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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Pearl Couscous

Recipe

4.86 from 7 votes

Spring Veggie Couscous Salad

Prep: 30 minutes mins

Cook: 20 minutes mins

Total: 50 minutes mins

Servings: 10 servings (generous 3/4 cup per serving)

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Servings: 10 servings (generous 3/4 cup per serving)

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

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.

Nutrition Information

Calories: 169kcal (8%), Carbohydrates: 29g (10%), Protein: 5g (10%), Fat: 4g (6%), Sodium: 16mg (1%), Potassium: 155mg (4%), Fiber: 1g (4%), Sugar: 2g (2%)