Pearl couscous and garbanzos give a Mediterranean flair to this hearty couscous garbanzo salad. It’s perfect for a workday lunch or a weekend meal. Updated July 13, 2022.
About this couscous garbanzo salad
This salad has enough protein to serve as a light meal. It’s great for lunches, light dinners, and friendly get-togethers. You can eat it as is, on a bed of lettuce or other greens, or mix in some cucumbers. This recipe makes two servings, so if you’re having company over or you plan to take it to a gathering, use the multiplier function next to the recipe to double or triple the recipe.
The tangy dressing with herbs and garlic brings out the flavors of the pasta and beans. We make this frequently in the warmer months when a hot meal seems, well, just too hot. You don’t need any bread, but a fresh baguette or some sourdough bread is really good with this couscous garbanzo salad. You can use it to soak up the remaining dressing and little bits of feta that escaped your fork.
Ingredients
- Pearl couscous – A nice size couscous that is perfect for this salad.
- Garbanzo beans – Open a 15-ounce can of your favorite brand.
- Kalamata olives – Substitute black olives if you don’t have (or don’t like) kalamata olives.
- Feta cheese – Use the crumbled type.
- Tomatoes – Fresh multi-colored cherry or grape tomatoes are a good choice.
- Herbs – I used fresh parsley and chives from my herb garden
- Cucumber – Optional. We’re not huge fans of cucumbers so I made this one to suit our tastes, but if you like cucumbers, dice some up and toss them in.
Couscous pasta
If you can’t find pearl couscous you can use another small pasta, but shy away from other varieties of couscous. Pearl couscous, also called Israeli couscous is perfect for most salad recipes. Moroccan couscous is very small and Lebanese couscous is large. Yes, pearl couscous is the Goldilocks of couscous. Here’s a link that describes the types of couscous.
Making Couscous Garbanzo Salad
Step 1: Prepare the couscous
Prepare the couscous according to package instructions.
Step 2: Prepare the other ingredients
- While the couscous is cooking on very low heat, slice the kalamata olives and tomatoes.
- Drain and rinse the garbanzos.
- Make the dressing.
Step 3: Combine all of the ingredients
- When the couscous has cooked thoroughly, let it cool for a few minutes and then put everything in a bowl and stir it up.
About the dressing for this salad
- The dressing for this salad is very tangy, but it works well in this couscous garbanzo salad. You’ll have some left after you mix in the amount specified, but it might be too vinegary for a green salad. If you want to mellow it out for your green salads, add one or two tablespoons of olive oil to the dressing that you have leftover.
- If you don’t have fresh herbs, add some dry Italian seasoning to the dressing and let it sit for five to ten minutes. I put some basil in the dressing and added the parsley and chives directly to the salad.
serving couscous garbanzo salad
Serve this delicious couscous garbanzo salad on top of greens or in a bowl by itself. If you want to take it to work or school for lunch, you can make it the night before.
Couscous Garbanzo Salad
Ingredients
Salad Ingredients
- 1/2 cup dry pearl Israeli couscous
- 1 can garbanzos drained & rinsed
- About 10 kalamata olives
- Snipped fresh parsley and chives to taste
- 1/3 cup feta cheese
- 1/8 cup of the dressing below
- Fresh colorful tomatoes
Dressing Ingredients
- ¼ C extra virgin olive oil
- ¼ C white wine vinegar
- 1 clove garlic minced or put through a garlic press
- 1 tsp Dijon mustard
- *Snipped fresh basil and dried Mexican oregano
- Ground black pepper
- Sea salt
Instructions
- Cook the couscous according to package instructions.
- Slice the olives and tomatoes.
- Drain and rinse a can of garbanzos.
- Make the salad dressing.
- After the couscous has cooked and cooled for a few minutes, stir all of the ingredients together in a bowl.
Notes
- This amount makes a meal for two people. If you’re having company over or taking it to a gathering, use the multiplier function next to the recipe to double or triple the recipe.
- *I didn’t include amounts for the herbs in the dressing but keep the amounts at or under 1/8 of a teaspoon each. You can always add more if you like.
Products used in this recipe
Haven’t tried this, but it looks delicious! Will have to sub something for the couscous as it has too many carbs for me. Any suggestions?
Thanks Cookie! Maybe try one of those bean based pastas. They have more protein & fewer carbs, or quinoa. Let me know how it goes.