Ready for a bite of spring? This lemony Arugula Couscous Salad is filled with fresh, bright, and crisp flavors. Pair it with your favorite protein or make ahead to enjoy all week long.
Add this salad to your meal prep!
Get ready for a refreshing and bright spring salad.
This Arugula Couscous Salad just screams spring. It’s made with fresh herbs, an earthy, lemony olive oil dressing, and couscous cooked to the perfect al dente texture. I also threw in some chopped cucumbers for crunch and feta cheese for a creamy bite. All the flavors are so fresh and bright and perfect for the warmer weather.
Pair this salad with your favorite protein. A tender piece of grilled chicken, oven-baked salmon, or a juicy steak are great options to enjoy it with a complete meal. Serve it on the side or slice it up—however you choose, it’ll taste delicious!
And if you’re looking for more refreshing salads, also try this Strawberry Quinoa Salad, this Summer Green Salad, this Cannellini Bean Salad, this Broccoli Waldorf Salad, or this Mango Caprese Salad that I think you’ll love, too!
Recipe Ingredients
- Couscous: You need to buy the Trader Joe’s brand. It’s my absolute favorite. Nothing will ever change my mind!
- Feta: You can use whatever kind of cheese you like. I love how creamy and tart feta cheese is.
- Arugula: A great option for your salad bed! It’s slightly bitter, but SO refreshing.
- Lemon Juice: Adds such fresh flavor to our dressing.
- Hot Sauce: One of these things is not like the other…😂 Seriously, though. Adding a little hot sauce really enhances the flavor profile of the dressing and this salad. It’s not spicy at all!
- Lemon Pepper: This is a great seasoning to have in the kitchen. It’s great for quick bursts of flavor.
- Olive Oil: This will be the base for our dressing.
See the recipe card below for a full list of ingredients and measurements.
How to Make This Recipe
1. Prepare the couscous (or other grain of choice) according to the box instructions. Let cool completely before assembling the rest of the salad.
2. While the couscous is cooking, wash and dry the rest of the fresh ingredients. Finely chop the cucumber, parsley, and crush the almonds.
3. Then, add the couscous, cucumber, feta cheese, parsley, almonds, and arugula to the salad bowl.
4. In a mason jar, add the dressing ingredients together. I recommend doubling and storing the rest in the fridge for when enjoying the salad. Shake until well combined. Toss the salad with dressing and serve!
Make it a meal!
I recently worked with Meijer on bringing the APOP community 4 meals under $30! I made this recipe and paired it with some grilled pita, homemade tzatziki sauce and diced chicken.
Homemade tzatziki sauce: 1 cup greek yogurt, 1 lemon (juiced), 1/4 cup shredded cucumber, 2 tablespoons fresh dill, 1 tablespoon olive oil & salt + pepper. Stir.
Grilled Chicken: dice chicken breast into 1/2″ cubes. Heat a skillet to medium heat. Add a tablespoon of olive oil. Once warm, add the chicken with 2 tablespoons of gyro seasoning (or Mediterranean seasoning substitute). Cook for 6-8 minutes until chicken reaches internal temperature of 165F.
Built the bowl!
Recipe FAQs
Store this salad in the refrigerator in an airtight container for 3 days. The arugula will wilt slightly, but still provides great flavor. Note: The couscous will absorb the dressing. So if you’re making this for meal prep, it’s best if you make additional dressing to add just prior to serving, or just keep the dressing separate.
Instead of water, you could cook your couscous in veggie broth! This is a trick I like to do with rice and quinoa, too.
Sure. Use what you like! I think a Greek or balsamic dressing would taste good. You could even do a creamy dressing like poppy seed or a coleslaw dressing.
This salad is meant to be served chilled. All of the fresh produce would get pretty soggy if you attempt to warm this salad, which is also why it is important to let your quinoa cool before assembly.
More Recipes You’ll Love
Love this recipe? Please leave a 5-star 🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟 rating and comment in the recipe card below. Thanks for visiting!
Arugula Couscous Salad Recipe
Equipment
- Sauce pot
- large salad bowl
- Cutting Board
- Knife
- Rubber Spatula
- Whisk
- strainer
- Mason jar
- Measuring cups and spoons
Ingredients
- 1 ½ cup dry couscous
- 1 cup english cucumber, diced
- ⅓ cup feta cheese
- ¼ cup fresh parsley, diced
- 2 tbsp crushed almonds
- 2 cups arugula
Lemon Dressing
- ¼ cup olive oil
- ½ lemon, juiced
- 1 tbsp dijon mustard
- ¼ tsp lemon pepper
- 1 tbsp honey
- 1 tsp apple cider vinegar
Instructions
- Prepare the couscous (or other grain of choice) according to the box instructions. You’ll need a sauce pot, strainer, and rubber spatula for this step.
- While the couscous is cooking, wash and dry the rest of the fresh ingredients. Finely chop the cucumber, parsley, and crush the almonds.
- Allow the couscous to cool before you continue with any next steps. We don’t want it to cook any of our other ingredients by being too hot.
- Then, add the couscous, cucumber, feta cheese, parsley, almonds, and arugula to the salad bowl. Toss together.
- In a mason jar, add the dressing ingredients together. I recommend doubling and storing the rest in the fridge for when enjoying the salad. Shake until well combined.
- Toss the salad with dressing and serve!
Nutrition
Notes
Looking for this in MyFitnessPal?
If you’re using MyFitnessPal, search ‘A Paige Of Positivity’ and find Lemon Arugula Couscous Salad calories and nutrition facts. Disclaimer: for most accurate macronutrients and caloric breakdown, it is recommended that you input each ingredient into your MyFitnessPal food diary.
I’d love to hear your thoughts in the comments below. It’s my passion to create dishes that can be shared with others. Tell me something you loved or just say hi!
Love this recipe!! Made it for the second time today and will continue to add it to my weekly staples!!
so fresh, so flavorful! Court is right though – the trader joe’s couscous is superior
Refreshing and light! Reminds me of a restaurant app – so good!
Let me preface this review by stating that I am a very picky eater, both in regards to taste and texture. I am not much of a meal prepper, and have an absurd amount of Chipotle points saved up for a rainy day. But when I found out my company was increasing our in-person attendance requirement from 1 to 2-3 days a week, I knew spending $20 on lunch every time I went to the office sadly was no longer feasible. I knew I had to enter into uncharted territory: meal prepping.
There were three main criteria I kept in mind while selecting a dish to make. First, I wanted something that took under 20 minutes. Second, I didn’t want a recipe that resulted in an excessive amount of dishes. I knew that I would lose motivation to meal prep if it required an exorbitant amount of effort. Finally, I did not want to rely on the communal microwave at work. I knew that if I had to reheat my lunch, I would long for the superior heating methods of my stove, oven or air fryer at home, and my frustration surrounding the return to office would only exacerbate.
I needed a recipe that was efficient, easy and equally as delicious in-office as it would be in the comfort of my apartment.
I needed the APOP Arugula Couscous Salad.
My sister (Claire Hartman, see 5 star review June 21, 2022) knew just what I needed and recommended this recipe to me. Since then, I have brought it to work numerous times. I have even invested in a little container to hold the dressing, after my manager asked what the lightbulb shaped container I brought the first time said (it said “I got lit in Washington DC”). DELICIOUS!
always a winner in our house!