Packed with seasonal bell peppers and charred grilled corn and held together with a homemade dressing, this Black Bean Couscous Salad is a little sweet, a little spicy, and super delicious! It's perfect for a family barbecue.
Table of Contents
About this Salad
Couscous is a little pasta variety that in my opinion is SO underrated. It's soft with a slightly chewy texture. Kind of like orzo, but also a little like quinoa depending on the variety. If you've not had Trader Joe's Israeli couscous, you've GOT TO try it. It's the best on the market, in my opinion.
This Black Bean Couscous Salad brings that couscous to life with seasonal bell peppers and charred grilled corn and mixed together with a homemade dressing, it's a little sweet, a little spicy, and super delicious! This salad is a great dish to bring to a barbecue for a side dish to burgers or grilled chicken.
It'll be passed across the table until the bowl is empty, and your friends and family will fight over every last spoonful! And if you're looking for more pasta salad dishes to serve up, also try this Lemon Arugula Couscous Salad, this Italian Orzo Salad, or this Strawberry Quinoa Salad, that I'm sure you'll love, too!
Recipe Ingredients
- Couscous: This tiny pasta is so fun to make recipes with. The texture combines so well with all kinds of flavors. My favorite place to buy it is at Trader Joe’s.
- Black Beans: A great source of protein and fiber. They are somewhat bland on their own, but pair GREAT with the southwest flavors in this salad.
- Veggies: This couscous salad recipe includes bell peppers, onion, corn, avocado, and cilantro.
- Homemade Vinaigrette - A super simple dressing gives moisture and extra flavor.
See the recipe card below for a full list of ingredients and measurements.
How to Make This Recipe
1. First, prepare couscous according to box instructions. Once cooked, rinse with water and put into a serving bowl. Allow it to cool prior to mixing.
2. Wash produce and dice onion, peppers, and cilantro into small pieces. I use a vegetable chopper so everything is the same size.
3. Rinse and drain black beans. Char the corn (see note below) and remove from cob if needed. Add them into the mixing bowl.
4. Once everything is added, fold the homemade vinaigrette into the couscous salad. Top with Mexican crema if desired.
Recipe FAQs
Store in the refrigerator for up to 4 days. Perfect for meal prep! You may need to add additional dressing after refrigerating though, as the moisture will be absorbed by the couscous. Don't worry, though. It won't be soggy and will still have tons of flavor.
Yes! I prefer grilled corn on the cob, but canned or frozen will also work. I suggest draining excess juice, then tossing with some extra virgin olive oil in a skillet over medium heat, prior to putting it in the salad. This will crisp up the corn a bit and avoid getting soggy corn juice in the salad.
This is a great carb to pair with all kinds of protein. Chicken, steak, pork, you name it! You could also serve this as a dip and enjoy with tortilla chips.
This salad is meant to be served chilled. All of the fresh produce would get pretty soggy if you attempt to warm this salad.
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Recipe
Black Bean Couscous Salad
Equipment
- Cutting Board
- Knife
- Can opener
- Measuring cups and spoons
- Serving bowl
- Spoon
- strainer
Ingredients
Couscous Salad
- 1½ cup couscous, cooked
- 1½ cup black beans, drained and rinsed
- ¼ cup red onion, diced
- 2 tbsp green onion, diced
- ½ cup avocado, diced
- ½ cup cilantro, chopped
- ⅓ cup sweet corn, grilled
- ⅓ cup red bell pepper, diced
- ⅓ cup orange bell pepper, diced
- ⅓ cup yellow bell pepper, diced
- 1 tbsp chile lime seasoning
- pinch red pepper flakes, optional
- ¼ cup Mexican Crema , optional
Dressing
- ⅓ cup olive oil
- 2 tbsp red wine vinegar
- 3 tbsp honey
- 1 tbsp honey mustard
- 1 tsp garlic powder
- ½ tsp paprika
- pinch red pepper flakes
- pinch salt
Instructions
- First, prepare couscous according to box instructions. Once cooked, rinse with water and put into a serving bowl. Allow it to cool prior to mixing.
- Then, prepare all of the ingredients: Wash produce and dice onion, peppers, and cilantro into small pieces. I use a vegetable chopper so everything is the same size.
- Rinse and drain black beans. Char the corn (see note below) and remove from cob if needed.
- In a small mixing bowl, combine all of the dressing ingredients (olive oil, red wine vinegar, honey, mustard, and seasonings) and whisk together until honey is completely dissolved.
- Add all ingredients into the serving bowl with couscous with chile lime seasoning/red pepper flakes and stir. Fold honey vinaigrette into couscous salad. Top with Mexican crema if desired.
- Serve cold and enjoy!
Nutrition
Notes
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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!
Sydney Van Acker says
reminded me a little bit of the flavors of cowboy caviar, but heartier with the couscous! so tasty!
Courtney Paige says
I adore this recipe. Equal parts satiating and flavorful!
Sierra N says
I made this for dinner tonight and it was a big hit and so easy!! The dressing was super interesting. I can’t wait to make it again.
Maria says
At what point does the salsa verde go in? Just made it. =)
Sydney Van Acker says
Hey Maria! The salsa verde was an older version of this recipe. We've updated it to include the homemade dressing instead! But if you want to substitute add salsa verde on top it would be mighty tasty!