Mediterranean Couscous Salad with Raw Squash and Feta
This couscous salad recipe features fresh Mediterranean flavors. It's a simple, light summer dish full of vegetables, whole grains, chickpeas and feta.
Updated by Kathryne Taylor on July 9, 2024
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Meet my favorite couscous salad, featuring Israeli couscous and colorful summertime produce. This Mediterranean-style salad is light, refreshing, and overflowing with colorful rounds of thinly sliced raw zucchini and yellow squash. That’s right, raw squash! It’s so good.
This salad is a simple, light summer dish full of vegetables, whole grains, chickpeas and feta. I came up with this recipe six years ago for Free People’s blog, and it’s become one of my mom’s go-to potluck dishes. So, I thought I’d update it to meet my current standards.
This salad is just the kind of meal I’m craving during this hot summer weather, and it would be perfect for your Fourth of July parties. If you’re looking for more Independence Day recipes, I’ve got you covered. I’ve listed a few of my other favorite salads below, too!
Squash Preparation Tips
Here’s the thing. Raw squash is quite tasty, totally underutilized, and a nice alternative to cucumber. The trick for this recipe is to slice the squash into very thin rounds, so it offers a tender, lightly crisp texture.
There are a few different ways to accomplish this, starting with the easiest:
- With a mandoline: Mandolines (affiliate link) are sharp contraptions that help you make quick, uniform slices. Please be careful and don’t let your fingers get too close to the blade.
- With a vegetable peeler: Once you have sliced off the tip of the squash, you can hook the center of the peeler on the outer edge of the squash and pull it across. This might take some trial and error at first. It works especially well on skinny squash (thinner than the peeler is wide).
- With a sharp chef’s knife: Simply slice across the squash making your slices as thin and even as possible.
Couscous & Pasta Options
I designed this recipe for pearled (Israeli) couscous, which is basically a small round pasta shape. I prefer to use whole grain couscous, since the regular kind seems to spike my blood sugar levels.
Unfortunately, whole wheat pearled couscous has become harder to find. You might get lucky and find it in your grocery store, or you might want to order it from Amazon like I did.
If you can’t find pearled couscous, I would opt for a different small pasta shape instead of regular (more fine) couscous. Small shells, fusilli and farfalle will all work!
Looking for more fresh summertime salads? Here are a few of my favorites:
- Heirloom Caprese Salad
- Strawberry, Basil and Goat Cheese Salad with Balsamic Drizzle
- Fattoush Salad with Mint Dressing
- Garden-Fresh Corn Salad
- Colorful Strawberry Arugula Salad with Balsamic Vinaigrette
Hope your holidays is full of laughs, smiles and good food. Please let me know how you like this salad in the comments!
Mediterranean Couscous Salad
This couscous salad with raw squash and bold Mediterranean flavors is a simple summer side dish. Pack up a bowlful for a weekday lunch or serve with a glass of chilled Pinot Grigio or Sauvignan Blanc for dinner. Recipe yields 6 side servings.
Ingredients
- 1 ⅓ cup whole wheat Israeli couscous (or any other small pasta shape, you’ll need about 3 cups cooked)
- ⅓ cup pine nuts
- ⅓ cup extra-virgin olive oil
- 2 to 4 tablespoons lemon juice, to taste (from 1 to 2 lemons)
- 1 large shallot, finely chopped (about ½ cup)
- 2 cloves garlic, pressed or minced
- ½ teaspoon fine sea salt, to taste
- Freshly ground black pepper, to taste
- 1 can (15 ounces) chickpeas, rinsed and drained, or 1 ½ cups cooked chickpeas
- 1 pint grape or cherry tomatoes, quartered
- 4 ounces feta cheese, crumbled (½ cup)
- ⅓ cup pitted and thinly sliced Kalamata olives
- 1 medium zucchini, sliced into super thin rounds
- 1 small yellow squash, sliced into super thin rounds
- ⅓ cup (⅔ ounce) chopped fresh basil or flat-leaf parsley
Instructions
- Cook the couscous until al dente, according to package directions. Drain off any excess water.
- Meanwhile, toast the pine nuts: In a large skillet over medium-low heat, warm the pine nuts until they’re turning lightly golden on the sides and fragrant (be careful not to let them burn). Transfer them to a bowl to cool.
- In a large serving bowl, whisk together the olive oil, lemon juice, shallot, garlic, salt and several twists of black pepper until combined.
- Add the couscous to the bowl and toss to coat with the dressing. Top the couscous with the toasted pine nuts, chickpeas, tomatoes, feta, olives, zucchini and squash, and basil. Stir to combine.
- Season with salt and pepper to taste, and add an extra tablespoon or two of lemon juice if it needs more brightness. For the best flavor, refrigerate for 30 minutes before serving. This salad will keep well, covered and refrigerated, for up to 4 days.
