Spring Pea Feta Couscous Salad with Basil Vinaigrette Recipe
This Spring Pea Feta Couscous Salad with Basil Vinaigrette is a fresh, vibrant dish perfect for spring or summer. Featuring tender couscous, blanched bright green peas, creamy feta, crunchy nuts, and a flavorful basil vinaigrette, it’s a quick and easy salad that’s both satisfying and refreshing. Ideal as a side or light main, it can be served warm or chilled.
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 15 minutes
- Total Time: 25 minutes
- Yield: 8 servings 1x
- Category: Salad
- Method: Stovetop
- Cuisine: Mediterranean
- Diet: Vegetarian
Ingredients
Scale
Salad Ingredients
- ½ cup uncooked couscous (not pearl couscous)
- ½ cup water or chicken broth
- 1 pound frozen peas
- ½ cup chopped parsley
- ½ cup crumbled feta cheese
- ½ cup chopped walnuts or pecans
Basil Vinaigrette
- 1 cup packed basil leaves
- ½ cup olive oil
- 1 shallot (cut in half)
- 2 teaspoons minced garlic
- 1 tablespoon honey
- 3 tablespoons white wine vinegar
- 1 pinch red pepper flakes
- Kosher salt and black pepper to taste
Instructions
- Cook Couscous: In a medium saucepan, bring the water or chicken broth to a boil. Remove from heat, stir in the couscous, cover, and let it sit for 10 minutes until the liquid is absorbed. Fluff the couscous with a fork to separate the grains.
- Blanch Peas: While the couscous cooks, bring a large pot of water to a boil. Prepare an ice bath by filling a medium bowl with ice and cold water. Add the frozen peas to the boiling water and blanch for 1-2 minutes until bright green and tender-crisp. Drain the peas and immediately transfer them to the ice bath to cool quickly. Drain again before adding to the salad.
- Combine Salad Ingredients: In a large serving bowl, mix the fluffed couscous, chilled peas, chopped parsley, crumbled feta cheese, and chopped walnuts or pecans until evenly distributed.
- Prepare Basil Vinaigrette: In a blender, combine the packed basil leaves, olive oil, halved shallot, minced garlic, honey, white wine vinegar, red pepper flakes, and a generous pinch of kosher salt and black pepper. Blend until smooth. Taste and adjust seasoning, adding more salt, pepper, or honey as desired to balance flavors.
- Assemble and Serve: To serve warm, toss the salad immediately with desired amount of dressing and serve. For a cold salad, refrigerate the salad components and dressing separately for 1-2 hours. Before serving, toss half the vinaigrette with the salad and adjust with additional dressing, salt, and pepper to taste.
Notes
- You can substitute chicken broth for water to add more flavor to the couscous.
- Use either walnuts or pecans depending on your preference; lightly toasting nuts enhances their flavor.
- For a sweeter vinaigrette, add additional honey gradually to taste.
- This salad can be made a few hours ahead and refrigerated; just add dressing before serving.
- Use fresh basil leaves for the vinaigrette for best flavor; avoid dried basil.
- For a vegan version, omit feta cheese or substitute with a plant-based cheese alternative.
Keywords: Spring pea salad, couscous salad, feta cheese salad, basil vinaigrette, Mediterranean salad, quick salad recipe
