The first time I had Greek salad I fell in love with it. There is something about all of those fresh flavors in one bite that reminds me of summer. I love the balance of fresh, crisp vegetables balanced with the salty feta and olives, all with a pop of acid from the lemon juice. It's also is a crowd pleaser, I don't know many people who aren't fans of Greek salad. When I was thinking about this dish I wanted to use something other than lettuce for a couple of reasons. 1. Almost every restaurant has a Greek salad, so making this at home I wanted to make it a little more unique. 2. This is a great side dish for a barbecue, or family dinner so I wanted something that could hold up to the dressing. Israeli couscous is the perfect vessel. If you have never had it before, I highly recommend you try it. It's super versatile and a thicker than regular couscous. I hope that you love this recipe as much as my family and I do. Please follow me on Facebook and Instagram - thanks for following along!~LC
Alteration Note: You can make this gluten free by substituting quinoa for the Israeli couscous and dairy free by omitting the feta. You can sub in dairy free feta, such as Urban Cheesecraft Feta.
Gather up your ingredients. I use this brand of Israeli Couscous, I got it on Amazon. None of my local grocery stores had it when I was shopping for this recipe. I have seen it at Wegman's however. Cook according to package instructions. (While cooking I whisk together the vinaigrette ingredients). Rinse with cool water and place at the bottom of a medium sized bowl - this is the Pyrex bowl with the blue top (2.5 qt). Add in your other ingredients- Kalamata olives, red bell pepper, cucumber, feta and red onion.
Lightly mix together all ingredients. Pour over vinaigrette and mix to combine. Refrigerate for at least one hour prior to serving. Enjoy!
½ cup dry Israeli pearled couscous
2 plum tomatoes, cored and diced
½ red bell pepper, diced
½ large cucumber, chopped
1/3 of a 5.75oz jar of kalamata olives, halved
¼ cup crumbled feta
¼ cup diced red onion
Vinaigrette:
2 Tablespoons olive oil
2 Tablespoons red wine vinegar
1 Tablespoon fresh lemon juice
1 teaspoon oregano
¼ teaspoon sea salt
¼ teaspoon fresh cracked pepper
1. Prepare couscous according to package instructions. While the couscous is cooking, prepare vinaigrette. Whisk all ingredients together and let sit while you prepare the salad.
2. If your vegetables are not already cut, wash and prep them. It is good to make sure that you remove the seeds of the tomatoes so that it doesn’t make the salad too wet. Ensure that all vegetables are in small bite sized pieces.
3. Once couscous has cooked, rinse with cool water. Mix in bowl with vegetables and feta. Drizzle dressing over the top and mix to incorporate. Refrigerate prior to serving.