Notes
Change it up: I used whole wheat Israeli couscous for my salad, but any small whole wheat pasta shape will do. Orzo, small shells and farfalle (bow-tie pasta) are all great options. Just cook the pasta in salted water according to the package’s directions and proceed with the recipe. Instead of zucchini and squash, you could use cucumber.
Make it gluten free: Substitute your favorite small gluten-free pasta for the couscous.
Make it vegan: If you choose to make the salad vegan by omitting the cheese, you might want to add a few more sliced olives to make up for the salty punch of feta.
Make it nut free: Technically pine nuts are seeds, but you can omit them if they don’t work for you or if you’re concerned about cross-contamination.
Nutrition
The information shown is an estimate provided by an online nutrition calculator. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice. See our full nutrition disclosure here.
Obsessed with this salad. Works great to make-ahead for lunch meal prep for the week. I have also added already cold grilled salmon from my grocery store’s prepared section to make the salad go longer. So so good! New to your site and look forward to new recipes! Thank you!
Hello!
could you tell me the equivalente of a “pint” in grams or cups, please? Thank you.
Sorry I don’t have the exact conversion off hand, but should be roughly 2 cups.
Loved this recipe! I used quinoa instead of couscous. I took a scoop of the quinoa mixture out before adding it to the salad to give to my 3 year old son. He gobbled it up! Love finding healthy options that he will eat ❤️
You have been my savior this spring!With a mix of vegetarians with all different tastes in my house. Your recipes have brought us together and every night the fam says this is even better than yesterday! The Quinoa soup, stuffed shells and couscous salad have been particular hits and the chocolate brownies were gone in 5 seconds. Thank you for broadening my repertoire during this eating marathon!!!
Thank you so much for your note, Karen! I’m really happy to hear it. :)
Love this recipe! It holds so well in the refrigerator for lunches! So glad I found this website! Amazing recipes!
Your salads are always surprising and great, and forgiving of substitutes and omissions. I make the orange orzo and the roasted eggplant + tomato orzo all the time. Cooked this one for the first time today, with some of the zucchini spiralized. It’s great. Zucchini holds up so much better in this than the cucumber you’d expect from an ordinary Mediterranean salad. Thanks for another delicious recipe!
Delicious! I use barley instead of couscous for a whole grain alternative and I omitted the pine nuts and feta and this was great on a picnic.
Made this recipe. Was amazing. My teen and hubby loved it. Actually lightly sautéed the tomatoes, shallots, zucchini and garlic. Amazing! Used juice of 2 FULL lemons and added a little garlic powder for increased flavour. Didn’t have pine nuts so used pistachios instead.
Another hit. Thanks, Kate! My toddler especially loved this and asked for another helping :)
That’s amazing! Thank you for sharing, Sophie.
Great flavors. Very satisfying and visually beautiful as well.
This is FABULOUS – thank you! I made it with farro, but I would have used couscous if I had it.
Addendum to my review — I usually find summer squash to be totally boring, and I’m always looking for ways to make it better because we get a lot of it through our CSA. And this was, by far, one of the best ways I’ve ever eaten it. Thanks for giving me squash-hope! :)
Made this one again tonight! Subbed farro for the couscous and it came out great! What an awesome summer recipe!
A great substitutions, Elisabeth! Thanks for sharing.
Love this – it is the perfect lunch recipe! I made it with a chickpea and lentil risoni from Trader Joe’s to add some extra protein. The lemon adds the perfect brightness to this light and summery dish.
This is so good. I probably over-did it with the salt and lemon juice, but those are just my flavors. :) I couldn’t get zucchini or squash, so I used a cucumber. I also left out the onion this time, and didn’t have fresh garlic for the dressing. I used quinoa instead of pasta or couscous. It’s delicious with extra olives. It’s also true that it gets better each bowl, the longer it sits. I’m about to go get more!
Delicious salad!
Could you please elucidate a little for us regarding your comment on pine nuts and cross-contamination? Are you referring to omitting a potential allergen? To me, in the culinary realm, cross-contamination is more germane to inadvertently including something such as bacteria, or like garlic on your knife blade transferring to the next thing you cut.
Sorry – biochemist here.
Thanks Kate
Hi Jefferson, Depending on where the pine nuts were produced if in a facility that also produces nuts. I hope that helps!
Hi there, Would you be able to substitute quinoa for the couscous. Thanks! Roberta
Hi, You could try it. Although a small pasta would be better. I hope you like it!
A lovely salad! I made this with just zucchini and added yellow bell pepper. I subbed green olives for kalamata, and I used dried herbs. I cheated on the dressing using bottled vinaigrette to save time and dishes. It was very good this way as well. The
Thank you for sharing Monika! I appreciate your review.
This was fantastic! Used orzo and it worked great. Using a mandolin to slice the zucchini and squash made this a very simple and delicious side to our meal.
