Southwestern Black Bean Couscous Salad

Make this Southwestern Black Bean Couscous Salad in under 30 minutes. It’s packed with beans, veggies, and healthy fats and makes for a great meal prep lunch idea.

Linley picked me up from the airport last Monday at 11AM after my b-day trip to Milwaukee to see Man Candy and the first thing we did was go straight to Whole Foods for lunch. I love love love their selection of cold salads and the fact that you can get a little bit of everything. One of my favorite salads at WFHB (Whole Foods Hot Bar) has Israeli Couscous in it and I am obsessed. I’d never made Israeli Couscous until a few months ago and it’s SO EASY! Boil water, add couscous, and POOF.

There are so many great flavor combinations that you can mix in with Israeli Couscous and we decided on a southwestern style. Check it —>

Quick Meal Prep Meal

The cool thing about this couscous salad recipe is that you can have it complete in under 20 minutes AND it makes for an amazing meal-prep recipe. You can eat it on its own or as a side. You’ve got your grain (couscous), your pulse/protein (black beans), and tons of veggies! I also think this is an excellent meatless Monday recipe, as well. The black beans do a whole lot for the protein/fiber content. Pulses, in general, can really amp up the nutrition of any recipe. FUN FACT- did you know that pulses are actually considered both a protein and a vegetable. MIND BLOWING. Let’s check out the chunky line-up:

• Israeli Couscous
• Black Beans
• Cherry Tomatoes
• Sweet Corn
• Red Onion

Refreshing Dressing

The dressing is SUPER simple and so refreshing. It’s an olive oil base with lime juice, jalapeño, cilantro, cumin, and sea salt. YASSSSSSS. So good.

All you need to do is pop those ingredients into your high-speed food processor and whirl until combined. Then, you simply pour it on top of your Couscous salad and mix.

Couscous Q&A’s

Wondering what the heck couscous even is? Check out some commonly asked questions and answers below!

What is couscous? Couscous is actually very similar to pasta. It is made from semolina, which is the hard part of the grain of hard wheat.

Can couscous be eaten cold? Couscous can be eaten either hot or cold, it just depends on your preference and what you’re eating it with!

Is couscous healthier than pasta? When comparing couscous to pasta by the cup has 176 calories and 36 carbs. One cup of cooked pasta has 200 calories and 43g carbs.

More Grain Based Salads

• Best Quinoa Salad Recipes
• Southwestern Quinoa Salad
• Caprese Quinoa Salad

★★★★★

5 from 1 reviews

Southwestern Black Bean Couscous Salad

Make this Southwestern Black Bean Couscous Salad in under 20 minutes. It’s packed with beans, veggies, and healthy fats and makes for a great meal prep lunch idea.

Prep: 20 minutesCook: 10 minutesTotal: 30 minutes

Fat 19 Carbs 25 Protein 6

Yield 6 1x

1x2x3x

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Ingredients

For the Salad

• 1.25 cups Israeli couscous
• 1.5 cups water
• 2 cups sweet corn (we used 3 ears of fresh corn, but you can use thawed,frozen corn)
• 2 teaspoons avocado oil
• 1 teaspoon chili powder
• 1 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1–15 oz. can black beans, drained rinsed
• 1.5 cups cherry tomatoes, cut into fourths
• 1/2 small red onion, finely diced
• 1 large green bell pepper, diced
• 1/2 cup fresh cilantro, roughly chopped
• 1/3 cup cotija cheese, crumbled (+more for topping)

For the Dressing

• 2 tablespoons lime juice
• 1 tablespoon white wine vinegar (or rice vinegar)
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 2 tablespoons garlic hummus
• 1 tablespoon fresh cilantro, chopped
• 1 teaspoon honey
• 1/4 teaspoon chili powder
• 1/4 teaspoon paprika
• 1/2 teaspoons salt

Instructions

1. Bring 1.5 cups of water to a rolling boil. Add in couscous and turn to heat to low. Cover the pot and simmer until all water is absorbed (about 10-12 minutes). Fluff the couscous with a fork and if there is no excess liquid the couscous is ready.
2. Spread the couscous out onto a large plate or a small platter and place the couscous into the refrigerator or freezer to chill.
3. While the couscous is chilling, turn the oven to broil and place the corn onto a baking sheet. Drizzle the avocado oil over the corn and then season with chili powder, garlic powder, and salt. Toss until the corn is coated and place into the oven. Broil the corn for 5-7 minutes, tossing periodically. Remove the corn from the oven when it begins to brown and caramelize.
4. Add the corn, black beans, cherry tomatoes, red onion, bell pepper, lime zest, cilantro, cotija cheese, and cooled couscous to a large bowl and mix until combined. Set aside.
5. Add all of the ingredients for the dressing to a mason jar and cover. Shake the ingredients together until combined.
6. Pour the dressing over the couscous and other ingredients. Toss all the of the ingredients with the dressing until everything is coated in dressing. Top with any additional cotija cheese and enjoy.

Tips & Notes

• This recipe was updated in April, 2022. Check out the old recipe and photos here.
• Depending on how much you like lime, start with the juice from 1 and then go up from there. We used the juice from 2!

Watch It

Nutrition Facts

Serving Size: 1/6 Calories: 290 Sugar: 3 Sodium: 52 Fat: 19 Carbohydrates: 25 Fiber: 5 Protein: 6

Author: Lee HershCategory: SaladMethod: Stove TopCuisine: Southwestern

Keywords: couscous salad

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