Mediterranean Couscous Salad

Why You’ll Love This Mediterranean Couscous Salad

• Taste-Packed: This simple Mediterranean Couscous Salad is a symphony of flavors, with the sweetness of cherry tomatoes, the brininess of feta cheese, and the brightness of recent parsley, all completely balanced to create a really scrumptious style expertise.
• Fast & Straightforward: With a prep time of simply 10 minutes and a cook dinner time of 20 minutes, you may have this wholesome and satisfying salad on the desk in underneath half-hour, making it excellent for busy weeknights or a fast lunch.
• Wholesome & Versatile: This Mediterranean Couscous Salad shouldn’t be solely scrumptious, but it surely’s additionally filled with nutritious components like complete grain couscous, lean hen, and loads of greens, making it an ideal possibility for a wholesome meal. Plus, you may simply make diet-friendly swaps, corresponding to utilizing gluten-free couscous or substituting the feta cheese with a vegan various.
• One-Pan Surprise: Whereas this recipe does require a couple of completely different pans, the cleanup remains to be comparatively minimal, and you may simply cook dinner the hen and greens in the identical pan to scale back dishes.

Components

To make this Mediterranean Couscous Salad, you may want the next components:
1 cup complete grain couscous
2 cups water
2 tbsp olive oil
1 lb boneless, skinless hen breast, lower into bite-sized items
1 giant onion, diced
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 giant bell pepper, sliced
2 giant tomatoes, diced
1 cup crumbled feta cheese
1/4 cup chopped recent parsley
2 tbsp freshly squeezed lemon juice
1 tsp dried oregano
Salt and pepper to style
You too can substitute the hen with different proteins like tofu or beef, and add different greens like zucchini or eggplant to fit your tastes.

Variations

• Spicy Model: So as to add some warmth to your Mediterranean Couscous Salad, you may add some diced jalapenos or purple pepper flakes to the hen and greens as they cook dinner.
• Swap Protein: For those who want to not use hen, you may substitute it with different proteins like tofu, beef, or lamb, and regulate the cooking time accordingly.
• Add Veggies: This salad is a good way to make use of up any additional greens you will have readily available, so be happy so as to add different favorites like zucchini, eggplant, or carrots to the combo.
• Low-Carb/Gluten-Free: To make this salad low-carb or gluten-free, you may substitute the couscous with a low-carb various like cauliflower rice or use gluten-free couscous.

The way to Make Mediterranean Couscous Salad

1. Step 1: Begin by cooking the couscous in keeping with the bundle directions. Sometimes, this includes boiling 2 cups of water, including 1 cup of couscous, overlaying the pot, and letting it steam for 5-7 minutes.
2. Step 2: Whereas the couscous is cooking, warmth 1 tbsp of olive oil in a big pan over medium-high warmth! Add the hen and cook dinner till browned and cooked by, about 5-7 minutes. Take away the hen from the pan and set it apart.
3. Step 3: In the identical pan, add the remaining 1 tbsp of olive oil, then add the diced onion and cook dinner till softened, about 3-4 minutes. Add the minced garlic and cook dinner for a further minute.
4. Step 4: Add the sliced bell pepper and cook dinner till tender, about 4-5 minutes. Then add the diced tomatoes and cook dinner for a further 2-3 minutes.
5. Step 5: To assemble the salad, fluff the cooked couscous with a fork and add it to a big bowl. Add the cooked hen, roasted greens, crumbled feta cheese, and chopped parsley. Drizzle with lemon juice and sprinkle with oregano. Season with salt and pepper to style, then serve and luxuriate in!

Suggestions and Tips

• Keep away from overcooking the couscous, as it will probably change into mushy and unappetizing. As an alternative, cook dinner it till it is simply tender, then fluff it with a fork to separate the grains.
• You may prep most of the components forward of time, corresponding to cooking the hen and roasting the greens, to make meeting of the salad faster and simpler.
• Watch out to not overdress the salad, because the lemon juice and olive oil could make it soggy if added in extra. As an alternative, begin with a small quantity and add extra to style.

Serving Strategies

• This Mediterranean Couscous Salad is ideal as a light-weight and wholesome lunch or dinner, and might be served by itself or paired with a facet of pita bread or a inexperienced salad.
• Take into account presenting the salad in a big bowl or particular person bowls, garnished with extra parsley and lemon wedges for a brilliant and refreshing contact.

Make Forward & Storage

• Meal Prep: You may cook dinner the couscous, hen, and greens forward of time and retailer them in separate containers within the fridge for as much as 24 hours. Then, merely assemble the salad simply earlier than serving.
• Leftovers: Any leftover salad might be saved in an hermetic container within the fridge for as much as 3 days. Give it a great stir earlier than serving and add any extra lemon juice or olive oil if wanted.
• Reheating: If it’s essential reheat the salad, think about doing so within the microwave or oven till warmed by. Nevertheless, watch out to not overheat, as this may trigger the couscous to change into dry and unappetizing.

FAQs

• Can I take advantage of one other protein? Sure, you may substitute the hen with different proteins like tofu, beef, or lamb, and regulate the cooking time accordingly.
• Can I make this vegetarian? Sure, you may omit the hen and add extra greens like zucchini or eggplant to make a vegetarian model of the salad.
• Can I freeze it? Whilst you can cook dinner the couscous and hen forward of time and freeze them for later use, it isn’t really helpful to freeze the assembled salad because the textures and flavors could change into unappetizing.