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Easy Pesto Couscous with Veggies

Overhead photo of easy couscous recipe with veggies and pesto in a blue serving bowl.
Fresh, vibrant and oh-so-delicious - this Pesto Couscous Veggie Salad features pearl couscous, plenty of tender-crisp vegetables, like asparagus and snap peas, mini pearls of mozzarella, crunchy nuts and a silky basil pesto sauce. Simple to prepare, incredibly flavorful, and nutritious, you'll love this couscous with veggies recipe!
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Author: Cheyanne Holzworth
Total Time: 30 minutes
Prep Time: 15 minutes
Cook Time: 15 minutes
Servings: 6 servings

Equipment

  • 1 Large Pot (to cook couscous)
  • 1 Food Processor (to make the pesto sauce)
  • 1 Medium Bowl (to toss the salad)

Ingredients

  • 2 Cups Pearl Couscous (SEE NOTES)
  • 1 Bunch Asparagus - trimmed and cut into 1’’ pieces
  • 8 ounces Snap Peas
  • 3 ounces Spinach Leaves - stemmed and chopped (about 2 cups)
  • 2-3 Scallions - thinly sliced
  • 2-3 Radishes - thinly sliced
  • ½ Cup Almonds
  • 4 ounces Perline Mozzarella Balls (can substitute Bocconcini or shredded mozzarella)
  • 1 Cup Fresh Basil Pesto - or more to taste (SEE NOTES)
  • to taste Salt and Pepper
  • Optional Garnishes Fresh Basil Leaves, Fresh Snipped Chives, and Lemon Wedges

Instructions

  • Blanch the Asparagus: Fill a medium bowl with water and ice. Set aside. Bring 4 cups of salted water to a boil in a medium-sized heavy pot (SEE NOTES). Add the stalks of asparagus to the pot and boil for 2 ½ minutes. Add in the asparagus tips and continue to boil for an additional minute, or until the asparagus is tender-crisp (SEE NOTES). Use a large slotted spoon to transfer the asparagus to the ice water bath to stop the asparagus from cooking further. Let sit 2, or more minutes, and then drain.
  • Cook the couscous: Add the couscous to the boiling water. Cover, reduce heat and simmer for 8-10 minutes, or until al dente. Drain and rinse the couscous under cold water.
  • Toss Salad: In a large bowl toss the drained couscous and asparagus with the pesto sauce. Then, add the snap peas, spinach, and scallions to the bowl and toss again.
  • Garnish and Serve: Top the pesto couscous salad with radishes, mozzarella, almonds, and optional garnishes. Enjoy!

Notes

  1. Couscous: For the most flavorful couscous, toast the dry couscous in oil or butter prior to cooking it in water or broth! To toast couscous: Heat 2 tablespoons of oil or butter in heavy pot. Add the couscous and saute, stirring frequently, until couscous is golden brown. Remove couscous from pot. Add water to pot and continue with recipe as directed.
  2. Asparagus: When cutting your asparagus into bite sized pieces, make sure you keep the stalks and tips separate. The stalks will take longer to cook and become tender-crisp than the tips, so make sure you add them to the pot first.
  3. Cooking water: To save time and energy, you are going to use the same pot of water to cook both the asparagus and the couscous. So make sure you use a slotted spoon, or skimmer, to transfer the asparagus to an ice water bath. DO NOT just dump the asparagus and cooking water into a colander! Or, you will have to boil another pot of water, which isn’t a big deal, but it is a waste of time. And no one likes that. ;)
  4. Vegetable measurements: All the measurements for the vegetables in the recipe are merely a suggestion. Feel free to add more of what you love, and less of what you don’t! I encourage you to customize this to your liking.
  5. Pesto: If you're making my pesto recipe, I like to also add the juice of the lemon (along with the zest) to make the lemon flavor stronger in the pesto sauce. The zippy lemon pairs really well here. But, obviously do whatever makes you happy! (FYI: The pesto can be made 2 days in advance, and stored, covered in the refrigerator. But, if you are going to make the pesto in advance, I highly suggest blanching the basil leaves, or your pesto will be a dingy green. Don't worry, I cover all the details in this article: https://www.nospoonnecessary.com/basil-pesto/)
  6. Serving: If you like a lot of sauce with your pasta salad, or just really love pesto, I suggest you double the ingredients for pesto to make a bigger batch!
Nutritional information is provided as a courtesy and the nutrition facts are an estimate based upon 6 servings. Exact information will depend upon the brands of ingredients and precise measurements used.

Nutrition

Calories: 496kcal    Carbohydrates: 54g    Protein: 18g    Fat: 24g    Saturated Fat: 4g    Cholesterol: 9mg    Sodium: 101mg    Potassium: 537mg    Fiber: 7g    Sugar: 3g    Vitamin A: 2590IU    Vitamin C: 32.7mg    Calcium: 220mg    Iron: 4.4mg
Course: Salad, Side Dish
Cuisine: American, Italian