That’s great to hear, Rachel!
I just made this and am having a hard time not sitting down with the whole bowl and a fork….I can’t imagine how much better it will be after sitting over night! SO good, thanks for posting!
You’re welcome, Erin! Thank you for your review.
I am shocked by how tasty this is. I used Trader Joe’s “Harvest Blend” grains instead of whole wheat couscous (it’s what I had in my pantry), and it came out so tasty I can’t stop eating it. And can I just say that I keep coming back to this website for more recipe ideas. Keep ’em coming!!
That’s great, Amber! I appreciate your review.
This recipe was fantastic and super easy to make!! Used vegan feta and regular white Israeli couscous, and it was enjoyed by vegans and non vegans alike. Made a large serving without needing to double it and was filling on its own. This is a perfect light summer recipe for when you have way too much zucchini in the garden and I’ll definitely be making it again!
I’m excited you plan to make it again, Claire! I appreciate your review.
Hi Cookie and Kate! I recently found your website as we are trying to greatly decrease our intake of meats and fish. I have made a few recipes and they’ve all been delicious. I made this one last night and it was fabulous! My husband felt it was a little heavy on the garlic, so I will probably cut back a bit on that, or use a little less shallot next time. But will certainly be making it again! Thanks for all your wonderful recipes ✌️❤️
You’re welcome! I’m glad you came to the blog. I can’t wait to hear more of what you try.
I’m definitely going to make this!
Just a few comments…. You can quickly toast any nut, believe it or not, in your MICROWAVE! I read a RD article about little known things to use the microwave for….. And toasting nuts is one. It works great too! I’ve done it several times with walnuts.
Also, a tsp or so of any mustard will emulsify the dressing so it doesn’t split, maybe you could update the recipe to include that?
I found your site totally by luck, I googled easy tzatziki and your recipe had the most reviews….! I’m afraid that I’m going to live on your site! Every recipe I’ve read so far, including this one, sound so amazing!
Btw, if one can’t find whole wheat Israeli couscous, even the non whole wheat has 4 gr of fibre per serving. Also, Israeli couscous is NOT the same as pearled couscous… I only know because I read a recipe that explained it, and pearled couscous has less fibre than white Israeli couscous, believe it or not!
You’re awesome!
Hi there! Do you think white beans would work in place of the chickpeas?
Sure, you could try it. They are more delicate. However, they should taste just fine.
OMG this is delicious! All the flavors go so well together. Thank you Kate for yet another wonderful dish.
I made this recipe yesterday. I nade a few minor modifications with the ingredients I had on hand. i.e. Used 1 beefsrrak tomato as I didn’t have grape tomatoes. I also only used 2 cups of cooked pearl couscous since that was all I had on hand. I used 1.6 ounces of feta cheese, because again, that was all I had on hand. And finally, I swueezed a little more lemon juice to make it a littke tangier tasting and only used 1 garlic clove. I will try cooking the garlic clove in the couscous water as someone suggested so the flavor isn’t as potent on garlic. Other than those minor modifications, everything else was the same. This salad was a HUGE hit!! I will be making this all the time now. It’s perfect for meal planning too!My serving size was 1 cup and we got 6 servings out of that recipe. I could cut it down to 1/2 cup and make it stretch more too. Thanks for the recipe!! Delicious!!!
My goodness what a great main dish salad! Halved the recipe to generously serve two hungry people. Modified by leaving out the couscous (in a hurry) and added a few chopped snap peas, and served it over a generous handful of spring mix. Going into the summer rota, for sure. Thank you, Kate!
I’m glad you like this salad, Nancy!
LOVE this recipe- so fresh and tasty- like all your recipes!
I’m happy to hear you love it, Sonya!
Hello from Sweden,
After making zucchini Roll Ups as a side dish, I had left over ribs of zucchini in the fridge. This recipe showed up at a perfect time,and I simply used the left overs, thinly sliced on the mandolins.
This salad is now put together. It is perfectly delicious and I feel so good, finding a use for my leftovers! Thank you for the recipe suggestion!
I am a fan of your creations, one of our favorites is the Veggie Enchiladas and oooh boy, your Enchilada Sauce!
So delicious and healthy. A great way to use squash and zucchini now in season!
Agree! Great recipe for right now.
Perfect timing on this recipe arriving in my email-needed something to make for lunches. Didn’t have whole wheat Israeli couscous so used the pearl couscous I had on hand. It has held up well, but I perked it up with some kalamata olive juice before serving. I’d make this for a pot luck in a heartbeat-don’t see too many salads with couscous so it would be a nice change.
Made this for an entree. Was surprised how good the raw squash tasted. The dressing made it delicious and I love Israeli Couscous!
I made this salad with quinoa and one large yellow zucchini as that’s what I had. It was delicious. It is now a permanent part of my repertoire. Thank you
You’re welcome, Natalie!