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Home Pasta and Rice Salads

12 Minute Couscous Salad with Sun Dried Tomato and Feta

By:Nagi
Published:21 Feb '19Updated:24 Sep '19
155 Comments
Recipe v Video v Dozer v

A 12 minute, no cook, giant Couscous Salad with sun dried tomato, feta, rocket (arugula), herbs and the nutty tastiness of chickpeas. My shortcut-flavour tip is to use the oil from the sun dried tomato jar as the dressing – free flavour!

A 12 minute giant no-cook couscous salad with feta and sun dried tomatoes. A terrific side or satisfying lunch - and it keeps well for days!

A really quick Couscous Salad

This is a 12 minute meal. It’s also a no cook meal. Which means no matter how hot, how tired and how hangry you are (no typo there), or even if you’ve been cooking non stop all day since 7 am, up to your elbows in batter and pasta sauces (🙋🏻‍♀️), you can still muster up the energy for a seriously tasty bowl of deliciousness that requires minimal effort.

Of course, this is perfect to serve as a side as well. This would be ideal served with Western meals but especially Middle Eastern dishes such as:

  • Chicken Shawarma

  • Middle Eastern Lamb Koftas

  • Chicken Doner Kebab Meat

  • Lamb Shawarma

  • Turkish Kebabs

  • Moroccan Lamb Meatballs

But because it’s got pops of quite intense flavour thanks to the sun dried tomato and feta, it’s certainly worthy of being a meal.

The best 12 minute salad in the world: Couscous Salad with Sun Dried Tomatoes and Feta www.recipetineats.com

Sun Dried Tomato Dressing

Speaking of sun dried tomato – this is your secret weapon for this Couscous Salad. Be sure to get the strips (to save yourself slippery oily chopping, yep, been there, done that) and be absolutely sure to get sun dried tomato in oil, not the dry vac packed version, because all that oil is infused with tasty sun dried tomato flavour and that’s what I use to dress the salad.

There is something very satisfying about tipping the entire jar of sun dried tomatoes, oil and all, over the salad. Draining oil is messy business!

Sun Dried Tomatoes in oil

I add chickpeas for texture and also nuttiness which means I don’t feel the need to throw in a handful of nuts, though that certainly wouldn’t hurt.

You’ll also be surprised how much rocket (arugula) is in this. It looks like a vast volume until you hack away at it – I like to chop it very roughly so it tosses through better.

It also means you can eat this with a spoon. In a bowl. On the couch. Never having to take your eyes off the TV as you scoop up mouthful after mouthful, binge watching Real Housewives, The Kardashians, Project Runway or other such highly intellectual show.

Every time they happen to be on when I turn the TV on, it’s like a train wreck and I can’t look away. And I can feel my brain cells popping with every passing minute… 🤣 – Nagi x


MORE SUMMER SALADS to take to gatherings 

  • Italian Pasta Salad
  • Coleslaw
  • Potato Salad and Lemon Potato Salad
  • Pearl Couscous Salad <– personal fave!
  • Wild Rice Salad <– reader fave!
  • 12 Minute Sun Dried Tomato Couscous Salad
  • Browse all Pasta Salads and Rice Salad

The best 12 minute salad in the world: Couscous Salad with Sun Dried Tomatoes and Feta www.recipetineats.com

The best 12 minute salad in the world: Couscous Salad with Sun Dried Tomatoes and Feta www.recipetineats.com

Couscous Salad
WATCH HOW TO MAKE IT

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A 12 minute giant no-cook couscous salad with feta and sun dried tomatoes. A terrific side or satisfying lunch - and it keeps well for days!

Couscous Salad with Sun Dried Tomato and Feta

Author: Nagi
Prep: 12 minutes mins
5 from 55 votes
Servings5 - 10 people
Tap or hover to scale
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Recipe VIDEO above. A 12 minute, no cook, giant Couscous Salad with sun dried tomato, feta, rocket / arugula, herbs and the added nutty tastiness of chickpeas. My shortcut-flavour tip is to use the oil from the sun dried tomato jar as the dressing - free flavour! The flavour pops from the sun dried tomato and feta are quite intense, so this truly is satisfying to have as a meal, or as a substantial side. This makes quite a lot - serves 5 as a main, or 8 - 10 as a side. Keeps very well.

