just fine.
- Parsley – Plenty of parsley brings more bright freshness to this couscous salad.
- Garlic – Roasted it with the baby heirloom tomatoes takes away some of the bite of fresh garlic and gives it a deeper, toasty flavor.
For the dressing you just need a few simple ingredients:
- Olive oil – I definitely prefer a higher quality, tasty olive oil for this recipe instead of any other oils.
- Champagne vinegar – In the vinegar section of the store, there are usually a few sweeter ones like champagne vinegar or sweet white wine vinegar. Any of those will work. Apple cider vinegar would work too, but I prefer something a bit sweeter.
- Lemon – Go for both the juice and the zest here to get plenty of that fresh lemon flavor.
- Seasoning – I went with my favorite mixed seasoning, the Oh My Spice! Lemon Pepper Dill flavor.
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Recipe
Spring Veggie Couscous Salad
This cold pasta salad is packed with veggies and perfect for spring or summer! It's tossed with a lemony vinaigrette and fresh parsley.
Servings: servings
Ingredients
- 2 cups pearl couscous, (300 grams)
- 2 cups asparagus, (1 bunch / 200 grams)
- 1 cup corn, roasted on the cob and cob removed, (150 grams)
- 1 cup cucumber, chopped, (135 grams)
- 10 oz baby heirloom tomatoes, halved, (284 grams)
- 3 tbsp parsley, chopped
- 3 garlic cloves, minced
- 1 tsp olive oil
Dressing
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 2 tbsp champagne or sweet white wine vinegar
- 1 lemon, juiced and zested
- 1 tsp Flavor God Lemon and Garlic Seasoning
- 1 tsp salt
Instructions
- Pre-heat oven to 400 degrees. Line a baking sheet with aluminum foil. Toss tomatoes with 1 tsp olive oil and minced garlic. Season with salt and pepper. Roast for 20 minutes, then set aside to cool.
- Whisk dressing ingredients in a small bowl.
- Cook couscous according to package directions, then rinse with cold water and toss with dressing in a large bowl.
- Place trimmed asparagus in a microwave safe dish and cover with a very damp paper towel. Microwave for 2 1/2 minutes until asparagus is bright green. Add asparagus to an ice bath to stop the cooking. Drain and pat dry, then chop into 1-2″ chunks.
- Add all remaining ingredients to the couscous and toss until evenly coated with dressing. Add more salt to taste, if desired.
Tips & Tricks
This recipe yields about 9 cups total, so each serving is just shy of 1 cup (178 grams).
Scan the barcode below or search for “Peanut Butter and Fitness Spring Veggie Couscous Salad” to log this food in My Fitness Pal.
Nutrition Information
Serving: 1cup, Calories: 169kcal (8%), Carbohydrates: 29g (10%), Protein: 5g (10%), Fat: 4g (6%), Sodium: 16mg (1%), Potassium: 155mg (4%), Fiber: 1g (4%), Sugar: 2g (2%)
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