Lemon Couscous Salad Recipe

Overhead photo of Lemon Couscous Salad in a neutral colored serving bowl with a ramekin of crumbled ricotta salata, white wine glass, spoons and pink linen arranged around the bowl.

5 from 4 votes

This quick and easy lemon couscous salad is healthy, light and bursting with fresh flavor! Packed with asparagus, snap peas, ricotta salata and a citrusy lemon vinaigrette this salad is perfect for lunch, as a side dish or light dinners!

Prep Time20 mins

Cook Time10 mins

Total Time30 mins

Course: Main Course, Salad, Side Dish

Cuisine: American

Keyword: asparagus, couscous, lemon, salad, snap peas, vegetarian

Servings:

Calories: 336kcal

Author: Cheyanne Holzworth

Equipment

Large Pot
Skillet (optional)

Ingredients

1 ½ Cups Uncooked Pearl Couscous (7.5 ounces)
¾ pound Thin Asparagus Spears – trimmed & cut on bias*
12 ounces Sugar Snap Peas – cut on bias
1 large Shallot – finely diced
4-5 Radishes – thinly sliced
8 ounces Ricotta Salata – crumbled (you can substitute feta)
1/3 Cup Chives - Sliced
1/3 Cup Parmesan – grated or shaved, or more to taste
1/3 Cup Fresh Mint Leaves - torn
Flakey Maldon Sea Salt & Fresh Ground Pepper – to taste

Dressing:

7 TBS Extra Virgin Olive Oil ,divided
1 ½ tsp Dijon Mustard
4 TBS Lemon Juice
1 TBS Honey
1 tsp Lemon Zest plus more for garnish

Instructions

Cook the couscous: Bring a large pot of salted water* to a boil. Season generously with salt. Add the couscous and cook according to package directions until al dente. Drain the couscous and rinse under cold water to stop the cooking process. Drain again, gently shaking the colander to remove excess water. Set aside.
OPTIONAL - While the couscous is cooking and cooling, sauté the asparagus and snap peas*: Heat one tablespoon of oil in a heavy large non-stick skillet over high heat. Add the sliced asparagus and snap peas. Season with salt and pepper. Quickly sauté, tossing constantly, until tender-crisp and bright in color, about 2-3 minutes. Remove from heat and transfer to a large bowl. Set aside and allow to cool.
Make the dressing: In a measuring cup or small bowl, whisk together the remaining 6 tablespoons of the oil with the Dijon mustard, lemon juice, honey, lemon zest, ½ teaspoon salt and scant ¼ teaspoon pepper. Taste and adjust for seasoning with salt and pepper.* Set aside
Toss salad: Add the cooled couscous to the bowl of asparagus and snap peas. Toss to combine. Add in the shallots and sliced radishes. Drizzle with half of the dressing. Toss to well to combine. (If serving later, cover tightly with plastic wrap and refrigerate).
To serve: Add the ricotta, chives and mint to the salad. Taste and adjust with more dressing and season to taste with salt and pepper. Finish with parmesan, lemon zest and drizzle with any remaining dressing if desired. Enjoy!

Notes

If you want to add more flavor to your couscous, cook it in unsalted vegetable or chicken broth instead of water! Or, you can use a mixture of broth and water!
Quickly sautéing the sliced asparagus and snap peas is completely optional! This salad is really good raw!
I recommend you also peel the stems of the asparagus after trimming if you are going to skip step 2 of the recipe and serve the asparagus raw.
Make sure you add the vinaigrette to the couscous while the couscous is still warm! Warm couscous will soak up all the flavor from the dressing while cold couscous will simply swim in the dressing.
Always make sure you taste and adjust seasonings as you go! This is especially true with the dressing. If you want a sweeter dressing, add more honey. For a tarter dressing, add more lemon juice and/or zest. If the dressing just tastes bland, add more salt and pepper. BUT, just remember, the dressing is one component of the couscous salad and will taste completely different once every element is tossed together!

Nutrition