Spring Pea Feta Couscous Salad with Basil Vinaigrette Recipe
A refreshing and vibrant Spring Pea Feta Couscous Salad featuring fluffy couscous, bright blanched peas, crumbled feta cheese, and crunchy walnuts, all tossed in a fragrant basil vinaigrette. Perfect as a light lunch or a side dish, this salad combines fresh spring flavors in a simple, quick 25-minute recipe.
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 15 minutes
- Total Time: 25 minutes
- Yield: 8 servings 1x
- Category: Salad
- Method: Stovetop
- Cuisine: Mediterranean
- Diet: Vegetarian
Ingredients
Scale
Salad
- ½ cup uncooked couscous (not pearl couscous)
- ½ cup water or chicken broth
- 1 pound frozen peas
- ½ cup chopped parsley
- ½ cup crumbled feta cheese
- ½ cup chopped walnuts or pecans
Basil Vinaigrette
- 1 cup packed basil leaves
- ½ cup olive oil
- 1 shallot (cut in half)
- 2 teaspoons minced garlic
- 1 tablespoon honey
- 3 tablespoons white wine vinegar
- 1 pinch red pepper flakes
- Kosher salt and black pepper, to taste
Instructions
- Cook Couscous: In a medium saucepan, bring ½ cup water or chicken broth to a boil. Remove from heat, stir in the couscous, cover, and let sit for 10 minutes. Fluff with a fork to separate the grains.
- Blanch Peas: While the couscous is cooking, bring a large pot of water to a boil. Prepare an ice water bath in a medium bowl. Add frozen peas to boiling water and blanch for 1-2 minutes until bright green. Drain and immediately transfer peas to the ice bath to stop the cooking. Drain again before adding to the salad.
- Combine Salad Ingredients: In a large serving bowl, mix the fluffed couscous, blanched peas, chopped parsley, crumbled feta cheese, and chopped walnuts or pecans.
- Prepare Basil Vinaigrette: In a blender, combine packed basil leaves, olive oil, halved shallot, minced garlic, honey, white wine vinegar, red pepper flakes, and a generous pinch of kosher salt and black pepper. Blend until smooth. Taste and adjust seasoning or sweetness as needed.
- Assemble and Serve: For a warm salad, toss the salad immediately with desired amount of vinaigrette and serve. To serve cold, refrigerate the dressing and salad ingredients separately for 1-2 hours. Before serving, toss half the dressing with the salad and adjust with additional dressing, salt, and pepper to taste.
Notes
- For best texture, use regular couscous rather than pearl couscous.
- Chicken broth can be substituted with water for a vegetarian option.
- Walnuts or pecans can be toasted for extra flavor.
- The honey in the vinaigrette can be adjusted or omitted for a less sweet dressing.
- Refrigerate dressed salad for up to 24 hours; couscous may absorb dressing over time, so serve soon after dressing.
Keywords: Spring pea salad, couscous salad, feta cheese salad, basil vinaigrette, Mediterranean salad, easy side dish, plant-based salad, healthy salad
