Israeli couscous is mixed with harvest fruits, almonds and herbs, then tossed with a flavorful maple mustard vinaigrette. Healthy and delicious!
This harvest Israeli couscous salad is versatile, easy to make, insanely flavorful, and light! Make making the side dish easy on yourself… you won’t regret it!
This Israeli couscous salad is pretty versatile, so you can make it with what you have on hand, and it’s actually even better (if that’s possible!!) the next day, so if you totally forget the side dish the next day, just pull out the leftovers and you’re good to go!
I just LOVE the flavors going on in this dish… sweet apples and pears, tart cranberries, savory herbs and nutty toasted couscous… not to mention the textures! There’s crunchy almonds, chewy dried fruit, crisp apples, creamy couscous and a silky dressing. Be still my heart!
This is a recipe I can’t really take full credit for… I found it on The Food Network and it’s a recipe from Giada De Laurentiis. We love her recipes and this one is certainly no exception 🙂
Of course I made some changes, as I do to nearly all recipes I try 🙂
One of the perks of being a food blogger is that we get to eat our creations after we photograph them! I hadn’t even turned my camera off when I dove into the dish and started eating this couscous lol. In fact, I think it was right after this shot… I mean I already had some on my fork, might as well eat it right? 😉
I think this salad is great as a side dish, but you could definitely add some grilled chicken, or even some shredded rotisserie or leftover chicken to make it a complete meal!
I hope you guys give this one a try… Israeli couscous is amazing!
Did you make this? Be sure to leave a review below and tag me @the_chunky_chef on Facebook and Instagram!
Ingredients
- COUSCOUS:
- 2 Tbsp olive oil
- 2 cups Israeli couscous
- 4 cups low-sodium chicken broth
- 1/4 cup chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
- 1 1/2 Tbsp chopped fresh rosemary leaves
- 1 tsp chopped fresh thyme leaves
- 1 medium green apple cored and diced
- 1 medium red pear diced
- 1 cup dried cranberries
- 2 green onions thinly sliced
- 1/2 cup sliced almonds toasted
- VINAIGRETTE:
- 1/4 cup apple cider vinegar
- 3 Tbsp maple syrup
- 1 tsp dijon mustard
- 1/2 tsp kosher salt
- 1/4 tsp pepper
- zest of 1/2 lemon
- cup scant 1/4 olive oil
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Line a baking sheet with foil and spread out sliced almonds in a single layer. Bake 8 minutes, or until golden brown and fragrant. Set aside to cool.
- Add olive oil to a saucepan and heat over MED or MED-HIGH heat. Pour in dry couscous and toast by stirring occasionally until couscous is lightly golden and smells nutty (about 4-5 minutes).
- Add chicken broth, stir, and bring to a boil. Cover and simmer for 10-12 minutes, until broth has cooked off.
- Place cooked couscous in a bowl and set aside until cool.
- Add in parsley, rosemary, thyme, apple, pear, cranberries, green onions and toasted almonds, and toss to combine.
- To a small mixing bowl, add all vinaigrette ingredients except olive oil. Pour in the olive oil, while whisking, and continue to whisk until smooth.
- Pour over couscous and toss again to combine.
Want to save this recipe for later? Click the heart in the bottom right corner to save to your own recipe box!
Chef Tips
** other dried fruits can be substituted for the dried cranberries if desired.
** recipe adapted from Giada De Laurentiis
Nutrition Disclaimer
The Chunky Chef is not a dietician or nutritionist, and any nutritional information shared is an estimate. If calorie count and other nutritional values are important to you, we recommend running the ingredients through whichever online nutritional calculator you prefer. Calories can vary quite a bit depending on which brands were used.
Lori says
Can you use pearl couscous? Would there be any modifications if so?
The Chunky Chef says
I’ve only tested this recipe as written. So without testing and retesting it myself, I can’t say for certain if that would work. If you do some experimenting, I’d love to know how it turns out!
Debby says
I made this last night. Loved the combination of ingredients but my husband did not care for the texture of the couscous. Is there another grain that would work as well as the base for this dish?
