Southwest Couscous Salad {Meatless Monday}

Southwest Couscous Salad

Couscous salad with the flavours of the Southwest? Why not? This Southwest Couscous Salad is fiesta in a bowl; it’s filled with delicious, nutritious, lively flavour!  It’s just the ticket for hot summer weather, and for Meatless Monday.  

I had every intention of making a loaded rice dish, when someone in a cooking group I’m in mentioned making a couscous salad. Hers was nothing like this one, but it’s where I got the idea.

As I’ve told you all before, Mr. Saucy claims to not like couscous so I call it “round pasta” in order for him to be willing to eat it (to be fair, I think it’s a textural issue for him with traditional couscous). Since I use Israeli, or Pearl, couscous now it really does seem more pasta-ish. If you think of this as a Southwest flavoured pasta salad, it doesn’t sound as odd a combination.

During the summer months, when it is so hot and humid where we live, I try really hard to not heat up the house using the oven or cook-top. This salad is great for that, since the only heat required is to cook the couscous…which is accomplished in mere minutes.

Also, as a side note, lately I have been buying the mini snacking peppers in a bag. They are a combination of small yellow, orange and red peppers that really are perfect for snacking; they also make it easy and inexpensive to have multi-coloured peppers on hand to make your cooking more vibrant in colour. As another benefit, there is much less waste than cutting into a whole large pepper to only use a small amount. Look for them in your local grocery store produce section.

When I put this salad together, honestly…I could not stop eating it! I chose a smaller bowl than what it took to hold the entire recipe just so I could eat some of it as I took the photo for this post. Then, after I covered it and put it in the refrigerator to chill, I kept going back all. day. long. nibbling on more and more of it. It is really refreshing, simple to make, packed with flavour and beautiful to behold!

It’s a super meatless meal in a bowl, or a salad for anytime. I hope you’ll try it!

P~

5.0 from 2 reviews

Southwest Couscous Salad {Meatless Monday}

 

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Pearl couscous along with black beans, corn, tomatoes with green chilies, red onion, peppers, and cilantro make for a refreshing summer salad that is great as a meal or a side dish.

Author: The Saucy Southerner

Recipe type: Salad, Side Dish, Entree

Ingredients

• 1¼ cup vegetable stock (or water)
• 1 cup Pearl (or Israeli) couscous
• 1 can black beans, drained and rinsed
• 1 can tomatoes with green chilies (like Rotel brand), drained
• 1 cup corn (frozen, canned or fresh from the cob)
• ½ cup bell peppers, diced (I used yellow and orange)
• 4 tablespoons fresh cilantro, chopped
• 3 tablespoons red onion, diced
• 2 tablespoons lime juice
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1 teaspoon ground cumin
• ½ teaspoon garlic powder
• optional: 1 tablespoon chipotle in adobo (I like the heat of this, but if you don't like hot, omit this optional ingredient)
• salt and ground black pepper, to taste

Instructions

1. In a medium-sized saucepan, bring the vegetable stock (or water) to a boil.
2. Add the couscous, cover, reduce heat to simmer for about 10 minutes, or until the liquid is fully absorbed.
3. Remove the cooked couscous to a small wire mesh colander and rinse with cold water to cool.
4. Place the drained couscous into a large bowl.
5. Add all of the other ingredients and stir to combine.
6. Cover and refrigerate to chill.
7. Serve cold.

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