Ingredients

  • 1 1/4 cups dried couscous (Note 1)
  • 1 1/4 cups / 315 ml boiled water
  • 1 tsp vegetable stock powder (or 1 cube crumbled) (Note 2)
  • 1 garlic clove , minced
  • 1 tsp coriander powder (or cumin - I interchange)
  • 400 g / 14 oz chickpeas (1 can) , drained
  • 1/2 cup coriander , finely chopped
  • 1/2 cup parsley , finely chopped (or mint)
  • 1 red onion , chopped
  • 220 g / 7 oz jar sun dried tomato strips in OIL (Note 3)
  • 120 g / 4 oz rocket / arugula lettuce , chopped into 5 cm / 2" pieces
  • Zest of 1 large lemon
  • 5 tbsp fresh lemon juice (2 large lemons)
  • 1/2 tsp coarsely ground black pepper
  • 60 g / 2 oz feta , crumbled
  • Salt and pepper , to taste

Instructions

  • Place chickpeas, couscous, vegetable stock powder, coriander and garlic in a large bowl. Pour over hot water, shake to level out couscous (chickpeas should mostly settle on top). Cover with plate or cling wrap, set aside for 5 minutes.
  • Fluff couscous with fork. Cool a bit.
  • Add coriander, parsley, onion, sun dried tomatoes (including all oil), rocket, lemon juice and black pepper. Sprinkle zest across surface. Toss well to combine.
  • Adjust salt and pepper to taste.
  • Transfer to serving bowl, sprinkle with feta. Serve.

Recipe Notes:

1. Couscous are tiny grains the size of cracked pepper. They are made from wheat - it's essential teeny pasta. Because it's so small, you just need to soak it. You can substitute with quinoa, barley or other grains - cook as required for those grains.
If you want to make this with Israeli or Pearl Couscous which are larger beads of couscous, cook per the packet (it needs to be boiled) then proceed wth the recipe but skip the soaking in boiled water.
2. Using stock powder or a crumbled bouillon cube goes a long way to add flavour to your couscous. Stock powder is basically bouillon cubes in powder form. 1 tsp = 1 cube. I like to use vegetable but chicken is also great. I use Vegeta. (PS Great to have on hand - of recipe calls for broth, just dissolve in hot water, 1 - 1 1/2 tsp per cup. Much more economical than buying liquid broth).
The alternative is to use boiled vegetable or chicken broth instead of water. Salt is a last resort - if you use salt, I would add 1/2 tsp cumin powder, 1/4 tsp each onion and garlic powder which will add more layers of flavour.
3. This recipe uses the oil in the sun dried tomato jar as the dressing. If you only have the sun dried tomatoes without oil, just drizzle olive oil over the salad - I think you'll need about 1/3 cup (80ml), maybe a bit more. There's far less than this in a jar of sun dried tomatoes but because the tomatoes themselves are soaked in the oil, it feels like there's more!
4. 12 MINUTE COUSCOUS SALAD goes down like this: Get the couscous soaking, then start on the chopping. Because there's no separate dressing to make and assuming reasonable chopping skills, I bet you can get this on the table in 12 minutes!
5. STORAGE / MAKE AHEAD: Even dressed, this keeps well for 2 days or so because it's not leafy or weighed down with an oily dressing. To make ahead fresh, just place all the ingredients in a bowl except the sun dried tomato and lemon juice. Then add them just before serving and toss! 
6. Nutrition per serving, assuming 10 servings.

Nutrition Information:

Serving: 183gCalories: 260cal (13%)
Did you make this recipe?I love hearing how you went with my recipes! Tag me on Instagram at @recipe_tin.

Originally posted January 2018. Post updated for housekeeping matters, no change to recipe.

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155 Comments

  1. Dani says

    December 6, 2023 at 5:06 pm

    5 stars
    Got this on my list for xmas day! thankyou!!

    Reply
  2. Di says

    December 5, 2023 at 1:17 pm

    5 stars
    Lovely and very easy to make. I soaked the onions for about 30 mins as suggested in another comment. It took the rawness out of the onion taste.

    Reply
  3. Nerys says

    November 16, 2023 at 7:07 pm

    5 stars
    Easy, yummy salad. I served it with harissa salmon and tahini yoghurt sauce. The sundried tomato and oil as the dressing is a game changer. Thanks Nagi x

    Reply
  4. Chris says

    July 30, 2023 at 11:32 am

    5 stars
    Amazingly simple ending in a party in my mouth.

    Reply
  5. Chere Cook says

    June 22, 2023 at 2:55 am

    This is an excellent recipe bursting with so much flavour and ever so easy to make. Thank you again Nagi xx

    Reply
  6. Caitlin J Doble says

    May 14, 2023 at 8:31 pm

    5 stars
    Beautiful salad – really easy to make and lovely flavour. Will definitely be making this one again.