The Chunky Chef says
I haven’t tested this recipe with any grain other than couscous, but I think it would work well with bulgur, farro, or quinoa 🙂
Tom says
This recipe is so delicious and makes the perfect dish to bring to a cookout since there is nothing perishable in it. I always get asked for the recipe.
My only comment, which just might be user error is the amount of chicken broth required. I have made this several times using the 4c and it has taken twice as long to cook as the recipe says, and was always just a little sticky. Most recently I checked the amount of liquid required on the israeli couscous box and it only called for 2 1/2c. I made it that way and it came out perfect!
Amanda says
Found this on Pinterest and had most of the ingredients on hand. I subbed pine nuts for the almonds (toasted the same), no mustard, but I had mustard powder, no pear so I used dried figs. It was still delicious. Thanks so much for sharing.
Laura says
Great salad! So fresh and tasty. I used nuts instead of almonds and I couldn´t stop eating it.
Rohan Singh says
Good modification to the original recipe, It made my day. The crunchy almonds, chewy dried fruit, crisp apples, and many other healthy ingredients. Very healthy.
Caroline | carolinescooking says
I love Israeli couscous with a ton of things thrown in, as you have here, and all of your additions sound so tasty. The dressing sounds great too – a great and easy side as you say (yes I too often forget to plan them!)
The Chunky Chef says
My husband always laughs at me for planning out a meal and forgetting half of it lol. Glad I’m not alone in that one 😉
Sara @ Life's Little Sweets says
I have never tried Israeli couscous but after viewing this recipe, I think I need to! This looks delicious!
The Chunky Chef says
Thank you Sara! 😀
Hilda says
I’m very fond of Israeli couscous too, and this is a whole new way of using it. Thanks for sharing.
The Chunky Chef says
Thank you Hilda!!
Andi @ The Weary Chef says
I love versatile side dishes! This salad looks scrumptious! And I like how healthy it is!
The Chunky Chef says
Thank you Andi!! Healthy dishes that don’t taste “healthy” are some of my favs 🙂
Carrie @Frugal Foodie Mama says
This sounds yummy! Love the addition of the apples, pears, and cranberries. 🙂
The Chunky Chef says
Thank you Carrie!
Erin @ Texanerin Baking says
It’s so funny that you consider it a perk that we get to eat our food after taking pictures. I think that’s a huge downside! I want to eat my food immediately. 😀 This salad looks fantastic! A great last-minute side dish for sure.
The Chunky Chef says
Thank you Erin!! Lol I know what you mean… there are sometimes that I will have one plate of food in my lap, eating it WHILE I’m photographing the other plate of food. Waiting is so overrated 😉
Heather | Heather Likes Food says
Talk about a healthy well rounded meal. It looks delicious!
The Chunky Chef says
Thank you Heather!! 🙂
Julianna says
What a gorgeous and healthy salad! Completely up my alley! Thanks so much for bringing this to FF this week! 😀
The Chunky Chef says
Thank you Julianna!! 🙂
Kacey @ The Cookie Writer says
Psh, half the time I just skip over the side dish for dinner, haha. I love this meal! I have been on a couscous kick and really wish I had all the ingredients on hand right now (but shopping day is tomorrow so you know what I am doing!)
The Chunky Chef says
Haha, I skip it sometimes too… I mean who needs one? 😉 If you try it, I hope you love it!!
arlene@arl's World says
What a pretty salad! Happy FF!
The Chunky Chef says
Thank you Arlene! 🙂
Dorothy at Shockingly Delicious says
This is my idea of a perfect grain bowl salad side dish whatever! I want it!
The Chunky Chef says
Thanks so much Dorothy!! 🙂
Julie is Hostess At Heart says
This is one beautiful salad. I never think to break out the couscous for some reason. I just love all f the fresh ingredients that you’ve included in this salad. Especially since I can get them even in the frozen Tundra right now!
The Chunky Chef says
Thank you Julie!! Brrrr, let’s hope it warms up a little soon!
Dini @ The Flavor Bender says
This looks delicious! I love Giada’s recipes too 🙂 plus I can eat any type of cous cous at any time in any way that it’s made! Love that you added fruits and nuts to it too 🙂
The Chunky Chef says
Thank you Dini!! Giada is such a great chef… and I’d kill for her kitchen lol 🙂