Nestled within the delicate bites of tender pearl-shaped pasta you’ll find the season’s finest – golden kernels of corn, cool cucumber, sweet cherry tomatoes, red bell pepper and the savory note of red onion. Fresh dill, mint and peppery arugula add their beautiful herbal notes. Then a scoop of creamy cottage cheese brings everything together creating a wonderful salad, perfect for warmer weather.
Spring and summer sides and salads are often full of vibrant colors and crisp textures. This is another great recipe I picked up from Emily and I can’t get enough of it!
Pearl couscous provides the backdrop for this delightful salad. Tiny, round pasta layered with a vast array of summer produce along with fresh herbs and greens. To finish, cottage cheese adds a light, creamy touch while allowing each flavor to shine through.
Cooking time is minimal, just enough to plump up the pearl couscous.
And with a bit of chopping and stirring, this dish is ready in no time!
Pearl Couscous Summer Salad
For the couscous:
1-½ cups water
1 cup pearl couscous
1 tablespoon olive oil
½ teaspoon kosher salt
For the salad:
¾ cup roasted corn
½ cup chopped cucumber
½ chopped cherry tomatoes
¼ cup chopped red bell pepper
¼ cup small chopped red onion
1-½ tablespoons fresh chopped dill
1-½ tablespoons fresh chopped mint
Handful fresh arugula, whole or chopped
½ to ¾ cup cottage cheese
½ teaspoon kosher salt, or to taste
¼ teaspoon freshly cracked black pepper
For the couscous:
In a small saucepan, bring the water to boil over medium heat. Add the couscous, olive oil and kosher salt.
Cover the pan and reduce heat and simmer over low heat for 8 to 10 minutes, until the couscous is tender. Drain excess water if any is left in the pan. You’ll have 2 cups cooked couscous.
To make the salad:
Toss the corn, cucumber, tomatoes, bell pepper, red onion, dill and mint into a large mixing bowl.
Add the couscous, arugula and the cottage cheese. Stir together, coating the couscous and vegetables with the cottage cheese.
Season with the kosher salt and black pepper. Serve warm or chill. If you’re making this ahead, stir in additional cottage cheese prior to serving.
Fresh roasted corn yields an amazing taste. But in a pinch, you can use frozen organic corn, thawed. Makes 6 servings.
For slicing and dicing, Wusthof’s Ikon 7″ Hollow Edge Santoku Knife, one of my favorites, makes quick work of this task. https://amzn.to/4k8Xp36
John Boos Boards, ideal for prepping and beautiful enough for serving. https://amzn.to/4k1Y1rN
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Pearl Couscous Summer Salad
Equipment
- small saucepan with lid
Ingredients
- For the couscous:
- 1-½ cups water
- 1 cup pearl couscous
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt
- For the salad:
- ¾ cup roasted corn
- ½ cup chopped cucumber
- ½ cup chopped cherry tomatoes
- ¼ cup chopped red bell pepper
- ¼ cup small chopped red onion
- 1-½ tablespoons fresh chopped dill
- 1-½ tablespoons fresh chopped mint
- Handful fresh arugula, whole or chopped
- ½ to ¾ cup cottage cheese
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt, or to taste
- ¼ teaspoon freshly cracked black pepperÂ
Instructions
- For the couscous:
- In a small saucepan, bring the water to boil over medium heat. Add the couscous, olive oil and kosher salt. Cover the pan, reduce the heat and simmer over low for 8 to 10 minutes, until the couscous is tender. Drain excess water if any is left in the pan. You’ll have 2 cups cooked couscous.
- To make the salad:
- Toss the corn, cucumber, tomatoes, bell pepper, red onion, dill and mint into a large mixing bowl.
- Add the couscous, arugula and the cottage cheese. Stir together, coating the couscous and vegetables with the cottage cheese.
- Season with the kosher salt and black pepper. Serve warm or chilled. If you’re making this ahead, stir in additional cottage cheese prior to serving.
2 thoughts on “Pearl Couscous Summer Salad”
Delicious! Decided to make this last minute, so I had to make some changes based on what I had on hand. I didn’t have cucumber, mint or arugula and used canned corn & dried dill. I sautéed the red pepper and onion with the corn, then added it to the cooked couscous. Topped with capers for serving. They gave it a pop of freshness that might have come from the mint if I had it. Will definitely be making it again! Thank you!
Love this! I love “tweaking” recipes, adapting them to the ingredients I have on hand. Great ideas and thanks for sharing!