    Reply
  7. Annabell says

    April 9, 2023 at 4:08 pm

    5 stars
    This was phenomenal! Didn’t have feta on hand; and I threw in some raisins and pineapple. Really really great.

    Reply
  8. Michelle Barron says

    January 29, 2023 at 8:02 pm

    5 stars
    Loved this salad! Made it tonight for the first time to prep for the week’s lunches and couldn’t stop eating it! Easy and so tasty

    Reply
  9. Kylie Bartulis says

    January 9, 2023 at 5:03 pm

    5 stars
    I made this as a side to serve with roast lamb and vegetables. Absolutely delicious. Chopped up the leftover lamb and roast pumpkin and added it to the salad to enjoy as leftovers. Winning!

    Reply
  10. Fleta Redding says

    December 4, 2022 at 9:15 pm

    5 stars
    It’s Sunday evening. We’re always both so buggered we can only muster up enough energy to argue over what sort of takeaway we’re getting.
    But not this day.
    You had me at 12 minutes before I even read the part about ‘no cooking’.
    Still had to go shopping to get a couple of things for this pile of deliciousness but will be better prepared next time, and there WILL be a next time, probably later this evening coz it makes a satisfyingly large amount. Top marks Nagi!!!!

    Reply
  11. Britta Derington says

    July 13, 2022 at 9:30 pm

    5 stars
    My friend made this salad and of course I asked for the recipe! Then I made it at home and my husband loved it. Then I made it for friends! Yesterday, one of them said she made it and it was a hit. So, the chain keeps on growing….
    BTW, red onions are huge in the US but nice and small in Europe.

    Reply
  12. Nomhle says

    June 27, 2022 at 4:53 am

    5 stars
    Those recipes are much easie and good week days and week end.
    Thank youNo

    Reply
  13. Liz H says

    March 13, 2022 at 7:31 pm

    5 stars
    Another super tasty salad. I used spinach the last couple of times, ran out of parsley so doubled the coriander and topped up lemon juice with lime. Easy dinner option along with rotisserie chicken and crusty rolls.

    Reply
  14. Manon says

    January 14, 2022 at 9:22 pm

    5 stars
    I am a uni student and i LOVE this recipe so much – it is so affordable and delicious and it makes so so much. I added cucumber and tomato and it made it so yummy and fresh i very much recommend :))

    Reply
  15. SS says

    November 29, 2021 at 6:58 pm

    5 stars
    Made this for dinner tonight, good choice for a vegetarian meal. Love the flavour combinations, simple to put together, but for our tastes I’d use only half the rocket, more mint and maybe even double the amount of sundried tomatoes. I also soaked the sliced red onion in water for 30 mins to take away that raw onion harshness. This recipe recipe makes a huge amount – you could easily halve it and have plenty for a family of four.

    Reply
  16. Pam Rogan says

    November 19, 2021 at 8:48 pm

    5 stars
    This recipe as usual super yum!!
    Have made so many of your dishes Nagi, thought I should finally say Thankyou xx

    Reply
  17. Steph says

    September 19, 2021 at 5:39 pm

    5 stars
    So easy to make and delicious. I make this salad every week now. Thanks as always for sharing, and helping me (and I’m sure many others all over the world) become more confident in the kitchen, Nagi 😊

    Reply
  18. Maria Matheas says

    May 3, 2021 at 6:53 pm

    Made this on the weekend, loved it, thank you so much for the recipe. x

    Reply
  19. AMF says

    March 27, 2021 at 12:27 pm

    5 stars
    I tried this recipe because I thought it looked interesting. WOW. Its seriously my favorite salad now. I found the salad to be just as good a couple days later. Seriously! I would note that I added most of the arugula at the time of serving (along with the feta) so it would stay super fresh. But honestly, I’m not sure I needed to do that since nothing in the salad got mushy on day two or three. Its a lot of ingredients, but so easy to make, and makes a lot. Love it. Thank you Nagi!!

    Reply
  20. melissa dietrich says

    February 11, 2021 at 6:38 am

    hmmm ive only seen spiced coriander….where do you find fresh coriander and/or what may i use as a substitute? Thank you for these great recipes!! My family destroys your gyros. so so good, xo

    Reply
    • Caroline says

      June 19, 2021 at 11:46 pm

      Not sure where you are living but fresh coriander is cilantro in the US.

      Reply
      • Melissa says

        June 22, 2021 at 2:29 am

        Thank you so much!

        Reply
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Hi, I'm Nagi!

I believe you can make great food with everyday ingredients even if you’re short on time and cost conscious. You just need to cook clever and get creative! Read More

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