Pearl Couscous And Chickpea Salad

Name: Pearl Couscous And Chickpea Salad
Prep time: 20 min
Cook time: 10 min
Yield: 6-8
Cuisine: Middle Eastern

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roubashahin.com.au

Salads Mains

This pearl couscous chickpea salad is fresh, filling, and so easy. Perfect for sharing, and you can tweak it however you like.

PREP TIME

20 minutes

COOK TIME

10 minutes

SERVES

6-8

About this recipe

This pearl couscous chickpea salad is one of those recipes I keep coming back to. It’s fresh, filling, and so easy to put together. The first ever salad I made using pearl couscous was this one, and honestly, it will always be my favourite. I love how adaptable it is—if you don’t like something, you can easily swap it out. Leave the feta out and it becomes completely vegan, which makes it perfect for everyone at the table.

Growing up, we didn’t eat pearl couscous like this. We knew it as moghrabieh, used in a traditional dish that’s packed full of spices, completely vegetarian, and most importantly, cooked with plenty of ghee. It’s hearty, comforting, and even something we love eating in wraps. So turning this ingredient into a pearl couscous chickpea salad feels like a fresh take on something familiar.

If you enjoy salads like this, you might also love my fennel pearl couscous salad. It feels fresh, light, and full of texture—the fennel brings crunch, the couscous adds body, and the whipped feta ties everything together beautifully. This one is just as easy, comes together quickly, and always looks good on the table.

This easy pearl couscous and chickpea salad is perfect for entertaining or alongside a casual barbecue. Tossed with a quick homemade garlic zesty dressing, it can be the ideal side dish for your next picnic. Like many of my other salads, this dish is a complete meal in itself.

Ingredients

Main Ingredients

300 grams pearl couscous
1 x can chickpeas rinsed and drained (400 grams)
2 medium tomatoes diced small
1 large Lebanese cucumber diced small
1 red capsicum diced small
1 x 400 grams can artichoke hearts diced small
150 grams black olives (pitted) diced small
4 sprigs of spring onion finely chopped
½ cup parsley finely chopped
¼ cup mint finely shredded
150 grams crumbled feta (omit if vegan)

Dressing

⅓ cup lemon juice
½ cup of olive oil
1 garlic clove crushed (large)
1 teaspoon mint dried
salt to season

Notes from Rouba

If you’re not assembling straight away, drizzle a little olive oil over the couscous so it doesn’t stick
This salad keeps well for up to 4 days, but you may need to add a little extra dressing before serving
Leave out the feta for a completely vegan version
Pomegranate seeds are optional but add a nice pop of colour and freshness
Don’t stress about exact ingredients—this is a very forgiving salad

Method

Step 1. Cook the pearl couscous

Cook the pearl couscous according to packet instructions (see Q&A below), or place it in a pot of boiling water and cook for 10–12 minutes until tender. Drain well, shake off any excess water, then toss with a small drizzle of olive oil to prevent it from sticking. Set aside to cool.

Step 2. Prepare the salad base

Dice and prepare all the vegetables, herbs, chickpeas, olives, and artichokes. Place everything into a large bowl along with the cooked pearl couscous and chickpeas. Gently mix to combine.

Step 3. Make the dressing and combine

Add the lemon juice, olive oil, crushed garlic, dried mint, and salt to a jar. Shake well, then pour over the salad. Toss everything together until well coated, taste, and adjust seasoning if needed. Add the crumbled feta.

A FEW THINGS YOU’LL WANT TO KNOW

Can I cook pearl couscous like rice?
Yes, and this method works really well. Use one part pearl couscous to two parts water—so for this recipe, that’s 300 grams couscous to 600 ml water. Bring it to a boil, then cover and let it simmer until all the water is absorbed and the couscous is tender.

What is pearl couscous exactly?
Pearl couscous is actually a small pasta, not a grain. In the Arab world, we know it as moghrabieh. Traditionally, it’s used in warm, hearty dishes—but here, we’re using it in a fresh salad.

Can I change the ingredients?
Yes, absolutely. This is one of those salads you can easily adapt. If there’s something you don’t like, leave it out or replace it with something you prefer.

Do I need all the dressing straight away?
Yes, for this quantity, you do need all the dressing. The pearl couscous absorbs it quite quickly. If the salad sits for a day or two and starts to dry out, just make a little extra dressing and toss it through again before serving.