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+ servings
Couscous salad in a bowl.
5 from 3 votes

Israeli Couscous Salad

This delicious warm couscous salad is tossed with roasted vegetables and homemade kale pesto.
Prep 30 minutes
Cook 40 minutes
Total 1 hour 10 minutes
Fat 28
Carbs 59
Protein 17
Yield 8

Ingredients

Kale Pesto

  • cup olive oil separated
  • 4 cloves garlic peeled
  • 4 cups chopped kale deboned and packed
  • ½ cup grated parmesan cheese medium grate
  • 3 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
  • ½ cup walnuts
  • 1 teaspoon kosher salt

Israeli Couscous

  • 1 tablespoon olive oil
  • 1.5 cups uncooked Israeli couscous
  • 2 cups water
  • 3.5 tablespoons kale pesto

Spice Mix

Butternut Squash

  • 4 cups butternut squash chopped into ¾-inch chunks
  • 1 tablespoon olive oil
  • Half the spice mix ~1.5 tablespoons

Beans

Cauliflower

  • 1 small head cauliflower ~4 cups
  • 1 tablespoon olive oil
  • Half the spice mix ~1.5 tablespoons

Other Ingredients

  • ½ large red onion minced (~½ cup)
  • 1 cup chopped fresh parsley
  • 1 tablespoon red wine vinegar
  • ¼ teaspoon salt
  • ½ cup feta

Instructions

  • First, make the kale pesto. Take the bottom of a glass or a large chef's knife and place it over the top of each garlic clove and press firmly to smash the garlic clove just until flattened.
  • Heat 1.5 tablespoons of olive oil in a small skillet over medium/high heat. When the olive oil is fragrant, add the garlic. Sauté the garlic until fragrant and slightly golden brown.
  • Add the cooked garlic to a high-powered food processor along with kale, parmesan cheese, lemon juice, walnuts, salt, and the remaining olive oil.
    All of the ingredients for kale pesto in a food processor.
  • Pulse the ingredients in the food processor to mix the ingredients and then process all of the ingredients on high for 2-4 minutes or until the ingredients become thick and creamy. Be sure to scrape down the sides of the food processor a few times during the processing time.
  • After the pesto has been processed it should be thick and creamy. If the pesto is still dry and chunky, add a teaspoon or two more of olive oil, scrape the sides, and continue to process the pesto until it becomes thick and creamy. Sometimes processing the pesto longer will draw the oil out of the walnuts which will add more moisture to the pesto. Set aside.
    Kale pesto in a bowl.
  • Next, cook the couscous. Heat olive oil in a small saucepan over medium/high heat and add the couscous. Toast the couscous for 3-4 minutes or until golden brown. Move the couscous around with a spatula. Add water to the saucepan and bring to a boil. Turn the heat to low and let the couscous simmer, covered, for 10-12 minutes or until the water is absorbed.
  • Uncover the couscous, fluff with a fork, and add the pesto to the couscous. Mix until the couscous is coated in pesto. Set aside.
    Couscous with kale pesto.
  • Preheat the oven to 450ºF and grease a baking sheet with olive oil or line with parchment paper.
  • In a small bowl, mix the spices for the spice mix together until combined. Set aside.
    Dry spices for the couscous salad.
  • Add the butternut squash cubes to half of the baking sheet and drizzle with olive oil and half of the spice mixture. Massage the oil and spices into the butternut squash. Set aside.
  • In a separate small bowl, add all of the ingredients for the beans and mix until the beans are coated. Spread the beans out in the middle of the baking sheet with the butternut squash. Bake the butternut squash and beans for 15 minutes, tossing halfway through.
  • While the butternut squash and beans are cooking prepare the cauliflower. Break a small head of cauliflower into large florets and then mandoline the cauliflower. We used a Kyocera mandoline at a 3.0mm setting. Mandoline the cauliflower into a large bowl (you’ll have about 4 cups). Add the rest of the olive oil to the cauliflower along with the rest of the spices mixture and carefully toss the cauliflower with the oil and spices. It’s ok if some pieces fall apart.
    Cauliflower on a pan with spices.
  • Transfer the cauliflower to the baking sheet with the butternut squash and beans and bake the cauliflower for 10-12 minutes or until just golden brown and warm.
    Butternut squash, chickpeas, and cauliflower on a baking sheet.
  • While the cauliflower is cooking, add the onion, parsley, red wine vinegar, salt, and feta to a large salad bowl and mix to combine.
  • When the vegetables are done cooking, add them to a salad bowl with the onion and toss to combine. Add the couscous to the salad bowl and toss again. Top the salad with more feta and enjoy.
    All of the ingredients for the couscous salad in a bowl.

Tips & Notes

  • This recipe has multiple steps that can all happen simultaneously. If you follow the method, you should be able to make it in about an hour.
  • If you don’t have a mandoline you can slice the cauliflower with a sharp knife or just rough chop the cauliflower.
  • We used our homemade kale pesto recipe, but you can use a store-bought pesto as well.
  • Feel free to roast other root vegetables if you can’t find butternut squash.
    This salad is written to be served warm, but it is delicious cold as well.

Nutrition Facts

Calories: 466kcal | Carbohydrates: 59g | Protein: 17g | Fat: 28g | Fiber: 11g | Sugar: 7g