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Spring Pea Feta Couscous Salad with Basil Vinaigrette

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Spring Pea Feta Couscous Salad with Basil Vinaigrette is a light, refreshing dish packed with flavor. Featuring sweet peas, feta cheese, crunchy walnuts, and a tangy basil vinaigrette, it’s perfect as a side or main course.

Ingredients

½ cup uncooked couscous (not pearl couscous)

½ cup water or chicken broth

16 ounces (about 3 cups) frozen peas

½ cup chopped parsley

½ cup crumbled feta cheese

½ cup chopped walnuts or pecans

1 cup packed basil leaves

½ cup olive oil

1 shallot, cut in half

2 teaspoons minced garlic

1 tablespoon honey

3 tablespoons lemon juice

1 pinch red pepper flakes

Salt and pepper, to taste

Instructions

  1. In a medium saucepan, bring the 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 once done.
  2. While the couscous is cooking, bring a large pot of water to a boil. Prepare an ice bath in a medium bowl with ice and water. Add the frozen peas to the boiling water and blanch for 1–2 minutes, or until bright green. Drain the peas and immediately transfer them into the ice bath to stop the cooking process. Drain again before adding them to the salad.
  3. In a large serving bowl, combine the fluffed couscous, blanched peas, chopped parsley, crumbled feta, and walnuts or pecans.
  4. In a blender, combine the basil leaves, olive oil, shallot, garlic, honey, lemon juice, and red pepper flakes. Blend until smooth. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Adjust sweetness by adding more honey, if desired.
  5. If you’d like to serve the salad warm, drizzle the vinaigrette over the salad immediately and toss gently. For a cold salad, refrigerate the dressing and the salad ingredients separately for at least 1–2 hours. Toss the salad with half of the dressing and adjust the flavor with additional dressing, salt, and pepper to taste.

Notes

To make ahead, store the dressing separately to avoid sogginess.

Substitute quinoa, farro, or orzo for couscous for a different texture.

For a gluten-free version, use quinoa or rice instead of couscous.

Store leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 days.

Nutrition

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